There are few things more exciting than the Big Trip, where you strap on a backpack and head out into the unknown for a few months, regarding any problems you encounter on the way as all part of the adventure. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people go off on such missions, taking in classic itineraries and new routes that have begun to emerge. But which way is best? We’ve had a look at five golden oldies and five that may not have instantly come to mind.
CLASSICS
Western Europe by train
Inter-railing has been a time-honoured rite of passage for generations, with the general idea being to see as many of Europe’s great cities as possible within a month. The joy is that you don’t necessarily have to follow a set route, and can go off for interesting-looking detours on a whim. The random stop-offs often prove to be the ones that give you anecdotes for years to come.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 2
Highlights: Going wild in Amsterdam, Prague and Munich, adventure sports in Interlaken and doses of culture in Paris and Vienna.
Contact: A wide range of train passes are available from Rail Europe.
Potential itinerary: Brussels (Belgium) – Amsterdam (Netherlands) – Berlin (Germany) – Prague (Czech Republic) – Vienna (Austria) – Munich (Germany) – Interlaken (Switzerland) – Paris (France).
Australia’s East Coast
Australia is the most popular backpacker destination by a considerable distance and the East Coast from Sydney to Cairns has to be the easiest itinerary in the world for those without much travel experience. It is crammed with hostels, internet cafes and package deals, making life on the road as comfortable as possible.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 1
Highlights: Hanging with the hippies in Byron Bay, four-wheel driving round dingoes on Fraser Island, sailing and diving on the Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsundays and getting adventurous in the rainforests of Tropical North Queensland.
Contact: Oz Experience can drive you all the way with their hop-on, hop-off service.
Potential itinerary: Sydney – Byron Bay – Brisbane – Hervey Bay (for Fraser Island) – Airlie Beach (for Whitsundays) – Cairns – Cape Tribulation.
South-East Asia
Long before Leonardo diCaprio found his Beach, backpackers were heading along the South-East Asian circuit. Many go to get suspiciously relaxed on Thai sands and islands, but the more adventurous get their kicks from tackling the less geared-to-tourists paths through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 3
Highlights: The big city bustle of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, culture in Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang, the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia and full moon parties on Ko Pha-Ngan.
Contact: Budget Expeditions have a wide range of tours that tackle various routes through south-east Asia.
Potential itinerary: Bangkok (Thailand) – Sukhothai (Thailand) – Chiang Mai (Thailand) – Luang Prabang (Laos) – Siem Riep (Cambodia) – Bangkok – Surat Thani (for Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand) – Phuket (Thailand) – Penang (Malaysia) – Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Andean South America
The classic South American route takes in three countries – Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. It generally follows the Andes mountain range, although many people branch off to see the Amazon or Galapagos Islands. Part of the fun is having your heart in your mouth as crazy bus drivers take on death-defying winding mountain roads without a care about sensible speeds or oncoming traffic.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 4
Highlights: Starting on the equator in Quito, the route takes in the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca before finishing in the world’s highest capital city, La Paz.
Contact: Gecko’s Adventures specialise in big, low budget trips in South America.
Potential itinerary: Quito (Ecuador) – Parque Nacional Cotopaxi (Ecuador) – Montañita (Ecuador) – Lima (Peru) – Cuzco (Peru, for Inca trail and Machu Picchu) – Lake Titicaca – La Paz (Bolivia)
Africa overland
Sitting in a truck for nearly two months in baking heat would be some people’s idea of torture, but the overland adventure from Nairobi to Cape Town has long been seen as the ultimate backpacking route. It’s never supremely comfortable, but then Africa isn’t supposed to be.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 4
Highlights: The big beasts of the Ngongoro Crater and Serengeti in Tanzania, the massive sand dunes of Namibia, Victoria Falls and adrenalin activies in the Okavango Delta.
Contact: Companies such as Oasis Overland run big expeditions, with the duration dependent on what activities you want to partake in.
Potential Itinerary: Nairobi (Kenya) – Serengeti (Tanzania) – Ngongoro Crater (Tanzania) – Dar-Es-Salaam (Tanzania) – Lake Malawi (Malawi) – Lake Kariba (Zambia) – Victoria Falls (Zambia) – Okavango Delta (Botswana) – Swakopmund (Namibia) – Cape Town (South Africa)
NEW
Eastern Europe by train
The cheap flight era has changed thinking about backpacking round Europe. Now it is just as common for people to take a number of short seven or ten day trips, starting at one destination served by budget carriers and using the railways to end up at another. Naturally, obscurists can delight in going from random airport to random airport.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 2
Highlights: The highlights depend on the route you choose, but the Baltic cities of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius are beautiful party cities, while those more interested in scenery can sail on Lake Balaton in Hungary or explore the forests and castles of Transylvania.
Contact: A wide range of train passes are available from Rail Europe.
Potential itinerary: Ljubljana (Slovenia) – Zagreb (Croatia) – Balaton (Hungary) – Budapest (Hungary) – Tatra National Park (Slovakia) – Krakow (Poland) – Warsaw (Poland) – Vilnius (Lithuania) – Riga (Latvia) – Tallinn (Estonia).
Australia’s West Coast
While the hordes rampage up the east coast, the west is equally beautiful and packed with activities – you just have more space to enjoy them in. The best plan is to head up from Perth to Darwin and take it slowly, making sure you’re in the right spot to catch the sun setting over the Indian Ocean every night.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 1
Highlights: Windsurfing at Lancelin, feeding dolphins on the beach at Monkey Mia and diving with whale sharks on the Ningaloo Reef. Further north, things get more rugged, and after sunset camel rides on Broome’s cable beach, you’re into the Kimberley, one of Australia’s true untapped wildernesses.
Contact: Westernxposure operates a 21-day tour along the route.
Potential Itinerary: Perth – Lancelin – Kalbarri National Park – Monkey Mia – Exmouth – Karijini National Park – Broome – Purnululu National Park – Kununurra – Katherine Gorge – Litchfield National Park – Darwin.
West Africa
While some of West Africa has been exposed to tourism – The Gambia and Senegal have growing industries, for example – the difficulties involved in getting through many of the world’s poorest countries put most travellers off. Those prepared to take on the challenges will find it rewarding, however, and will get a genuine African experience in tribal villages.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 5
Highlights: The beaches of the Atlantic coast, plenty of wildlife-filled National Parks and the deep rainforests of Cameroon.
Contact: Dragoman has started to run overland trips through the area, starting in Ghana and finishing in Cameroon.
Potential Itinerary: Accra (Ghana) – Gold Coast (Ghana) – Lac Togo (Togo) – Abomey (Benin) – Yankari National Park (Nigeria) – Afi Mountains (Nigeria) – Korup National Park (Cameroon) – Douala (Cameroon)
Central America
South America has long been the dream backpacker destination, while Mexico is a hit with the younger crowd. But what about the bit in between? Central America is just beginning to properly take off as an independent travel destination as people discover that it’s just as beautiful as the great continent to the south.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 4
Highlights: Central America has that perfect mixture of towering peaks (like Arenal in Costa Rica or the volcanoes of Ometepe in Nicaragua), jungles (Belize), beaches (Costa Rica) and history (Mayan ruins at Chichén Itza and Tikal).
Contact: Gap Adventures have plenty of Central American options.
Potential Itinerary: Panama City – Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast beaches – San Jose (Costa Rica) – Arenal Volcano (Costa Rica) – Ometepe (Nicaragua) – Granada (Nicaragua) – Roatan (Honduras) – Antigua (Guatemala) – Tikal (Guatemala) – San Ignacio (Belize) – Chichén Itza (Mexico) – Cancún (Mexico).
London to Sydney by land
If you really hanker after the truly epic, taking in history, culture and the spirit of exploration, then forget flying to Australia, and go overland (with a bit of island hopping in Indonesia thrown in for good measure). The best of Europe, the Middle East and Asia can be combined in one gigantic adventure.
Challenge rating (out of 5): 5
Highlights: Old staples (Prague, Ko Samui), the truly breathtaking (Everest Base Camp, Sumatra) and the somewhat off-the-beaten-track (East Timor, Pakistan).
Contact: Oz Bus have recently started running an overland bus service from London to Sydney, taking in a mammoth 20 countries on the way. You’ll have to have very understanding employers if you want time off, though – the whole trip takes 84 days.
Potential Itinerary: London – Paris – Munich – Prague – Budapest – Transylvania – Istanbul – Bam (Iran) – Lahore – Delhi – Kathmandu – Lhasa (Tibet) – Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur – Bali – Dili – Darwin – Uluru – Melbourne – Sydney.
This article was originally written for AOL UK
Copyright David Whitley
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