So, you’ve decided to go travelling, proper travelling too, not just going to Spain for the weekend, you want to head to Vietnam and Thailand or Australia and New Zealand. Maybe you’re going for a few months, or maybe even a whole year before you go to University. Whatever the situation you’re in, you’ll be needing some advice before you know you’re ready to leave.

How are you travelling?

You should decide before you leave how you’ll be getting around the countries you’re visiting. Websites such as Roundtheworldflights.com can help you plan your trip, offering flights to six destinations in total for prices starting at £1,000, which can make your planning easier. Alternatively, you can get train tickets that cover several countries and continents.

Where will you stay?

These days, it’s easy to find somewhere to stay all over the world, with every major city boasting some top hostels packed full of weary travellers. There are other options too – Air B and B and Couch Surfing are both great alternatives and could mean that instead of just meeting travellers, you’ll get to hang out with locals and experience the country from their point of view, perhaps getting you to places that you wouldn’t normally see.

How will you pay for everything?

There are a few options here. Some of you may be lucky enough to have savings just waiting to be spent on a huge trip, and some of you won’t. For those who don’t, you might want to consider working in the countries you visit. Teach Abroad and Seasonal Jobs are two great websites to check out if you’re looking for jobs, and Australia offers some great working holidays too. There are, of course, other alternatives. You might consider borrowing money from a bank or a credit card. These can be dangerous to consider but could be a very viable option, and a website such as Totally Money offers an easy comparison tool to use when considering the cheapest way to borrow.

How will you keep in touch?

Your phone might be your best way of keeping in contact right now, but when you’re in the middle of the jungle in Vietnam, it’s unlikely to have any kind of coverage whatsoever. Take your friends addresses and write to them regularly, perhaps consider starting up a travel blog using a free service like Blogger or WordPress and blog every week or so to keep everyone up to date on your journey – who knows, you might just wind up writing the next Eat, Pray, Love whilst you’re out there!

In short, before you head out, you need to consider everything and plan ahead – if you do, you’ll wind up having the time of your life. Good luck!