I’m in San José, Costa Rica! This is my starting point for a five-month backpacking trip through Central America. “Five months?!” People often are surprised at the lengthy amount of time I will be travelling. Previous trips of mine have lasted between four and 14 months. People like to ask why or where I am travelling, but often also wonder how I go on such long trips. I fell in love with travelling during University, though I probably got the travel-bug initially from my parents, who did their best to show us places in the world other than Sint Maarten.
While doing my bachelor’s, I decided to do my internship abroad. It was a spontaneous decision. Plans were made, ticket booked and my two feet were on Chilean soil a week later. I remember it being pretty nerve-wracking to use hand gestures and a piece of paper to explain to the taxi driver where to drop me off. I had clearly not paid enough attention during my high school Spanish classes.
On that first trip, I remember ringing the doorbell of my new home, which was a student house adjacent to the Spanish school where I would be taking lessons. Just as I had begun to wonder if I was at the right place, a lady opened the door, rushed me in and rattled off in Spanish. She ignored my attempts to speak English and, after a somewhat confusing house tour, showed me my room. The house was quiet. I unpacked thinking to myself: “Hmm maybe this was a bad idea.” But it turned out to be the best idea.
A few hours later, I met the other students, who soon became good friends. In the coming weeks, I learnt about a different culture, a different language, met a lot of interesting people and explored landscapes I had never seen before. During those four months, I gained self-confidence, overcame fears, pushed myself mentally and physically, obtained new skills and made a lot of new friends. The trip opened my mind up more than I could have imagined, and I quickly decided that travelling and seeing as much of the world as possible were going to among my main goals in life.
After that trip, I lived and taught at a university in Tanzania for four months, sailed through the Pacific, backpacked in South East Asia and explored most of the islands in the Caribbean. Though I can now count more than 40 stamps in my passport, it is not enough. So I began thinking about where I wanted to go next. Ever since my internship in Chile, I have wanted to go back to that area. The expected vibrancy, my dad’s love for Latin music and South and Central American culture drew me in. Expecting to travel by myself this time, I chose to conquer Central America, whose countries are a bit smaller, and would mean less time in a bus by myself.
So after some research, I decided to make my way from Costa Rica to Mexico, visiting Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize in between. I booked my ticket for October 4 and started to prepare for my trip. Figuring out where you want to go is really fun. Google a lot! Have you ever had dreams about seeing Canada? Wondered what it would be like to live in the jungle? Wanted to see the movie set of Lord of the Rings? Wanted to learn Italian from a good looking Italian man? It is all possible!
One of the most asked questions I get is: “How do you pay for your trip?” It is all about saving, but also working hard. I have two jobs to facilitate my somewhat indulging lifestyle on Sint Maarten and save up for a long trip. That means a combination of working long hours but also making certain sacrifices. If your trip will cost $5,000, and you have a year to save, that means putting away about $420 a month. This means working extra hours or spending less on clothes, electronics or dinners for example. The best thing is to put away the money you aim to save as soon as get your pay check and have paid your bills. If you don’t think you can “stay away” from the money you are supposed to save, give it to a family or trustworthy friend to hold for you.
Once you have decided what you want to see, explore or experience, you need to make a budget and – this is a little less fun – be realistic. Exploring a jungle in Kenya means long flights and expensive safaris, which your wallet and current lifestyle might not allow. BUT Guyana also has a lot of gorgeous jungle, is closer to home and cheaper to explore. However, if Kenya is your DREAM-destination, then that's okay too – just be prepared to save for a bit longer.
You can find a lot of budget tips online or in books such as Lonely Planet. For example, I read that in Costa Rica I can expect to spend about $50 a day on accommodation, food and travel, so that is $50 times 30 days, which is $1,500. Guatemala, however, is cheaper, at about $30 a day, which adds up to $900 a month.
You also should budget in the “lifestyle” you want to live on your trip. A budget lifestyle will allow you to travel for longer, but you might have to say no to a unique diving-experience or quad-tour through the country. If you want to stay in a hotel with warm water, Wi-Fi and a pool, that might cut into your savings as well. It’s all about what will make you happy on your travels.
Remember you travel for YOURSELF, so do what you want, although I would definitely recommend stepping outside of your shell and trying something completely different during your travels. Often, it is uncomfortable situations that cause us to learn the most about ourselves, discover new passions or make us feel proud to have overcome them!
Browse sites online for tickets. Cheaptickets.com is one of my favourites, though it can at times be cheaper to book directly from the airline company. Once you have your destination, budget, ticket and possibly a (rough) plan, it is time to pack!
Key question to ask yourself when packing is: “When it is 35 degrees and we’re running for a train/plane/taxi/tuk tuk/elephant, what do we want on our backs?”
Packing for a holiday can be difficult, but packing for a long trip can be near impossible. I’d take more (such as 10 bikinis) on a two-week holiday to Spain than I would on a long trip. For a long trip, you need to really think about what you are bringing. Many travellers, such as myself, just take the bare essentials. I often end up buying everything else I need on the road. It is easier to buy the items you need in the country you’re travelling to. But you need to work out a happy balance for you.
On a long trip, your backpack is your home. It's your snail-shell. And much like a snail-shell, you will take care of it and its contents, loving each and every item that is housed in your backpack. A good weight for your backpack is between 10 and 12kg. Experiment before you go and pack your bag a couple of times to find out what fits where. Remember the lighter it is, the easier it will be to carry! Do research on the climate of the country you’re traveling to. No point in bringing a winter jacket to Portugal in the summer.
My backpack has one pair of jeans, two pairs of long cotton pants, two pairs of shorts, four shirts, two long-sleeved blouses, one thin jacket, two dresses, one bikini, 10 underwear, four pairs of socks, one pair of slippers, one pair of sandals and one pair of good hiking boots. Sarongs are also great to bring as cover up or as a thin towel! I brought two of them.
Furthermore, I have a medical kit, with all the essentials and medication for pain and diarrhoea (which you will probably get at least once on your travels trying a new meal or drinking unfiltered water) and some antibiotics for simple infections. Remember that sanitary supplies such as shampoo are easy to get in most countries. I always bring small bottles and refill them as I go.
Last, do not forget your documents! Safeguard your passport on your trip, bring a credit card, carry (and hide) about $200 for emergency situations and border payments, bring copies of your passport, ID, driver’s licence, and insurance. Some countries also require proof of vaccination and passport photos for VISA purposes. Some other handy items you can bring are a camera to document your trip, a head torch to find your way through dark places at night and a plug-adaptor.
Complete lists of budgets and packing trips are easily found online! Dream, plan, budget, save, book, pack and EXPLORE! That's all there is to it. I promise it will pay off in ways you did not even imagine.
Next week: More about Costa Rica. Follow Laura on instagram: @laurasxm
