If you have not been on a walking or cycling holiday before you might have a few worries and questions about how to prepare for the adventure trip. We bring you a wealth of tips and advice for preparing for an enjoyable walking or cycling holiday.
- Pay attention on important documents
Passport, driver’s license and travel insurance are essential. If you’re going on an adventure travel trip, buy emergency medical and evacuation coverage. Keep these on your person at all times. It’s also a good idea to scan these documents and save them to your phone and email them to yourself and your contacts at home.
- Keep your luggage light
If you’re touring by bike or exploring multiple destinations, try to keep your luggage light and small because you may be moving every night.
- Choose quick-dry clothing
Synthetic pants and shirts not only pack small but wick sweat and dry lightning quick after washing. Be extra prepared by bringing detergent along too.
- Bring fewer clothes
A mix of trekking pants and shorts and long-sleeve and short-sleeve shirts, and usually one dress, too. No need to worry about wearing the same clothes over and over again, remember what you’re there for, and think and pack like a backpacker.
- Use a duffel
Duffels are better than hard-case luggage because they are soft, whether playing luggage tetris in the trunk of a taxi or on the backs of pack animals, duffels have a leg up on hard-sided bags.
- Prepare for bad weather
Be prepared for any weather, bring a rain jacket, rain pants and a pack cover too.
- Bring your own over-the-counter medications.
Having your own tried-and-true blister kit, hydrocortisone, antibiotic ointment and allergy pills is important. It can be really hard to find what works for you when traveling abroad. Be sure to bring extra prescriptions meds in your carry-on, too.
- Take a bandana
Probably one of the most versatile items you can pack, use them for warmth, dust, sweat, runny noses, new hair styles or fashion statements. And if you’re in the backcountry, pack two and you’ll have a pee rag, too.
- Ready your light source
Sometimes you’re caught without electricity for hours on end, and you’ll need a light source, or you’ll be stuck in the dark. We recommend a small, rechargeable headlamp like the Black Diamond Iota.
- Keep your lesser-used items at the bottom of your duffel
Stack the bottom of your duffel with heavy items you aren’t planning on accessing right away—think extra shoes, rain pants, crampons, daypack. And what are you using right away? Pack toiletries right on the top, so you’re not digging through your pack if you get to your destination late at night.
