Backpacking Items

Ways to save when planning a gap year

With tuition fees having gone up and many college students wondering whether going to university is worth it financially, a gap year might look like a very attractive prospect.

Backpacking from New York to Miami: what to expect

The USA is one of the best countries to backpack around thanks to the truly diverse states. One minute you can be seeing world-famous attractions in New York, before listening to live jazz in the Deep South and then sunbathing on a beach in Miami.

How to pack for travelling around the USA

The USA is a fantastic country to travel around for many reasons, especially if you are heading abroad by yourself. First and foremost, the main language is English, so you shouldn't find it daunting to get around, particularly if you go within a small group.

Everything you need to know about travelling in Cambodia

Cambodia, in south-east Asia, is something of an up and coming gap year destination. Its fascinating-but-gruesome history, beautiful scenery, friendly locals and cheap living costs mean your money will certainly go far when staying in the country.

Speed dating with ... Sydney

Not sure where you want to go on your gap year, why not spend five minutes speed dating with Australia’s most famous city – Sydney, getting to know a bit more about her.

America's most interesting ghost towns to include on your trek checklist

For USA holidays with a difference, why not go on a tour that incorporates some of the most famous ghost towns in the nation? Discovering a destination that was once populated and is now empty will certainly prove to be a memorable highlight of your trip!

Hostel survivors guide

Hostels provide backpackers with inexpensive readily available accommodation while travelling abroad. They can sometimes be great sources of information and a great place to meet other travellers too. However, hostels can also be loud, dirty and uncomfortable and there are certain unwritten rules about sleeping staying in them. So follow our top tips to surviving staying in hostels.

Ultimate guide to Vietnam

Vietnam is a great destination for backpackers; it’s easy to get around and packed with interesting cultural sites. With the first direct flights announced from the UK only a couple of months ago, in December 2011, the country is set to become a hot gap year destination. So here’s our ultimate guide to Vietnam and its must-see sights.

Interview with a backpacker

This week MaptheGap.co.uk looks at the other side of the story and chats with American Maggie Eckel about her gap year in the UK and travelling around Europe.

Interview with a backpacker

MaptheGap.co.uk interviews Callie Morris about her gap year trip volunteering in Kenya and backpacking through South East Asia and Australia.

Relationship survival tips on a gap year

Going on a gap year together can ‘make or break’ many couples. These are our tops tips for making it work, and what to do if it doesn’t.

Why San José doesn’t deserve its bad reputation

Costa Rica’s capital, San José has a bad reputation among travellers and many backpackers just try to get out of the city as soon as they’ve arrived. But, does San Jose really deserve its bad rep? We decided to go there find out for ourselves and our discoveries are quite surprising ...

Interview with a backpacker

MaptheGap.co.uk chats with Andrew Turner about his gap year experience backpacking and working around Australia.

What not to wear around the world

When travelling, whether volunteering on your gap year, career break or simply backpacking, it’s important to be aware of local laws and customs and adhere to them. This is especially true when it comes to clothing. Wearing the wrong type of clothing could attract unwanted attention, offend locals and even forbid you from entering certain places. So, here are our top tips on what not to wear around the world.

Tales from a backpacker: flying an airplane over the Golden Gate Bridge

Sometimes travel goes wrong. But sometimes the unexpected disaster moments of travel are a blessing in disguise – putting you on a path that you’d never normally chose. Even so, no one really expects a travel disaster to end up with a free flight over the Golden Gate Bridge! This story has to be read to be believed...

Advice for women travelling alone

Sometimes during your gap year, backpacking travels or career breaks, you may find yourself travelling alone. Whether this is through circumstances beyond your control, or simply because you want to, you will find great rewards in travelling solo. However, solo women travellers who need to take extra care, so follow our advice for some top tips on staying safe.

2012 gap year hot list

Heading off on your gap year in the New Year? Wondering where to go or need a little bit of inspiration? To help you decide and plan your adventures for next year, we’ve come up with a list of where we think are going to be hot gap year destinations in 2012.

Three surprisingly good destinations for vegetarians

Being a vegetarian can be hard when you’re travelling, vegetarian options are not always available, you don’t want to feel like a pain dragging your travelling companions round to ten different restaurants and you might be worried about offending other cultures by not eating the meat they’ve cooked for you. In some countries like India, New Zealand and Greece you can expect to find good vegetarian alternatives, however, there are a few surprisingly good destinations for vegetarians that you wouldn’t have expected.

A guide to gap year travel insurance

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you need to remember when planning for your gap year. Travelling is unpredictable, especially if you are going to be away for a long period of time. Although you have to be sensible when travelling you also don’t want to be worrying all the time about things getting stolen, activities you can and can’t do and costs of potential accidents or cancellations, so you need to make sure you’ve got the right insurance policy.

What should be in a backpacker’s first aid kit?

One question we all ask when packing for an extended time abroad is what to pack. What will I need? How much should I take? One of the most important things to take with you backpacking is a first aid kit; you never know when it might come in handy or when it might help you out in an unpleasant situation.

Weirdest street food from around the world

Part of travelling to new and exotic places is all about trying all the weird and wonderful dishes from around the world. Although some of our food here in the UK may seem a little strange to some – Haggis – there are some delicacies around the world which we have to be a bit brave to try.

Most common travel scams

We all know that sometimes back packers or travellers can be taken advantage of when they’re in an unfamiliar place and if you don’t know what to watch out for it’s very easy to get sucked in. mapthegap.co.uk has been asking around and has come up with a list of some of the most common for you to watch out for.

Feature: The beautiful beaches of South Thailand

Jutting out from the South-East Asian mainland like a huge inverted comma, South Thailand is easily the most popular destination in the whole region. And it’s quite easy to see why! Blessed by year-round heat and skirted by two stunning seas...

Feature: Cambodia and the Temples of Angkor

Welcoming, tropical, spiritual and humid: Cambodia is a fascinating destination that has been cited as the ‘in’ destination in Asia. For the uninitiated, it’s a very poor country, but this only makes a trip here humble and eye-opening...

Feature: Conservation projects in Ecuador

Nowhere else on earth can you find so much natural diversity in such a small place. With a landmass of 272,000 square kilometres, Ecuador is South America’s second smallest country but includes a baffling array of landscapes and creatures.