Gap-year travel
There’s a time and a place for good equipment. Wearing complimentary lawnmower safety glasses rather than ski goggles when cycling at –40°C in Siberia works fine. Sporting a bin liner with holes cut for head and arms instead of a waterproof/breathable raincoat on a damp autumnal day in Patagonia does the trick. Using gaffer tape to hold together the crotch of your trousers gets you odd looks as you cycle through Milan, but it’s cheaper than buying new slacks. Instead of buying a new rack to hold your cycle panniers, you can splice the old ones together with a spoon and a piece of string (my cutlery repair survived from Beirut to Cape Town).
Similarly, leading a student charitable expedition to the Philippines for three months carrying just a couple of T-shirts, two pairs of shorts, flip-flops and a conical hat of woven grass is fine. But be aware that you may feel rather cold and foolish when you fly home to Heathrow and on by train to the chilly Yorkshire Dales, where sandals and grass hats aren’t the norm.
Money matters
Gap years aren’t cheap, and the prospect of an expensive kit list may convince some people that they can’t afford to travel. But the journey doesn’t need to cost the Earth. Your equipment is only a means to you having the best experience possible. After all, Francis Younghusband, Roald Amundsen and Eric Shipton all accomplished great things without GPS or waterproof/breathable materials. Put simply, a lack of money shouldn’t stop you having an adventure.
The bewildering array of equipment available for travellers is nothing new. In 1876, an expedition-planning book advised that ‘white pocket-handkerchiefs last their owners very much longer than silk’, to ‘take a neck-scarf to wear in the country and one rubber collar for the towns’, and that ‘persons who travel, even with the smallest quantity of luggage, would do well to take a thick dressing-gown’. Things may have changed a little since then, but some careful thought and planning will ensure that you leave for your gap year appropriately equipped.
Every good gap-year escapade requires a rucksack. Buy a good one, as it will be well worn by the end of the year. It may be difficult to imagine during a shopping trip to your local camping shop, but the shiny, cumbersome pack you’re trying on will soon be being hurled onto the roof of a Chinese bus, used as a pillow at chaotic Indian railway stations, and hauled up Andean mountains. The assistants in a decent outdoor store will help you to choose a rucksack appropriate to your size, shape and sex.
You’ll need to consider what you will be using your pack for. These days, the variety is astounding: from ultra-light rucksacks for mountaineers to versatile packs that unzip like suitcases and have matching detachable daysacks. Ensure that you can fit a padlock to the zips, and buy a TSA-approved lock if you’re travelling through the USA. A steel net that wraps around your pack and can be locked to a solid object will help you to sleep easy on long train journeys.
Dress sense
You will need a pair of strong and comfortable shoes that are suitable for trekking mountain trails, trudging around cities looking for a cheap hotel and the odd evening of clubbing. No longer are you limited to heavy, sturdy walking boots: trail shoes today are incredibly versatile, as are some of the better quality trekking sandals. You will quickly tire of lugging several pairs of footwear around with you, so try to limit yourself to a pair of shoes and a pair of sandals.
I’ve spent a lot of time in my travels getting my trousers patched in local markets. Lightweight, comfortable, strong trousers are essential. I swallow my (admittedly slim) sense of fashion and travel with zip-off trousers that convert into shorts. They may not look very trendy, but being able to turn your trousers into shorts during a hot day’s hike or midway through a sweaty bus ride is a real boon. Whatever trousers you buy, make sure they have zips on the pockets and, ideally, a hidden inside pocket to secure valuables. Another reason why I wear quality trousers is because I’m taller than people in many countries I visit and I’ve had difficulty finding anything that fits.
If you are an average shape and size, don’t worry too much about the rest of the clothes that you take, other than a good quality, lightweight waterproof jacket and a down jacket if you’re heading somewhere cold. For most climates, I wear cheap T-shirts and buy new ones in a market when I need to. They’re inexpensive and it helps the local economy.
What’s your bag?
Carrying a sleeping bag is a good idea, whatever type of gap year you are on and even if you aren’t travelling with a tent. It adds real versatility to your travels: who knows when you will be stranded overnight at an airport, invited to stay in a Kyrgyz yurt, or sleeping in a roadside motel whose sheets look like they’ve never been washed.
It’s important to choose a lightweight sleeping bag that packs down well or it will become annoying to carry around. At the same time, it needs to contain sufficient insulation to provide a good night’s sleep. The inevitable compromise between weight, warmth and size will depend on where in the world you are travelling. In Africa, I had a sleeping bag the size of a six-pack of beer; in Siberia, I wished I had carried one as large as a keg.
Synthetic insulation is easier to look after, warmer when wet and cheaper than natural down filling. But if every gram counts, remember that high-grade down will trap more body heat than the best synthetic insulation.To keep your mum happy, carry a first-aid kit with you to supplement your health insurance and pre-trip vaccinations. Research your destination before travelling and consult your doctor for advice on what to include. Compile a list of questions you would need answers to in the event of injury or illness, such as ‘How do I get to the nearest first-class medical facility?’, and then find out the answers from experienced travellers, websites and relevant authorities while you are fit and well.
You will also need to think about water purification in most countries. Will it be sufficient to have a small bottle of iodine for occasional treatments or do you need a substantial water filter? Think about the environmental and financial impacts of living off plastic bottles of mineral water for a year before making your decision.
Making memories
It’s certainly worth having a good camera to record your exciting experiences, and to share them with the folks back home via the internet. Unless you’re a real enthusiast, I would recommend a compact digital camera that fits in your pocket. Consider buying one that uses universally available AA batteries, buy a large memory card or two, and don’t forget to take the USB cable with you.
Other useful goodies to make room for in your baggage include a sunhat and sunscreen, insect repellent, a few books to read and swap, a head torch, a worldwide electrical adaptor, and a diary or journal. In the years to come, you’ll be glad that you took the time to regularly document your experiences in your diary. Good maps of your destination are often difficult to buy once you’re there, so grab some before you leave. Pack a guidebook if you must, but don’t become obsessed with it, and give it away as soon as you’re comfortable with your surroundings.
Before you travel, it’s easy and natural to feel daunted about heading out into the unknown. Fretting about forgetting vital bits of gear is one worry that you can do without. Moments before I went to the airport on my first big trip, I dashed out to the shops to buy a two-litre bottle of soda, as I thought that it would be a useful-sized water bottle. Worried about my weight allowance, I poured the contents down the sink, packed my gear and left the UK. On arrival in Pakistan, the first thing I noticed was two-litre bottles of soda for sale on every street corner.
The world is a big and exciting place, but don’t forget that it’s filled with six billion people who all need to buy food, toothpaste and new pairs of socks. So don’t worry – concentrate on buying the few pieces of good quality, specialised kit that will be difficult to obtain on your travels, and don’t feel the need to spend big money on everything else. Get out there and see it instead.
Good luck!
Ten of the best
You’ll probably have to do quite a bit of shopping before your gap year. You’ll be wearing this gear for as long as you’re away, so it should be comfortable, versatile and long-lasting without blowing your budget:
Keep the cash flowing
Managing your money is an important aspect of any journey. Carrying several credit and debit cards in different pockets or bags minimises the chance of them all being stolen at once. An emergency stash of US dollars opens doors worldwide. And in many countries, you can manage your money online. Speak to your bank about this, and consider opening
a secure payments account with PayPal to send and receive money worldwide.
Lilliputian accessories
Here’s my list of favourite tiny things to take on your travels: some essential, some just luxuries.
• Sewing kit: a needle, thread and some dental floss for heavy-duty sewing will certainly be useful for prolonging the life of your long-suffering gear
• Sweet smells: department stores give out free sample bottles of perfume and aftershave. A dab of luxury far from home is also a handy way of eking one more week’s wear from your final pair of socks before you reach a laundry
• Earplugs: get a decent sleep while sitting next to a crate of chickens on those long bus journeys
• Marmite: you either love it or hate it
• Tabasco sauce: liven up your tedious cooking-pot stodge
• Penknife: unleash the kid in you and buy the one with all the gimmicks, or go sleek and minimalist with a credit-card shaped multi-tool. You can even get a model that houses a USB memory stick
• Silk sleeping bag liner: they weigh virtually nothing, don’t get smelly, keep you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot, and help to keep your sleeping bag clean
• Small roll of gaffer tape: gaffer tape is like the Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it binds the universe together
Alastair Humphreys is best known for his epic cycle ride around the world, during which he visited 46 countries and covered 96,000 kilometres in four years. For more information, visit www.alastairhumphreys.com
Stockists and information
Berghaus: 0191 516 5700; www.berghaus.com
Blacks: 0800 665 410; www.blacks.co.uk
Cotswold Outdoor: 0844 557 7755; www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
Craghoppers: 0870 220 6601; www.craghoppers.com
Expedition Kit: 07970 782 929; www.expeditionkit.com
Field & Trek: 0844 800 1001; www.fieldandtrek.com
Inov-8: 01388 744 900; www.inov-8.com
Itchy Feet: 01225 442 618; www.itchyfeet.com
Karrimor: 01372 377 713; www.karrimor.com
Kikoy: 01858 880 888; www.kikoy.com
Lifesystems: 0118 981 1433; www.lifesystems.co.uk
Lonely Planet: www.lonelyplanet.com
Mountain Equipment: 0161 366 5020; www.mountain-equipment.co.uk
Needlesports: 017687 72227; www.needlesports.com
Nevisport: 0845 257 1344; www.nevisport.com
Outside: 01433 651 936; www.outside.co.uk
PayPal: www.paypal.co.uk
Peglers: 01903 883 375; www.peglers.co.uk
Petzl: 015396 25493; www.petzl.com
Simply Moleskine: 0870 067 5635; www.simplymoleskine.com
Snow & Rock: 0845 100 1000; www.snowandrock.com
Tiso: 0131 554 9101; www.tiso.com
TSA: www.tsa.gov/travelers
Victorinox: 0116 234 4646; www.victorinox.com
June 2008
Similarly, leading a student charitable expedition to the Philippines for three months carrying just a couple of T-shirts, two pairs of shorts, flip-flops and a conical hat of woven grass is fine. But be aware that you may feel rather cold and foolish when you fly home to Heathrow and on by train to the chilly Yorkshire Dales, where sandals and grass hats aren’t the norm.
Money matters
Gap years aren’t cheap, and the prospect of an expensive kit list may convince some people that they can’t afford to travel. But the journey doesn’t need to cost the Earth. Your equipment is only a means to you having the best experience possible. After all, Francis Younghusband, Roald Amundsen and Eric Shipton all accomplished great things without GPS or waterproof/breathable materials. Put simply, a lack of money shouldn’t stop you having an adventure.
The bewildering array of equipment available for travellers is nothing new. In 1876, an expedition-planning book advised that ‘white pocket-handkerchiefs last their owners very much longer than silk’, to ‘take a neck-scarf to wear in the country and one rubber collar for the towns’, and that ‘persons who travel, even with the smallest quantity of luggage, would do well to take a thick dressing-gown’. Things may have changed a little since then, but some careful thought and planning will ensure that you leave for your gap year appropriately equipped.
Every good gap-year escapade requires a rucksack. Buy a good one, as it will be well worn by the end of the year. It may be difficult to imagine during a shopping trip to your local camping shop, but the shiny, cumbersome pack you’re trying on will soon be being hurled onto the roof of a Chinese bus, used as a pillow at chaotic Indian railway stations, and hauled up Andean mountains. The assistants in a decent outdoor store will help you to choose a rucksack appropriate to your size, shape and sex.
You’ll need to consider what you will be using your pack for. These days, the variety is astounding: from ultra-light rucksacks for mountaineers to versatile packs that unzip like suitcases and have matching detachable daysacks. Ensure that you can fit a padlock to the zips, and buy a TSA-approved lock if you’re travelling through the USA. A steel net that wraps around your pack and can be locked to a solid object will help you to sleep easy on long train journeys.
Dress sense
You will need a pair of strong and comfortable shoes that are suitable for trekking mountain trails, trudging around cities looking for a cheap hotel and the odd evening of clubbing. No longer are you limited to heavy, sturdy walking boots: trail shoes today are incredibly versatile, as are some of the better quality trekking sandals. You will quickly tire of lugging several pairs of footwear around with you, so try to limit yourself to a pair of shoes and a pair of sandals.
I’ve spent a lot of time in my travels getting my trousers patched in local markets. Lightweight, comfortable, strong trousers are essential. I swallow my (admittedly slim) sense of fashion and travel with zip-off trousers that convert into shorts. They may not look very trendy, but being able to turn your trousers into shorts during a hot day’s hike or midway through a sweaty bus ride is a real boon. Whatever trousers you buy, make sure they have zips on the pockets and, ideally, a hidden inside pocket to secure valuables. Another reason why I wear quality trousers is because I’m taller than people in many countries I visit and I’ve had difficulty finding anything that fits.
If you are an average shape and size, don’t worry too much about the rest of the clothes that you take, other than a good quality, lightweight waterproof jacket and a down jacket if you’re heading somewhere cold. For most climates, I wear cheap T-shirts and buy new ones in a market when I need to. They’re inexpensive and it helps the local economy.
What’s your bag?
Carrying a sleeping bag is a good idea, whatever type of gap year you are on and even if you aren’t travelling with a tent. It adds real versatility to your travels: who knows when you will be stranded overnight at an airport, invited to stay in a Kyrgyz yurt, or sleeping in a roadside motel whose sheets look like they’ve never been washed.
It’s important to choose a lightweight sleeping bag that packs down well or it will become annoying to carry around. At the same time, it needs to contain sufficient insulation to provide a good night’s sleep. The inevitable compromise between weight, warmth and size will depend on where in the world you are travelling. In Africa, I had a sleeping bag the size of a six-pack of beer; in Siberia, I wished I had carried one as large as a keg.
Synthetic insulation is easier to look after, warmer when wet and cheaper than natural down filling. But if every gram counts, remember that high-grade down will trap more body heat than the best synthetic insulation.To keep your mum happy, carry a first-aid kit with you to supplement your health insurance and pre-trip vaccinations. Research your destination before travelling and consult your doctor for advice on what to include. Compile a list of questions you would need answers to in the event of injury or illness, such as ‘How do I get to the nearest first-class medical facility?’, and then find out the answers from experienced travellers, websites and relevant authorities while you are fit and well.
You will also need to think about water purification in most countries. Will it be sufficient to have a small bottle of iodine for occasional treatments or do you need a substantial water filter? Think about the environmental and financial impacts of living off plastic bottles of mineral water for a year before making your decision.
Making memories
It’s certainly worth having a good camera to record your exciting experiences, and to share them with the folks back home via the internet. Unless you’re a real enthusiast, I would recommend a compact digital camera that fits in your pocket. Consider buying one that uses universally available AA batteries, buy a large memory card or two, and don’t forget to take the USB cable with you.
Other useful goodies to make room for in your baggage include a sunhat and sunscreen, insect repellent, a few books to read and swap, a head torch, a worldwide electrical adaptor, and a diary or journal. In the years to come, you’ll be glad that you took the time to regularly document your experiences in your diary. Good maps of your destination are often difficult to buy once you’re there, so grab some before you leave. Pack a guidebook if you must, but don’t become obsessed with it, and give it away as soon as you’re comfortable with your surroundings.
Before you travel, it’s easy and natural to feel daunted about heading out into the unknown. Fretting about forgetting vital bits of gear is one worry that you can do without. Moments before I went to the airport on my first big trip, I dashed out to the shops to buy a two-litre bottle of soda, as I thought that it would be a useful-sized water bottle. Worried about my weight allowance, I poured the contents down the sink, packed my gear and left the UK. On arrival in Pakistan, the first thing I noticed was two-litre bottles of soda for sale on every street corner.
The world is a big and exciting place, but don’t forget that it’s filled with six billion people who all need to buy food, toothpaste and new pairs of socks. So don’t worry – concentrate on buying the few pieces of good quality, specialised kit that will be difficult to obtain on your travels, and don’t feel the need to spend big money on everything else. Get out there and see it instead.
Good luck!
Ten of the best
You’ll probably have to do quite a bit of shopping before your gap year. You’ll be wearing this gear for as long as you’re away, so it should be comfortable, versatile and long-lasting without blowing your budget:
Start the slideshow (10 pictures)
Keep the cash flowing
Managing your money is an important aspect of any journey. Carrying several credit and debit cards in different pockets or bags minimises the chance of them all being stolen at once. An emergency stash of US dollars opens doors worldwide. And in many countries, you can manage your money online. Speak to your bank about this, and consider opening
a secure payments account with PayPal to send and receive money worldwide.
Lilliputian accessories
Here’s my list of favourite tiny things to take on your travels: some essential, some just luxuries.
• Sewing kit: a needle, thread and some dental floss for heavy-duty sewing will certainly be useful for prolonging the life of your long-suffering gear
• Sweet smells: department stores give out free sample bottles of perfume and aftershave. A dab of luxury far from home is also a handy way of eking one more week’s wear from your final pair of socks before you reach a laundry
• Earplugs: get a decent sleep while sitting next to a crate of chickens on those long bus journeys
• Marmite: you either love it or hate it
• Tabasco sauce: liven up your tedious cooking-pot stodge
• Penknife: unleash the kid in you and buy the one with all the gimmicks, or go sleek and minimalist with a credit-card shaped multi-tool. You can even get a model that houses a USB memory stick
• Silk sleeping bag liner: they weigh virtually nothing, don’t get smelly, keep you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot, and help to keep your sleeping bag clean
• Small roll of gaffer tape: gaffer tape is like the Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it binds the universe together
Alastair Humphreys is best known for his epic cycle ride around the world, during which he visited 46 countries and covered 96,000 kilometres in four years. For more information, visit www.alastairhumphreys.com
Stockists and information
Berghaus: 0191 516 5700; www.berghaus.com
Blacks: 0800 665 410; www.blacks.co.uk
Cotswold Outdoor: 0844 557 7755; www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
Craghoppers: 0870 220 6601; www.craghoppers.com
Expedition Kit: 07970 782 929; www.expeditionkit.com
Field & Trek: 0844 800 1001; www.fieldandtrek.com
Inov-8: 01388 744 900; www.inov-8.com
Itchy Feet: 01225 442 618; www.itchyfeet.com
Karrimor: 01372 377 713; www.karrimor.com
Kikoy: 01858 880 888; www.kikoy.com
Lifesystems: 0118 981 1433; www.lifesystems.co.uk
Lonely Planet: www.lonelyplanet.com
Mountain Equipment: 0161 366 5020; www.mountain-equipment.co.uk
Needlesports: 017687 72227; www.needlesports.com
Nevisport: 0845 257 1344; www.nevisport.com
Outside: 01433 651 936; www.outside.co.uk
PayPal: www.paypal.co.uk
Peglers: 01903 883 375; www.peglers.co.uk
Petzl: 015396 25493; www.petzl.com
Simply Moleskine: 0870 067 5635; www.simplymoleskine.com
Snow & Rock: 0845 100 1000; www.snowandrock.com
Tiso: 0131 554 9101; www.tiso.com
TSA: www.tsa.gov/travelers
Victorinox: 0116 234 4646; www.victorinox.com
June 2008
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