5. Backpacks & Money Belts

Get a good backpack that fits your size and is comfortable for you to carry. This, extension of your back, is going to be your best friend throughout your trip so pick that will meet and exceed your expectations.

You must do this well before you take off to ensure that you got the right one.

If you buy one online, when it gets there and you try it out, you may find that it is not the right one that you are looking for. So, to pack it up and mail it back, then find another one that you want and wait for that one to be sent to you again can easily take a week or two, so get this out of the way as soon as possible.

It will eliminate one of the “messes” you have floating around in your head.

Make sure to buy one with a “daypack” attached to it (like the picture above). This way you can leave your big backpack in your hostel room and roam around the city all day with your daypack carrying all of your valuables and necessities for the day like a light jacket, guidebook, bottle of water and some grub.

*Note* When on the Eurail, you will most likely stash your backpack on the racks by the doors or on top of your seat. In either case, unzip your “daypack” and cling on to it at all times. If your backpack gets stolen, you will still have your daypack with all of your valuables. Your backpack and clothes can easily be replaced.

Once you’re ready to go and you’ve started packing for your trip, fill it only up to about 80-90 percent. This will give you a little bit of room to buy a few small souvenirs along the way.

Money Belts.

These are essential for every backpacker and student traveler.

I usually get the one that you wear around your waist. It’s tucked away under your pants and away from the eyes of the ever-present pickpockets that prey on millions of travelers and tourists each year.

You wear it like a belt around your waist, under your pants.

Other types of money belts include one that you wear around your neck and tuck in under your shirt, and a leg money belt that you wear around your thigh (under your pants or skirt/dress.)

Buying a backpack onllne will save you a lot of money because the overhead that websites have each month doesn’t come close to what “brick and mortar” shops have.

Some great places to buy your backpacks and money belts, as well as travel jackets and gear.

I love hearing travel adventures from backpackers and love to see the photos of the places they explored and people that they met. But one thing that irks me is that they often leave themselves out of the shot!

It’s understandable for the most part since they’re the ones taking the photo. Not everyone has the patience to carry a bulky tripod and it is a drag to keep asking people to take your photo and walking them through the steps on how to operate the camera.

Enter: The QuikPod Handheld Convertible Tripod

This little gadget is amazing! It allows you to be in EVERY SHOT!

You’ll NEVER have to pester anyone to snap a shot of you with that “landmark” in the background. You can do it yourself and frame the shot anyway you want!

It’s also very compact and takes up very minimal space.

For minidv camcorders, the NEW and improved Quikpod DSLR will do the exact same thing.

QuikPod DSLR Handheld Convertible Tripod

And, it will also turn into a monopod for perfect stabilization when taking shots.

Make sure you pack one of these for your trip because I don’t want to see another photo of the Eiffel Tower with nobody in it!

Buy the QuikPod Handheld Convertible Tripod from Amazon and save money!