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Many people dream of travelling the world and many of those who do opt to go backpacking in order to save money and be as flexible as possible. It’s an incredible opportunity if you are able to go, though understandably getting yourself prepared can be a pretty big task. It’s best to start as early as you can to make sure you are completely ready and have everything you need to go. Here are some things to think about:

• Travel immunisations. Depending on where you are going, you could end up needing quite a few of these. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible. Many countries will require yellow fever vaccination certificates, and anti-malarial tablets are also a common requirement. Some vaccinations such as rabies will require multiple injections, so make sure you allow plenty of time before your trip.
• Buy your walking shoes. You will need to walk these in before you leave so buy them well in advance. This is especially true if you are going to be doing a lot of hiking and need walking boots. The last thing you want is to be wearing new boots abroad and end up covered in blisters.
• Make a comprehensive list, and tick things off as you do them. It can get so confusing trying to organise everything, so keep track.
• Get your backpack sorted. Go into the shop to try it on if you can, or order various ones to try on the internet. It will be a very personal thing so get one that is right for you, and choose a design that has hip straps to help prevent back injuries.
• Beginning booking flights, hostels etc. You don’t need to book everything – inevitably your plans will change slightly when you’re on the road – but booking a few of your first destinations will help it all to feel real.

Once you have planned your backpacking trip, you will feel much better about it all. Get organised and you’ll soon be raring to go.

Let’s be very honest for a moment, travelling any distance with a toddler is full of perils for most parents. They seem to need more luggage than the Kardashian’s and are just as likely to make outrageous and unexpected demands along the way, add to this the toilet and snack breaks and suddenly that journey can seem to turn into more hassle than it’s worth. But fear not, intrepid traveller, for with a few simple precautions you and your little explorer can make this trip not only bearable but downright enjoyable! How? (I hear you cry). Well, put simply, organisation and imagination!

Pack well beforehand, be sure to include loads of activity type books and crayons or coloured pencils, learn some easy travel games, invent your own games, point out some interesting scenery and make up stories about the things you see. On those inevitable loo breaks let your little munchkin run riot for a couple of minutes to burn off some energy, talk about your upcoming holiday and all the exciting things you might do and see so that getting back into the car or boarding the train/plane seems like less of a chore. Good luck brave explorer… you can do this!

When travelling to a part of the country or part of the world that you are unfamiliar with, you may need to do some research before you go. Depending on your reason for travel, you may like to find out information about the local area and what is nearby. If you are going for a holiday for example, then you may be interested to see what tourist attractions are close by or what other areas are near that you could travel to.

When travelling to another country, always check the tourist information often provided on the government website. This will usually give you an overview of the country and what to look out for. Sometimes, if there is a high risk in travelling to that country, it will be stated on the website.

You may find it easier to get tourist information before you leave rather than trying to find somewhere when you are already abroad.

When thinking about booking your holiday abroad, you need to consider the location carefully. You may know which country you want to go to and even the area within that country but you need to think carefully about where you want to be near.

For some people, they like to be within walking distance of the town and beaches allowing them easy access without having to worry about transport and traffic. For others, they would rather be a little further out where it is quieter and they have the option of going into the busy towns or beaches when they chose rather than being in it all the time.

Have a look at what places are near your location if you are planning to venture away from the resort. It may be that you have trips already planned such as a safari so will not need to go out at other times, but it’s always handy knowing the area should you be at a loose end.

If you are looking for a cheap getaway this summer then you may choose to book a last minute holiday package. There are a number of companies that offer last minute holiday deals and some of which can save you a huge amount from the usual price.

If you are looking to book a last minute holiday deal abroad then you will need to ensure that you have all your documents ready, for example, your passport. Having a valid passport for travel can save you time and also money meaning you will not have to apply for a fast-track passport. You may also have holiday insurance in place or at least know which company you may wish to use so you can set this up right before you go.

Flights are often a huge cost when it comes to holidays abroad so check flight prices within a few days of when you wish to travel as you may find taking a slightly earlier or later flight could save you money.

If you enjoy visiting places of interest, like walking and spending time exploring then becoming a National Trust member could be perfect for you. With individual member ships from £63 per year and joint from £105 per year, you can benefit from visiting a number of National Trust parks all over the UK as many time as you wish to.

When buying a National Trust membership you are not only saving yourself money on entry should you pay on the door, but also helping to contribute towards conserving the areas for years to come? Tourism can have a negative effect on an area but the National Trust work closely with local groups to ensure that the wildlife and habitat is looked after. Your membership money will go towards helping this scheme work.

The National Trust are responsible for 775 miles of coastline in the UK, and part of their job is to manage threats to these areas. They have plans for 80 coastal adaptation strategies in place at coastal hotspots across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2020.

Many holiday companies offer great savings on early bookings as well as last minute deals. Often, if you book over 12 months in advance you can save money on the price you would have paid later on down the line.

When booking a holiday in advance you do need to take some time to consider if you can commit to a holiday that far ahead and what would happen should you have to cancel. With most holidays you will pay a deposit and then pay the remaining over a period of time. If you have to cancel your holiday after booking you may find that you lose all or some of the deposit you paid. Often this is on a sliding scale depending on how close to your holiday date you cancel.

You can often take out holiday insurance that will cover the cost of our holiday should you not be able to go, but you need to carefully check the terms and conditions to see what reasons for cancelling are acceptable.

If you are looking for an adventure holiday, but don’t know where to go, then why not use one of the many websites that will find you a perfect match for your vacation away. These sites will often allow you to filter adventure holiday results by certain criteria such as location, activities and age ranges within the group.

There are so many different places to visit all over the world that we often have only heard of a fraction of them and the perfect holiday for you may just be round the corner. Adventure holiday companies will often tailor specific packages to allow you to include a number of different activities. Often the first three questions they will ask are, do you mind where you go in terms of location, do you have set times you need to go and what is your budget? Once they have the answer to these, they can then start to narrow the search down to find places that will suit.

With recent events in the media regarding travel safety concerns, people are becoming dubious about where and when is safe to go on holiday. It seems that many parts of Europe are now experiences safety issues particularly in cities and transport places such as airports and trains stations.

There is always going to be an element of risk when it comes to travelling anywhere but there are steps you can take to try and avoid some of these risks. If possible do not travel alone, it is better if there is two or more of you as not only will you be able to keep an eye out for each other, but should there be an emergency, you have someone else with you that can help and seek advice if needed.

Make sure that you never leave any luggage unattended anywhere unless locked away and if you see any suspicious behaviour do not be afraid to report it to security or the police.

Egypt used to be a hugely popular destination for tourists. This was often because of the wealth of historical places and breath taking land marks that could be seen there. During November and December 2015 tourist population was down by over 41% from the previous year thus making it the lowest number of tourists since 2005. All this happened following suspensions that a bomb sent a Russian passenger plane crashing into the Sinai Peninsula.

Many tourists are now scared to venture in to Egypt worrying that it is not safe an that they may be a target for terrorist attacks. It seems such a shame that a place of such beauty and of so much interest should be abandoned.

Tourism generated a record high of $12.5 billion dollars in 2010 and in the fiscal year ending June 30th 2015, the tourist trade only bought in $7.3 billion for Egypt equivalent to the value of about 12 percent of the country’s imports of goods.