Backpacking... For Ever.

[almostgold]

I think a combination of a ad-supported website, donations (asked through site), and oddjobs on the trail might give you some. Be prepared to do a lot of farm work and construction, so before you go I would make sure you work in those areas at least a bit.

Speaking of which, how much backpacking experience do you have?

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

This is actually the coolest thing to me and I am beyond envious.
I have often thought if I were not a sick cripple I would be fucking gone doing the same thing.

No advice for you, really. Just thought I'd wish you good luck.

 

[Sarge034]

Good luck and god speed.... but you aint getting any of my money.

I don't expect to, and thank you? I think...

I might have read it wrong, but this sounded like a "send money plz" thread. All I can say is that water and food is a hell of a lot heavier than you think. Bring a Camelback and a SEPERATE filtering device with extra cartridges. Nothing is as depressing as finding water but knowing your filter gave out last time you used it. Nothing is worse than NOT realizing your filter gave out last time you used it and getting giardia. That is why I use two sets of filters. And for the love of god, get good boots that you brake in for at least 2 months prior to your expedition.

I roll with this for water. 3 litter Camelback Ambush with a filter attachment, and a water bottle filter. I use the bottle to fill the Camelback. Think of it as an overlap in security measures.

 

[FallenRainbows]

Good luck and god speed.... but you aint getting any of my money.

I don't expect to, and thank you? I think...

I might have read it wrong, but this sounded like a "send money plz" thread. All I can say is that water and food is a hell of a lot heavier than you think. Bring a Camelback and a SEPERATE filtering device with extra cartridges. Nothing is as depressing as finding water but knowing your filter gave out last time you used it. Nothing is worse than NOT realizing your filter gave out last time you used it and getting giardia. That is why I use two sets of filters. And for the love of god, get good boots that you brake in for at least 2 months prior to your expedition.

I roll with this for water. 3 litter Camelback Ambush with a filter attachment, and a water bottle filter. I use the bottle to fill the Camelback. Think of it as an overlap in security measures.

That is certainly very helpful, genuine thanks. Also, notice the lack of any sort of hint towards a way to donate. Also, suggestions on long lasting boots?

This is actually the coolest thing to me and I am beyond envious.
I have often thought if I were not a sick cripple I would be fucking gone doing the same thing.

No advice for you, really. Just thought I'd wish you good luck.

Thank you, much so, closer to the time that we leave I'd be willing to try and arrange a way to do something for you.

Sorry if this is too personal, what constitutes as a 'sick cripple'?

 

[Drake_Dercon]

Best of luck, I hope you make it.

Good idea to learn to hunt and trap. You can even sell some of your meat if you can find a nearby market. I hear bear is quite the delicacy (that wasn't sarcastic, I hear it's really good).

Honestly, I wish I had your courage rather than my ambitions. The best I can think of doing is moving out of town for university.

 

[Dectomax]

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

 

[FallenRainbows]

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

My driving instructor recommended that film today actually... odd...

Best of luck, I hope you make it.

Good idea to learn to hunt and trap. You can even sell some of your meat if you can find a nearby market. I hear bear is quite the delicacy (that wasn't sarcastic, I hear it's really good).

Honestly, I wish I had your courage rather than my ambitions. The best I can think of doing is moving out of town for university.

Courage? Pah, it's willpower my friend. the way I see it is:

Life is a book in which to write your story, a tome to keep your memories, your heartbreak and your love, make it an interesting one. Also, wrestling bears comes later.

 

[Sarge034]

That is certainly very helpful, genuine thanks. Also, notice the lack of any sort of hint towards a way to donate. Also, suggestions on long lasting boots?

I did when you replied, but I just kinda skimmed through your post at first and I made an assumption. I am sorry. As for the boots.... It comes down to personal preference, how much money you are willing to part with, and in what conditions/geographical areas you will be traveling through. I personally prefer the a Bates desert combat boot. I like the durability, gortex sides, and the fact that the boot is about 9in tall. The gortex wiks water away from my feet and a tall boot will help keep you from twisting your ankle. Side thought, don't wear cotton socks. Or cotton in general, as cotton has 0 heat retention when wet. Back to the boot. It also has some problems. This boot weighs considerably more than an ankle high boot, but this is a tradeoff for durability and the ankle protection. This boot does pretty well in wet conditions IF AND ONLY IF you care for the boot. You have to clean boot and reapply the waterproofing more than you think. If you fail to do that you WILL have wet feet, and that sucks. However, even if you do waterproof this boot water will get through in extended wet conditions or after about seven seconds of being submerged. You will never find a perfect boot, so you need to decide what is really important to you in a boot and pursue that. I personally want durability and reliability so I go with a slightly heavier design.

One after thought. Have either of you ever done any backpacking? If not, then don't do this trip. Start small and learn the basics close to home. You will get yourselves into trouble and possibly killed by "just jumping into" a long backpacking trip. You don't start climbing by going to Mt Everest. Just a friendly piece of advice, because everything I have said has been real basic stuff.

 

[Dectomax]

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

My driving instructor recommended that film today actually... odd...

I'm secretly your driving instructor! Haha!

I wish the best of luck when you start this journey. It will be hard and at times you'll be utterly miserable, no doubt about it but perservere and you will have a unique story to tell.

I would highly recommend learning basic bushcraft and as stupid as it sounds, carry an SAS Survival handbook. Cheap and easy to pick up and it contains EVERYTHING to do with survival. It has information on edible plants, building shelters, cloud movement and types, how to cathc and cook animals, what water is safe to drink. Basically everything you need. I would say this is a MUST have. Try a few weekends with your friend and try out some of the stuff in it. Learning now, will almost definitly help you when it comes to go time.

Where exactly are you planning to backpack?

 

[Dectomax]

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

Isn't that one where the guy ended up eating the wrong plant, poisoning himself, and slowly starved to death due to incapacitation in the middle of butt-fuck Alaska? The rest of the movie was cool, the ending..not sure you really wanted to use that story as a reference.

Yes it is! It will show just what an amazing experience you can have and also just how dangerous it is.

 

[katsumoto03]

I've always wanted to do something like this. Not forever, or anything. But a month.

Either way, good luck with this. I'd just like to say that if you did decide to vlog I would totally watch it.

 

[Jfswift]

I'm not sure if you'd really need a job, although I suppose you could apply at temp agencies. Have you ever read the book, "Into the Wild"? For the most part this person lived off the land and only once in a while actually worked.

 

[Raven's Nest]

Best advice is to ask for advice on a backpackers website. There's bound to be one.

What you are thinking of doing sounds awesome and all that but in reality it will be tough and probably frustrating at times. I've had a few friends/aquaintences who have done similar things before and they had similar advice for each other.

1) No matter what happens you will need some form of emergency funds to get you and your friend back home/to safety if anything should happen. You do not want to be stuck in some foreign country without an exit strategy.

2) Have enough money so that you can both feed yourselves every day of your trip. Running out of food in the middle of the city/countryside with no means to procure any is the quickest way to have a bad day. Keep this money in a bank account you can access from any country so that you are never short of the basic essentials.

3) Learn some basic phrases from all the countries you plan to visit. Europe has many countries with some very different languages and outside of the cities, finding someone who speaks English can be rare particularly amongst older people. Keep a phrase book handy at all times, it'll also help you feel the cultures you're passing through which is kinda the whole point.

4) Travel light as possible but always carry the following; Tent/shelter, good solid pair of hiking boots (at least £120's worth) and a few pairs of thick hiking socks,water purification tablets, torch and batteries, first aid kit sleeping bag, tools like a knife, fire starter, fishing line and hooks, compass and maps and two sets of clothes (always keeping one set dry). Not a bad idea to carry some dried gravy stock cubes too, they'll make any thing taste better if you end up eating wild animals.

5) Brush up on basic survival skills. Learn how to make and cook on fires, fish without a rod, perform basic first aid, read maps and orientation and building/finding effective shelters. You don't have to be as good as Bear Grylls but a little knowledge goes a long long way in the wilderness. Maybe get in touch with a local scout group who might point you in the right direction.

If you're planning on a much more urban backpacking trip then most of your time will probably be spent working in bars etc gerund paid under the table so make sure you are both well experienced and capable of doing these jobs. Invaluable to you will be a list of places which are well known for hiring foreign backpackers, again this is probably he kind of information you might get from a back packers website and not a gaming community

I wish you the best of luck in your travels, and so long as you have made all the right preparations and contingency plans, I'm sure you'll have an awesome time, meet some incredible people, visit some fantastic places and walk away with a much more open mind to the human experience

Ah yes, and always bring a towel

 

[FallenRainbows]

That is certainly very helpful, genuine thanks. Also, notice the lack of any sort of hint towards a way to donate. Also, suggestions on long lasting boots?

I did when you replied, but I just kinda skimmed through your post at first and I made an assumption. I am sorry. As for the boots.... It comes down to personal preference, how much money you are willing to part with, and in what conditions/geographical areas you will be traveling through. I personally prefer the a Bates desert combat boot. I like the durability, gortex sides, and the fact that the boot is about 9in tall. The gortex wiks water away from my feet and a tall boot will help keep you from twisting your ankle. Side thought, don't wear cotton socks. Or cotton in general, as cotton has 0 heat retention when wet. Back to the boot. It also has some problems. This boot weighs considerably more than an ankle high boot, but this is a tradeoff for durability and the ankle protection. This boot does pretty well in wet conditions IF AND ONLY IF you care for the boot. You have to clean boot and reapply the waterproofing more than you think. If you fail to do that you WILL have wet feet, and that sucks. However, even if you do waterproof this boot water will get through in extended wet conditions or after about seven seconds of being submerged. You will never find a perfect boot, so you need to decide what is really important to you in a boot and pursue that. I personally want durability and reliability so I go with a slightly heavier design.

One after thought. Have either of you ever done any backpacking? If not, then don't do this trip. Start small and learn the basics close to home. You will get yourselves into trouble and possibly killed by "just jumping into" a long backpacking trip. You don't start climbing by going to Mt Everest. Just a friendly piece of advice, because everything I have said has been real basic stuff.

Oh don't worry, we understand we will die diving into this, we have a year or two to be ready for this, we are starting small, just getting advice from actual people, we plan to start VERY soon with actual bush-craft and stuff, his father has a Caravan is Wales going to go there, learn to do what we can there, not spend a night in the Caravan it's merely a safety net. Thank you for the concern and the help, we also plan a longer first proper trial run in the summer of doing a small trip through France, and hopefully building up from their until we don't die. We are starting preparation nice and early.

post="18.277315.10789628"

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

My driving instructor recommended that film today actually... odd...

I'm secretly your driving instructor! Haha!

I wish the best of luck when you start this journey. It will be hard and at times you'll be utterly miserable, no doubt about it but perservere and you will have a unique story to tell.

I would highly recommend learning basic bushcraft and as stupid as it sounds, carry an SAS Survival handbook. Cheap and easy to pick up and it contains EVERYTHING to do with survival. It has information on edible plants, building shelters, cloud movement and types, how to cathc and cook animals, what water is safe to drink. Basically everything you need. I would say this is a MUST have. Try a few weekends with your friend and try out some of the stuff in it. Learning now, will almost definitly help you when it comes to go time.

Where exactly are you planning to backpack?

Europe, cuts a lot of costs, we know people in some areas, safety net. As I said, a few weekends every so often is the plan, building up from their

Best of luck, hope that a hobo makes a bad deal on the leather made from you and your friend.

We will make damn fine leather.

Watch "Into the wild". Based on a true story and EXACTLY what you are hoping to do.

Isn't that one where the guy ended up eating the wrong plant, poisoning himself, and slowly starved to death due to incapacitation in the middle of butt-fuck Alaska? The rest of the movie was cool, the ending..not sure you really wanted to use that story as a reference.

To the OP and his "male companion" (wink), I wish you both the best of luck. I think the previous ideas of doing a trial run for a couple of weeks might be a great idea before you actually leave the country. Also, I'd plan (roughly) your first few months out. Research some countries you want to visit, maybe make pre-arrangements for work and accommodations, and make sure you have a chunk of emergency money in an internationally accessible spot that can always be accessed. Just some thoughts.

Agreed all points, working on finding a bank capable of doing such things, points mentioned before, also the starting plan (as of now [very early]) consists on going to places where we know people the northern parts of Europe (yes we are dodging the winter we are not so silly)

 

[Dectomax]

Europe is a very strange place, dodging winter doesn't work! The weather here is very strange!

a good peice of advice would also to have a route set, so you know roughly where you're walking and what direction you should be going. Be careful with borders, they don't take kindly to people walking over the mountains into their country.

This can be easily done, I know a few lads from my unit who done a month through France and Germany, living off the land and they said it was great.

On the border point, the Ukraine does NOT like people crossing borders. I would HIGHLY recommend avoiding there. Also be aware, eastern europe does have a rather large Bear population. Some basic research before hand ( what countries you're going to pass through and what wildlife they have ) is recommended.

As everyone else has stated, start light. Weekends, weeks and maybe two week practice runs would be ideal. so you get a feel for living in the dirt and walking. ( Trust me, when on RT one of the exercises' was a five day wilderness exercise, it will drain you and it will get you down at times - Or maybe that's just dartmoor? - but it's rewarding )

 

[Drake_Dercon]

Good idea to learn to hunt and trap. You can even sell some of your meat if you can find a nearby market. I hear bear is quite the delicacy (that wasn't sarcastic, I hear it's really good).

Honestly, I wish I had your courage rather than my ambitions. The best I can think of doing is moving out of town for university.

Courage? Pah, it's willpower my friend. the way I see it is:

Life is a book in which to write your story, a tome to keep your memories, your heartbreak and your love, make it an interesting one. Also, wrestling bears comes later.[/quote]

I'd say it's courage. The only reason I won't set off on my own is because I'm afraid of leaving everything behind and never coming back. I think you're quite brave doing what you do, but I think I'll stay here where it's comfortable. Programming is too much fun to leave behind to set out on the road.

And I was serious about the bear thing. No wrestling, just get up close with a couple friends, aim a slug for its head and pray that the spirits will have mercy on you (that last bit is unnecessary if you've done it before).

But me? I'm city folk. Soft and squishy. Sure I'll leave from time to time, but this is where I belong, at least for now.

Anyway, good luck to you. I commend you for having the guts to leave your comfort zone and try something new.

Edit: My book will be one of debauchery and intrigue... or something. I'll be sure to do some travelling at least once, though.

 

[FallenRainbows]

Europe is a very strange place, dodging winter doesn't work! The weather here is very strange!

a good peice of advice would also to have a route set, so you know roughly where you're walking and what direction you should be going. Be careful with borders, they don't take kindly to people walking over the mountains into their country.

This can be easily done, I know a few lads from my unit who done a month through France and Germany, living off the land and they said it was great.

On the border point, the Ukraine does NOT like people crossing borders. I would HIGHLY recommend avoiding there. Also be aware, eastern europe does have a rather large Bear population. Some basic research before hand ( what countries you're going to pass through and what wildlife they have ) is recommended.

As everyone else has stated, start light. Weekends, weeks and maybe two week practice runs would be ideal. so you get a feel for living in the dirt and walking. ( Trust me, when on RT one of the exercises' was a five day wilderness exercise, it will drain you and it will get you down at times - Or maybe that's just dartmoor? - but it's rewarding )

We are English, and we both have good communion with mainland Europe so we know the weather is bad, by dodge, we mean dodge the 60% snow cover. Furthermore, borders are not an issue (in Europe) Eurozone! As for the bears, we plan to start in the north, move down through Germany, head west, back up on ourselves (through different countries)then east, ending up in Russia and seeing what we can do from there.

Good idea to learn to hunt and trap. You can even sell some of your meat if you can find a nearby market. I hear bear is quite the delicacy (that wasn't sarcastic, I hear it's really good).

Honestly, I wish I had your courage rather than my ambitions. The best I can think of doing is moving out of town for university.

Courage? Pah, it's willpower my friend. the way I see it is:

Life is a book in which to write your story, a tome to keep your memories, your heartbreak and your love, make it an interesting one. Also, wrestling bears comes later.

I'd say it's courage. The only reason I won't set off on my own is because I'm afraid of leaving everything behind and never coming back. I think you're quite brave doing what you do, but I think I'll stay here where it's comfortable. Programming is too much fun to leave behind to set out on the road.

And I was serious about the bear thing. No wrestling, just get up close with a couple friends, aim a slug for its head and pray that the spirits will have mercy on you (that last bit is unnecessary if you've done it before).

But me? I'm city folk. Soft and squishy. Sure I'll leave from time to time, but this is where I belong, at least for now.

Anyway, good luck to you. I commend you for having the guts to leave your comfort zone and try something new.

Edit: My book will be one of debauchery and intrigue... or something. I'll be sure to do some travelling at least once, though.

I'd be glad to help out in the intrigue, and believe me Charles will be most welcoming to the debauchery. Seriously though, if you do travel, drop us a line, if we are nearby we will make sure to say hello.

 

[uphillbothways]

Americans in this thread: the word "backpacking" does not mean what you think it means.

Everywhere else in the world, backpacking refers to a variety of adventure travel characterised by low budgets, exotic locations, youth hostels and dreadlocks, as opposed to wild country hiking. Big boots, water filters and all that guff have nothing to do with what the rest of the world calls backpacking.

OP: Your local library will almost certainly have a copy of "Work Your Way Around The World" by Susan Griffith. It is considered the definitive text on the subject and is a fairly comprehensive list of what work is available around the world for backpackers. There's lots of excellent advice on visas, work permits and the like. If they don't have a copy (or if theirs is ten years old) it's only a tenner on Amazon.

If you don't have any particular job skills, you'll probably end up on the ping-pong - work a couple of months in the developed world, then travelling the much cheaper developed world until the money runs out. Rinse and repeat until you get bored. A popular option is to take advantage of Australia's Working Holiday Visa program, which allows young people to spend up to a year working in Australia with very little bureaucracy. Australia has constant labour shortages and work is fairly easy to find if you're prepared to get your hands dirty.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language is a good option, but to get work in the developed world you really need a degree and TEFL certificate. You can get work without in a lot of poorer countries, but the money is rubbish so it's mainly an option for spending time in a country rather than building up a warchest.

You're not going to die. Practically every youngster from Australia and New Zealand (and a whole lot of Europeans) goes backpacking on gap years or after uni. There's an established trail and it's possible to see large parts of the world without ever really having to fear for your personal safety or spend too long away from people like yourself - studenty backpacker sorts. There's an established Lonely Planet trail around the world that requires no more skill to negotiate than a package holiday to Magaluf. If you want to travel somewhere scary and dangerous you can, but it's also easy to avoid.

The best general guide on backpacking in my opinion is John Gregory's www.artoftravel.com . He has done a hell of a lot of travel on very little money and his guide is incredibly practical and pragmatic. It's ostensibly about the day-to-day tasks of travel, but the real lesson it teaches is the necessary mindset to stay safe and sane on the road.

 

[Dr Snakeman]

Americans in this thread: the word "backpacking" does not mean what you think it means.

Everywhere else in the world, backpacking refers to a variety of adventure travel characterised by low budgets, exotic locations, youth hostels and dreadlocks, as opposed to wild country hiking. Big boots, water filters and all that guff have nothing to do with what the rest of the world calls backpacking.

Gah! Why do all the British English words mean different things?! I can't keep track of two different forms of the same language, dammit! I just can't! /nervous breakdown

So, yeah. When I posted my last comment, I was under the impression that this expedition the OP is embarking on was of a much more "outdoorsy" nature, a la extremely primitive camping, possibly while climbing a mountain.

The reality, as I now understand, is much... tamer. Still pretty cool, though.

 

[FallenRainbows]

I've always wanted to do something like this. Not forever, or anything. But a month.

Either way, good luck with this. I'd just like to say that if you did decide to vlog I would totally watch it.

edit: Sorry missed you out:

Thank you, and if all goes according to plan closer to the time I'll make sure I make a new thread for anyone interested.

Americans in this thread: the word "backpacking" does not mean what you think it means.

Everywhere else in the world, backpacking refers to a variety of adventure travel characterised by low budgets, exotic locations, youth hostels and dreadlocks, as opposed to wild country hiking. Big boots, water filters and all that guff have nothing to do with what the rest of the world calls backpacking.

OP: Your local library will almost certainly have a copy of "Work Your Way Around The World" by Susan Griffith. It is considered the definitive text on the subject and is a fairly comprehensive list of what work is available around the world for backpackers. There's lots of excellent advice on visas, work permits and the like. If they don't have a copy (or if theirs is ten years old) it's only a tenner on Amazon.

If you don't have any particular job skills, you'll probably end up on the ping-pong - work a couple of months in the developed world, then travelling the much cheaper developed world until the money runs out. Rinse and repeat until you get bored. A popular option is to take advantage of Australia's Working Holiday Visa program, which allows young people to spend up to a year working in Australia with very little bureaucracy. Australia has constant labour shortages and work is fairly easy to find if you're prepared to get your hands dirty.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language is a good option, but to get work in the developed world you really need a degree and TEFL certificate. You can get work without in a lot of poorer countries, but the money is rubbish so it's mainly an option for spending time in a country rather than building up a warchest.

You're not going to die. Practically every youngster from Australia and New Zealand (and a whole lot of Europeans) goes backpacking on gap years or after uni. There's an established trail and it's possible to see large parts of the world without ever really having to fear for your personal safety or spend too long away from people like yourself - studenty backpacker sorts. There's an established Lonely Planet trail around the world that requires no more skill to negotiate than a package holiday to Magaluf. If you want to travel somewhere scary and dangerous you can, but it's also easy to avoid.

The best general guide on backpacking in my opinion is John Gregory's www.artoftravel.com . He has done a hell of a lot of travel on very little money and his guide is incredibly practical and pragmatic. It's ostensibly about the day-to-day tasks of travel, but the real lesson it teaches is the necessary mindset to stay safe and sane on the road.

Thank you for the sound advice, but yeah to a certain extent we do plan to go quite wild, maybe not at first but it's a road for us, we are planning to dodge hostels for the most part and go 'wild camping' as they call it, however I'll look up that book if I so can.

Americans in this thread: the word "backpacking" does not mean what you think it means.

Everywhere else in the world, backpacking refers to a variety of adventure travel characterised by low budgets, exotic locations, youth hostels and dreadlocks, as opposed to wild country hiking. Big boots, water filters and all that guff have nothing to do with what the rest of the world calls backpacking.

Gah! Why do all the British English words mean different things?! I can't keep track of two different forms of the same language, dammit! I just can't! /nervous breakdown

So, yeah. When I posted my last comment, I was under the impression that this expedition the OP is embarking on was of a much more "outdoorsy" nature, a la extremely primitive camping, possibly while climbing a mountain.

The reality, as I now understand, is much... tamer. Still pretty cool, though.

Same as above.