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Hey, you can also make quite a bit of your own gear if you're feeling up to the challenge. Check out /r/myog for more information about that.

Fancy, fold up cook kits can run you $20 to $70 or more, plus fuel, but you can also make your own cook kits real easily from soda cans, cat food cans, and grease pots. You can get one from Walmart for $7, and an aluminum pot handle from any outdoors store for a couple of bucks. Here's a basic one for $4, but you can find them for $2, too. You can also use a folded bit of aluminum foil as a wind break around your stove.

The best part about those is not only are they light and cheap to replace, but your can stove and your aluminum handle should fit neatly inside your grease pot. Depending on how tall you made your windbreak, you might be able to fit it inside your pot, too. If not, it's just aluminum foil; it'll fold up.

It really depends on what your budget and your conditions are. You can grab a cheap, fairly light tent for $50 or $60. (If you want to go crazy cheap, there are $20 tents that you can set up between two trees or support with trekking poles.)

I wouldn't suggest depending on a cheap tent for the long term, but use them as something you can test out, beat up, and not be too heartbroken over. They're just the basics.

Woot.com often has sales on camping gear, including backpacks, light blankets, sleeping bags, and hammocks. Decent backpacking hammocks usually run about $15 to $25 online, don't stress about getting one that's really expensive and has a lot of features. They're pretty much all parachute hammocks. Worry about investing in the expensive stuff later.

My advice, though? Don't stress about your gear at first. Get some cheap starter gear, read about it, test it, make a plan. Drop on by /r/trailmeals and find some simple recipes that you like. Find a nice state park nearby and look at their maps. Find a camp site and see what's there: Do you have trees available for hammocks? Is there a fire pit already set up? Do you have wood available for fuel? (You probably won't need much more than your cook pot and utensils if your campsite has a firepit with a grill, for example.)

Make your plan and execute it. Let people know where you're going, and what you're up to. Invite a friend if you can. Put your comfy shoes on, toss your crap in a backpack, go out for a weekend, and test your gear. Get some experience with your new stuff, see what works for you and what doesn't. Learn where you want to focus if you want to shed weight, and check your reviews. Go to places like REI: they'll often let you see or set up any tent you're interested in, in advance, so you can check out how easy or how difficult it might be on the trail, in the dark. That last part's important. You can have the fanciest tent in the world, but it doesn't mean a hill of beans if you can't set it up in the dark. (Because at some point, you will be setting up your tent in the dark, in the rain, in some sort of adverse conditions. It happens. Be prepared.)

Practice with your gear, learn your gear. Learn your limits and your preferences.
Knowledge is easy to acquire, useful to have, and doesn't weigh anything, so pack a lot of it.

You're gonna want to get that experience on your cheap stuff, so you can learn and make mistakes without ruining some high-end piece of kit that's really gonna cost you. Get your experience in and add the expensive, fancier stuff as you go. I like to focus on pack, shelter, and shoes. They're going to be your main sources of weight and your big comfort items. Bad shoes and ill-fitting packs hurt. Insufficient shelters suck. Upgrading those early on, or starting with some mid-tier gear if you can afford it, is handy.

And if you decide that maybe this isn't for you, that's okay, too. You can back out without having dropped several thousand dollars on all the latest gear. It's easy to spend hundreds on fancy gear. Try to avoid falling into that trap.

It's probably ultralight heresy, but I often bring a cheap paperback book with me. Sure, it's sort of heavy for a luxury item that I don't need, and if it falls in a creek then my book is destroyed; I get that. However, for me, you can't beat hanging out in a comfy hammock under the trees with a good book. That serenity is why I go hiking and backpacking in the first place.

I also tell myself that if things ever go incredibly sour, a cheap book or a trail journal is also a good source of tinder and toilet paper. Not that I would do such things, but if I was ever stranded somewhere and I had to, the option is there. Similarly, you can signal other hikers or other people in your party if you have a trail journal - just pull out a page and leave a note for them.

Oh, and it's also wise to bring a couple of trash bags along with you. Get the big, kitchen sized ones.

They're great for:

| | | |
|:--:|:--:|:--:|
| holding trash | separating wet clothes | good laundry bags |
| dirty shoe mat | tent hole repair | emergency ponchos |
| emergency pack covers | food bag | extra warmth |

------

Oh, and remember the simple principles:

Pack it in, pack it out. - Any gear (or people) you bring, you're responsible for getting it (or them) back out.

Leave no trace. - You have a responsibility to leave your campsite as you found it, or better than you found it. Any trash you bring, you pack it right back out with you. If someone before you has been an asshole and has left a bunch of trash all over the campsite, try to clean it up, even if you can't pack it all out.

Hike your own hike. - This means that you can have all the excellent advice in the world, but how you do your hike is up to you. No one else can tell you how to live your life, and if you want to carry a little extra weight for a luxury item, or if you prefer a bit of kit that isn't quite in vogue this season, or if you can't afford the high-end, cuben fiber this or that, don't stress about it. You're out there to enjoy yourself, focus on that.

Be prepared. - This is the Boy Scout motto. Things will happen that you're not going to expect. Don't go overboard and don't get too crazy about it, but have a plan and know how to execute it. Learn the area you'll be at and know what sorts of conditions to expect. If you get hurt, know who you can call. If you're in a state or national park, those phone numbers are always on the freebie trail maps they provide - grab one at the ranger station or the trail head and keep it with you or keep a photo of it on your phone. Are you going to need extra batteries? Is your phone going to have service? If you can, sign up for a first aid course or a trail-specific first aid course. That's information you'll want to know if you ever need it.

You won't be able to spend much time in it during the day without it running because of the heat. I bet it would be tolerable at night though.

I have a usb battery pack that would be great to charge during the day and used to power a small fan at night. You can run those fans just about all night with that 10a block. The power block has so many uses too, power a flash light, charge your phone, power a portable router to set up wifi, etc.

The next most important thing is privacy. Even with very dark tint, with it being dark outside anyone using any sort of light inside will be detectable. Stealth is pretty important for urban car camping. It might not always be illegal, but in the US at least if cops see someone just sitting in their car late at night outside a business or in a residential area they might come snooping around. Residents might be equally suspicious. It's best if no one knows anyone is in the car. A reflective windshield insert is great for the front window, but you'll have to make your own for every other window. You won't want it to be reflective either, because it's obvious the windows are covered that way.

An easy way to deal with this is to cut cardboard pieces for every window, including the back glass. Then cover one side with a glue stick or spray adhesive and cover it with any sort of black cloth. Pop the window covers in and make sure there's no light leakage. The black cloth makes it look like super dark tint, and no one suspects a thing.

As for where to park, I'm from the US and aren't sure if all of these will be useful where you are. Just about any business that's 24 hours with a good number of cars in front of it is fair game. Big retail chains are common in the US and have enough people even in the latest hours of the night to not draw attention to a car sitting all night. We also have truck stops on just about every major highway. These are big gas stations made for long distance truckers, they typically have showers and bathrooms for a fee, and plenty of areas to park free of charge. I've had a lot of luck with hotels too. The more cars the better, just make sure they don't have any sort of parking pass on them. Residential areas work in a pinch. Nobody suspects someone is sleeping in a car as long as you've made a minimal attempt at staying stealthy. You can even get away with it in very urban areas.

My fiance and I went to New York City last weekend in our minivan. We were lucky enough to find an open parking space and set up camp. We have a blow up mattress we throw in the back and spent all day in downtown Manhattan. We slept like babies and had plenty of room to stretch out. It's actually the entire reason we got the minivan, we don't even have kids. People always look at us funny when we tell them that. This allowed us to save $400 since we didn't need a hotel for 2 nights, and we have a gym membership with a gym in just about every city. We were set up in one of the biggest, most urban, and expensive areas in the world and didn't have to spend a dime on lodging the whole weekend.

I hope this helps someone, please ask if you have any questions!

Pack light at first. You can buy what you need when you get there. When I was traveling for several months, I went through a few different wardrobes as everything got worn down rather quickly from wearing it so frequently. I stuck with two pairs of pants, three t shirts (one long sleeve), 3 pairs of socks, one beanie, 5 pairs of underwear, one sweater, and a windbreaker. I had a scarf I tied onto one of the backpack strap as well and doubled it as a head pillow for trains/busses.

Do you already have your backpack? If not, I’d recommend checking out your local army surplus. I took a military grade backpack and was able to strap this to the bottom: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015XJ1ALU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_66B4Bb9BDNMN1

Best investment of my entire trip for sure. That and some decent rubber boots. I looked at a lot of hiking boots, but since I wasn’t anticipating a crazy amount of mountain terrain activities, I went with some rubber slip on boots similar to the chelsea style. They were versatile enough for going out and adventuring in cities or rural areas. I hung my converse off of the back too.

Also be hella vigilant on busses and trains. Nap on top of your backpack so if anyone tries to fuck with your stuff, you’ll wake up. Try and make your longer travels overnight so you can save on room and board. Station subs are the bomb.

Message me if you want any more assistance!!!! I was a solo female traveler at age 20. I learned A LOT of valuable lessons :)

Blue Highways
Read it. Take them. Second on joining Planet Fitness, will give you access to nice bathrooms/showers/AC/WiFi along the way, as well as an exercise outlet. Find one next to Wal Mart and bonus campsite out front. $1,500 will be challenging, but get as far as you can go. Couchsurf where you can, learn to love Ramen. You won’t be able to afford many meals out, stock up at grocery stores, not convenience stores. Set your expectations low, your tolerance high, and just take the experience for what it is. You’ll learn a lot. Quickly. As a parent, I’d hope you have a safety net, or at least are not burning the bridge on your way out of Florida. Enjoy it, if I have any regrets at 51, it’s that I didn’t do something similar before settling in to life, but am looking forward to do this in another decade, albeit a bit more comfortably.

If you are interested in camping, hiking, or other outdoor activities, this book is a fantastic resource. The whole of Northern California in topographical maps that show roads, distances, hiking trails, camping, boating etc, the book includes lists of recreational facilities and campgrounds, with phone numbers and lists of amenities. I’m a big fan of paper maps, you can draw your path and keep track of your trip. This book is more than maps, if you do want to camp, it will help you find the different types of campgrounds - private, state run, federal, etc and their pricing. You may need reservations at certain places, so call ahead or check them out online.

Hope you have a great time! Love your itinerary! Keep us posted! :).

In Sweden if you save up hit the Hairy Pig restaurant. Best meal I’ve had in maybe 10 years! Worth paying for. Also I just got back from
Many of the location you mentioned. We took power bars but saved a ton on water by bringing nagal bottles and lifestraw water filters! We got the adapter kits with straw for $15 at Walmart and bottles for $6 off amazon (32oz bottle). We filled up from bathroom sinks, outdoor water fountains etc! Saved us a ton on bottled water and was healthier then the bottled stuff. Definitely do that it will save you a ton on europe
LifeStraw Universal Water Filter Bottle Adapter Kit Fits Select Bottles from Hydroflask, Camelbak, Kleen Kanteen, Nalgene and More https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074WJDZYK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7SfzDbQ406G95

Read this book for some good info on how not to completely fuck yourself when touring:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HF4CY8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

There is a portion specifically about transportation.


These seem fairly popular RV rentals targeted towards bands:
http://bandwagonrentals.com/


Look up some rental places and see how much it would cost to rent a 15 passenger van. they generally have bench seating that a person could sleep on. not the most comfortable thing in the world, but hey you're on tour, it ain't supposed to be comfortable.


there are some national truck stop chains around, PILOT and LUV, where you can use a shower for $10. This is a good option if you absolutely can't bear the odor of yourself or bandmates any longer.



Most of all, RUN THE NUMBERS and plan to go home more broke than when you arrived. Best of luck!

Europe, bring good shoes. Asia, dress cool.

My favorite bag. Highly highly recommend.
https://smile.amazon.com/Osprey-Packs-Porter-Travel-Backpack/dp/B06VVJZHB9/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=osprey%2Bporter%2B46&qid=1559018071&s=gateway&sprefix=Osprey%2Bpo&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1

I went there for 2 weeks in June. Spent about $800 total, housing included. But the number will vastly depend on your needs. Will be renting a car? Rental rates are very cheap on the island as there is fierce competition. I paid around $250 for a week even as a younger driver. Hitchhiking is also very prominent, and there is a very affordable shuttle bus along the main highway during certain hours (ends around 9pm). Food is plentiful and honestly not insanely expensive if you are able to find the places locals eat. Highly recommend [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Kauai-Guidebook-Revealed/dp/0996131841?keywords=kauai+revealed&qid=1536774895&sr=8-1&ref=mp_s_a_1_1book) for an extremely thorough look at pricing specifics. Enjoy your trip though! I'm having a nasty craving for chicken in a barrel at the moment.

I like having a hidden pocket of some sort, that a pickpocket or mugger wouldn't be likely to find. A moneybelt is a good option for this. Another good option is a hidden zippered or velcro pocket.

This is the money belt I use.

I hear good things about these pockets you sew in to your pants.

My friend recently published this book about his bicycle journey in South America, check it out if you're leaning that way: https://www.amazon.com/Shake-Sleeping-Self-Journey-Patagonia-ebook/dp/B072HZR519

(Note it's a good bit introspection and reflection as well, not all adventure.)

If you aim to spend only a day or two in each country you will spend half your trip sitting on busses. The size of Central America on the map is deceptive: poor transportation infrastructure means it takes forever to get between places. For example, San José, Costa Rica and Panama City are as far apart (as the crow flies) as L.A. and San Francisco, but it's a 16-hour bus trip.

Instead of trying to hit every country, I'd recommend something like flying into Managua and moving south to Panama City. We did that itinerary over 3 weeks last year (and even then we were on a bus every other day for 4-6 hours).

Lonely Planet has a 19-page PDF on their site that includes the suggested itineraries from Central America on a Shoestring, a guide that might be useful.

This surprises me, most laptop chargers except apple ones have a generic, detachable 3 pin clover leaf adaptor to go from the plug socket to the power brick. Like this

https://www.amazon.com/Kenable-Power-Cord-Clover-CloverLeaf/dp/B0066TST1Q

Ensure your power brick will run on 110v-240, though

There are also travel wallets you can buy. They are like fanny packs but low profile so that you can slip it below your waist band and keep your money and documents there. I used one in Thailand and found it convenient and useful.

Yeah!

dataroam Prepaid 4G Europe Data SIM Card - Europe 3GB Bundle - 36 Countries - 3-in-1 SIM - Cellhire https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NDKF6QX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gRbzDbQN50QY3

Next time get the book

buy yourself one of these. go with camping gear, and avoid major highways at all costs. aim for national parks and/or scenic roads, and you'll have yourself a blast.

SECTION | CONTENT
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Title | HoboTraveler.com, How to Install Secret Pockets in Any Travel Pants
Description | Buy on Amazon.com from ANDY --- http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Pockets-Money-Pants-Graham/dp/B00FSOVM0U
Length | 0:06:26






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