Let me start by saying how I do not feel sorry for one penny spent on travels. The thing is, with travels, the consciousness and comfort zone expands. All that means better insight and a longer, more perceptive life.
It is good to read and inform yourself before you make a move, but honestly, at some point, you just pack that bag and go. Go with the flow or plan ahead; the only thing that matters is that you go. Do not be bothered about traveling alone, nor sorry that your friends can’t or won’t go with you. You are the one that needs to extinguish the fire of ego, go through some lessons in order to attain new tools to help you navigate through life more conscious, grateful, and appreciative of the world surrounding you. Never approach travel in a manner to avoid a certain place only because you heard or read a bad review. That is only somebody else’s perspective. Art, for example, abounds with perspectives. You are the one that can always contribute to every place you visit and the situation. You can make it better—especially places that are off the beaten track instead of the usual, overly touristy exploited places.
The best start of such adventure and travel is to check if you will need a visa and what is the process of getting it. This is the most important thing not to mess around with and, therefore, the most important thing to start with.
For example, once you are in Europe, you have to have in mind the Schengen area. There is a limit to the time you can stay in the Schengen area (most EU countries) and outside of the Schengen area. So, if your visa to the Schengen area expired, you can spend some time in countries outside of the Schengen areas such as Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro or Macedonia and then come back inside the Schengen area.
Working permits are, unfortunately, a little bit complicated to attain. If you have a goal to work or volunteer in exchange for free accommodation and food while traveling, the best thing is to focus on pages and sites such as Workaway, Worldpackers, and similar.
As far as cheap tickets for long flights are concerned, what I found to be a good deal is Skyscanner, where even the last-minute ticket prices are affordable. Inside Europe, Ryanair has good deals. As far as Asia is concerned, choose Air Asia.
So, you already have a visa and a ticket. Now is time for packing! Take as little as possible, and the smaller the bag, the better. Trust me, a person feels better in an old wardrobe than in a new one. Also, no one has the time to notice your stylish new wardrobe. All you have to do is just to feel comfortable in whatever you are wearing. If you would still like some help with packing, check Packing for a round-the-world trip.
A general rule is to always carry a passport when you are in a new town, but in some places, a copy is enough, especially since travels and parties you experience on travel can be pretty wild. In any case, do have a copy of your passport in case your passport gets stolen or you lose it. It will make your life much easier—next, electricity converters. You can buy them before travel or on your travels. Once at the airport, get inside a mobile or kiosk shop and buy a monthly package that includes internet access and a sim card. Have one smart device that can operate on every mobile network. Before setting off, you also make sure that you have enough money on your main phone card, make sure the roaming option is on, especially if you are a business person. Have an extra battery or two since batteries do get vacated quickly.
An important measure of precaution is to also have two bank cards. One you always carry with you, while the other you keep in your room. So, if you lose one, or it gets stolen, you have another one as a backup. Unfortunately, money is the number 1 thing to have when problems arise. The other alternative is a friend or some member of your family that you can call, and they can send you money via Western Union. This data should always be carried and written down on paper.
Airplane travel can be quite interesting and fun too. In the case of longer flights, you will be in airbuses where you have a TV too. If you have to change the flight and you have to wait long before the next flight, you can leave the airport and explore the city before going back to the airport in time for the flight.
To be continued…