Transport
Flights
There are lots of round-the-world tickets, offering dozens of stop-offs. You can go from east to west, or vice versa, but it's not possible to back-track. Most tickets have mileage limitations, usually around 25,000-30,000 miles. Prices of a basic ticket are often not much more expensive than a standard return to Australia; generally, the more stopovers you wish to make the more expensive the ticket. Most tickets are valid for 12 months from your first date of travel, with set departure dates for each leg. You can however change your dates for a small fee (STA Travel charges a flat £35 fee).
A good place to start is Roundthe worldflights.com (020-7704 5700), which allows you to search and compare thousands of flights using an interactive map, with fares from about £1,000 for six stops. STA Travel (0800 988 7470, statravel.co.uk/gap) says one of its most popular – and cheapest – tickets is UK to Bangkok, overland to Singapore, fly to Darwin, overland to Sydney, fly to Auckland in New Zealand, fly to San Francisco, overland to New York and back to the UK, which starts from £739. Also check out Trailfinders (020-7938 3939, trailfinders.com/around-the-world) and Flight Centre (0844 815 7100, flightcentre.co.uk).
Trains
An epic train route can make a trip, or is a real alternative to air travel. In Europe, it still makes sense to buy an InterRail pass (interrailnet.com), which allows you unlimited travel in your chosen countries on as many days as you choose to cover; for example, a one-month Global Pass, covering 30 European countries, costs from £329.
For travel in the US, Amtrak (amtrak.com) is a useful booking website, covering more than 500 destinations in 46 states. A 15-day pass costs $389 (half price for children)
The Trans-Siberian has long been a favourite for gappers. Start at London St Pancras, on the Eurostar, then connect with a Cologne-Moscow direct sleeper taking two nights (from £200 one-way for London-Moscow with sleeper). The journey proper from Moscow to Beijing costs $450 one-way with a berth. (You'll also need to buy visas for Belarus, Russia, China and possibly Mongolia.)
"The most popular option is to travel from Russia to China, using one of two weekly Moscow-Beijing trains, or stopping off to explore using other trains in Russia," says rail travel guru Mark Smith, founder of The Man in Seat Sixty-One (seat61.com), which gives information on rail travel all over the world. From there, some go on by ferry to Japan, or take the twice-weekly train from Beijing to Hanoi in Vietnam.
"Singapore-Bangkok is one of the most popular pages on my website," Smith says. "The luxurious Eastern & Oriental Express runs weekly and costs over £900 but gappers can do the same 1,249-mile, 48-hour journey on daily scheduled trains for a mere £40, including sleepers. Stopovers at Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia and southern Thailand are easy – ferries also link Surat Thani on the rail route to the beach island of Koh Samui."
Vietnam is becoming increasingly popular, adds Smith: "You can take the train from Saigon to Nha Trang to Danang (for Hoi An), on via the scenic Hai Van Pass along the coast and over the mountains to Hue (Perfume River trips and visits to the demilitarised zone), then Hanoi. Saigon-Hanoi takes two nights."
Bus and truck
Many areas of the world now have hop-on, hop-off bus services for backpackers, which are easy to use, good for meeting other travellers and getting travel advice.
The Feejee Experience (+679 672 5950, feejeeexperience.com) circuits Fiji's Viti Levu island, stopping off at small rural villages. Valid for up to 12 months, the Hula Loop pass (from £208) includes free activities such as sandboarding down the Sigatoka sand dunes, a trek through the Namosi rainforest, and rafting down the Wainibuka river. The bus also stops at schools and communities where travellers are welcome to volunteer with teaching or building projects.
In South Africa, the Baz Bus runs in both directions from Johannesburg to Cape Town, via the Drakensburg mountains or Swaziland, and taking in the Garden Route and Sunshine Coast, linking more than 180 hostels in 40 towns and cities, often dropping you at the door. Travellers buy a time-based or distance-based ticket to their final destination, and can hop on and off as often as they like (from £110 for a seven-day ticket; +27 21 422 5202, bazbus.com).
"I've met people of all nationalities and ages on these buses, not just gap-year students or party-seekers," said Katie Monk, a travel writer and regular user.
STA Travel (as before) already has its own hop-on, hop-off bus routes operating in Australia, Canada and South America, and is planning to launch more routes this year in the Northern Pass in China, and also Laos. This will be Lao's first flexible bus network for travellers in the country and can be joined from Bangkok (but its purpose is not to explore Thailand). Both routes will be bookable from September; prices yet to be confirmed – keep an eye on the STA Travel website.
If you don't want to struggle with all the getting on and off the bus, look at operators that arrange overland group adventures. Dragoman (01728 861133, dragoman.com) takes a group on their own special bus on journeys from six days to 47 weeks, right across the globe, providing activities and accommodation along the way. For example, departing 29 December, a 119-day trip from Cairo to Cape Town costs £4,370, plus £2,030 kitty. Intrepid (020-3147 7777, intrepidtravel.com) has similar trips, including a 79-day Quito to Rio de Janeiro trip leaving on 16 December for £2,445 (plus £1,480 kitty). Other operators include oasisoverland.co.uk, kumuka.com, africantrails.co.uk, onthegotours.com and oz-bus.com (overland from London all the way to Australia).
Ridesharing is increasingly popular with backpackers. Websites such as liftsurfer.com in New Zealand, gumtree.com and rideshare.co.uk, connect lift seekers with lift providers, the idea being that they share the cost of petrol and perhaps the driving on long trips, and that it is a safer version of hitchhiking.
Working abroad
You can teach English in almost any country in the world, often earning decent money and sometimes with free accommodation, paid holiday and even money towards your flights thrown in too. Many schools insist on a formal qualification, and it will make it much easier to bag a job – see tefl.com for how to train. See jobsabroadbulletin.co.uk, seasonworkers.com and teachabroad.com, for vacancies in destinations from Brazil to Bulgaria.
For ski season work, natives.co.uk has an extensive database of jobs in Europe, from chalet hosts to chefs. For the US, check coolworks.com; seasonal-jobs.com and seasonworkers.com, which list ski jobs available across the globe. Freeradicals.co.uk also recruits for ski companies in Europe and America. Keep an eye on tour operators' websites, too: for example markwarner-recruitment.co.uk and firstchoice4jobs.co.uk.
In Europe, Australia and New Zealand, picking fruit is an obvious way to earn extra cash. The work is flexible but can be physically demanding and you usually get paid according to the amount of fruit you pick. In most places you can earn about £150 a week and farms often let you camp on site or provide hostel accommodation. See fruitpicking.org and pickingjobs.com for listings.
For details of the Australian working holiday visa, visit australia.com/workingholiday. If you're in Sydney and struggling to find work, check into Sydney Beachouse YHA (sydneybeachouse.com.au from AUS$27 per night). The hostel is so sure it can get guests work it is offering two nights' accommodation free (out of five) if its employment service doesn't find you a job.
Accommodation
Increasingly a hit with backpackers, couchsurfing.com connects travellers with people willing to host them in their spare rooms or on the sofa for nothing – it has 600,000 members around the world. Similar services include globalfreeloaders.com, hospitalityclub.org and stay4free.com.
Homestays are another great way for backpackers to immerse themselves in the local culture. While some remain simple room-and-a-meal experiences, others offer extras, such as cooking lessons or trekking tours, with your host acting as guide, interpreter and confidant. Mahindra Homestays (020-3140 8422, mahindrahomestays.com) has options throughout India; staying with a family in a posh residential neighbourhood of Jaipur in October costs £35 a night, and your hosts will take you on sightseeing trips. Other companies that offer homestays are Tribes (01728 685 971, tribes.co.uk), Responsible Travel (01273 600030, responsibletravel.com), Intrepid (020-3147 7777, intrepidtravel.com) and South American Experience (0845 277 3366, southamerican experience.co.uk). Useful websites include homestayweb.com and villagehomestays.com.
If you're willing to work for your board and keep, try WWOOF (wwoof.org.uk), which offers volunteering schemes on organic farms all over the world, and Workaway (workaway.info), which sets up all sorts of work placements, many with adventure operators, wilderness lodges and hotels (in amazing locations), where you spend a few hours a day doing basic tasks in return for food and board.
Money
Insurance
You need insurance. Fixing a broken leg can cost a whopping £22,000-plus in the US, for example. Shop around. A search on moneysupermarket.com for a backpacker and long-trip policy providing 12 months' worldwide cover for an 18-year-old male (excluding winter sports cover), for example, turned up almost 40 policies, most offering broadly the same cover but varying in price from £110 to £435. Note that insurers may not provide cover if you plan to travel to a country if the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (fco.gov.uk) advises against it.
Make sure you check what sports and hazardous activities are covered. To add cover for skydiving to a standard backpacker policy with Infinity Insurance Solutions (0845 658 0570, holidaysafe.co.uk) costs £70.50, whereas with Insurewithease.com (0844 334 0155, insurewithease.com) it costs an additional £346.76. Other good providers include insurefortravel.co.uk and primaryinsurance.co.uk.
Keep copies of your policy with you and if you receive treatment, keep receipts, a doctor's letter stating what was wrong and how you were treated. If you require treatment, try to get it pre-authorised by calling your insurer.
Prepaid cards
Prepaid currency cards help you keep track of your spending, and give better rates for foreign ATM withdrawals and currency exchange. You open an account, load money onto the card and use it like a debit card. According to moneysavingexpert.com, the FairFX prepaid card is the cheapest. There is a 1.5% transaction charge every time you make a payment or use an ATM, but that is usually lower than a debit card (most charge 2.75%). It charges no loading fee and can be topped up in euros, US dollars or sterling by debit card or bank transfer, online or by phone, and other people (eg, your parents) can top it up for you. You get FairFX's own exchange rate, which changes daily but generally beats the other prepaid cards. Apply for free via fairfx.com/opodo (usually £9.95 via fairfx.com).
According to Which?, the best cards are the Caxton FX (caxtonfxcard.com) and Travelex Cash Passport (cashpassport.com). The Caxton FX can be loaded with sterling, dollars or euros online or by phone; you get Caxton's exchange rate, which usually doesn't beat FairFX, and there's a 2.5% transaction fee. From Monday, if you apply before 30 September you get a second back-up card free (they usually cost £5).
If you're flying with Ryanair (ryanair.com) during your travels, use your prepaid card to avoid the hefty administration fee of £5 per person, per leg you pay with conventional credit or debit cards.
Health
For health advice on the countries you are visiting, see masta.org and fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk. Check well in advance to see what jabs you need and when you need to have them – you'll need to have some of them at least six weeks beforehand. Carry an official record of all your immunisations – some countries demand proof of them at border crossings.
Nomad Travel Clinics (nomadtravel.co.uk) in London, Bristol, Manchester and Southampton offer a same-day travel vaccination service. You can get malaria tablets delivered from travelpharm.com.
Safety
The Foreign Office website (fco.gov.uk) gives updates on the safety and political events in every country, as well as general travel advice. For example, the FCO is advising against all travel to the Preah Vihear (Khaoi Pra Viharn in Thai) temple area in the Dângrêk mountains in Cambodia (near the Thai border, and popular with backpackers) because of violence in the region.
Stay in touch
If you're staying for a long time in one country, buy a local sim card and put it in your existing phone (get it "unlocked" before you go away). If you're travelling in several countries, a global sim card is better. According to moneysupermarket.com, one of the best value on the market is the Story Telecom TravelTalk roaming sim (storytelecom.com) – the sim costs £30, but for that you get £25 credit, 100 minutes of free incoming calls, and 100 outgoing calls cost £16. The runner-up is the Simply travel sim (simply-fone.com), which costs from £29.99, with £15 starter credit, 100 minutes of free incoming calls, and the cost of 100 outgoing calls is £15. But probably the best way to keep in touch is to use Skype over the internet for free or low-cost calls; many internet cafes now have Skype, or you can download it to your smartphone.
Websites
Travellers forums for tips and advice
i-to-i.com/campfire for volunteering. Lonely Planet's Thorntree (thorntree.lonelyplanet.com), Travellerspoint (travellerspoint.com), STA Travelbuzz (statravelbuzz.co.uk), travelindependent.info and Wanderlust's goWander (wanderlust.co.uk/mywanderlust) for general tips.
Online guides
wikitravel.org, lonelyplanet.com, roughguides.com, fodors.com, frommers.com, worldtravelguide.net, simonseeks.com, letsgo.com and wordtravels.com.
Create your own travel blog
STA Travel Blogs (blogs.statravel.co.uk), travelpod.com, travellerspoint.com, travelblog.org
Upload pictures and videos
Flickr (flickr.com) and YouTube (youtube.com), Vimeo (vimeo.com) and Photobucket (photobucket.com).
Inspiration
Other blogs worth checking out can be found on travelpod.com, getjealous.com, travelblog.org, travbuddy.com, mytripjournal.com, traveldudes.org, roadjunky.com.
Appy days – travel apps to help smooth your path
• lonelyplanet.com/mobile Download city guides and phrasebooks. Free
• wikitude.org and bionic-eye.com Both use your smartphone's camera to visualise where nearby restaurants, Wi-Fi hotspots, stations, etc, are. An arrow then points you towards your destination, indicating distance. Wiktude is free. Bionic Eye for the US, UK, France, Germany, Tokyo and Canada; 59p each
• dopplr.com/iphone This "social atlas" finds places to eat, stay and explore near where you are, as suggested by the Dopplr community. It also features travel guides for 250 cities around the world. Free
• google.com/mobile/goggles Point your phone at a landmark, take a photo (or a picture, book, etc) and, hey presto, details of itt pop up on Google. Free
• everlater.com/iphone Helps travellers record and share experiences through online travel journals. Free
• mtrip.com City guides/planners to European, US and Asian cities. £3.49 each
• skype.com Download Skype on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Free
• hookedinmotion.com/?p=25 Customs, cultural information and facts on more than 165 different countries. Free
• tripit.com Organises your plans in a master itinerary which you can share. Free
• ibabelingo.com Babelingo's app translates a phrase into any one of 11 languages. £1.19
• irail.john holdsworth.com Handy for viewing European railway timetables. £1.79.
• offexploring.com/info/iphone Share travel experiences and keep in touch with your own free blog. Free
Nicola Iseard
• Remember that internet roaming charges can be very expensive when using apps and GPS abroad