FAQ'S

A - This completely depends on your personal situation. If you plan to travel for an extended period of time and know that you need to stretch your money across the trip, then of course it is important to set yourself a daily budget. On the other hand, if you are travelling for a shorter period of time and you have a full-time job to go back to at the end of the trip, it is definitely worth making the most out of your trip - Sometimes the activities on offer may appear a bit more expensive than expected, but if it is likely that you won't get a chance to do the activity anywhere else or for a long time after, I would recommend doing it - Chances are that it will be worth it!

A - From our experiences I would say 'yes', however if you speak to someone else that has a bad experience with something being stolen or someone that may have stayed in a hostel with poor facilities, of course you will get a different answer. Generally speaking, hostels are the most popular choice for backpackers as they are cheap, in a good location and offer the social atmosphere that can often make or break your time in some places. The great thing about most of the places that you are planning to visit is that thousands of other people are likely to have been there before, so just by scrolling through Hostelworld you are bound to find one hostel that meets your needs - Whether that be a mixed dorm in a 'party hostel' where you get the best social atmosphere, or a private dorm in a more expensive hostel, where the facilities are more advanced and you get more privacy. Most hostels provide lockers assigned to each bed in the dorm, so as long as you have a lock that you can use to protect your valued personal belongings, you should be fine. It always helps to be friendly with your roommates, as you feel that if you get along with them, they have less of a reason to try and steal from you - Don't take my word for it though, as I am sure that some people have had bad experiences and I don't want to make false promises!

A - The short answer is 'no'! The best thing about travelling is that you often return from a trip with stories and experiences that you never planned. I would definitely say that booking the first one or two is good (Use Hostelworld), as the chances are that you will stick to this schedule, however every time you visit a new place, you will meet new people that you end up travelling with. We always end up meeting people in one place and then spending an extended period of time with them, travelling to other places. Often or not, the people you meet will have a different plan to you (Depending on what country you are travelling - In some places, there seems to be one set route that everyone follows), so it is often a case of 'going with the flow' if you are not on a strict timetable.

A - We would say Thailand, Vietnam or Australia. Why? These are such popular backpacker destinations and compared to other places, they are very easy to travel. You could easily turn up at your first hostel in any of these countries and after a few conversations with other hostel members, you will know the route and what places are worth visiting, based on listening to the experiences that they had - I will note that just because one person didn't like a place, it doesn't mean that you won't!