Research your destination. Find out about the culture, the language and the climate of the land. You need to know all about Asia so that you know what to take on your trip.
Go online to find out which hotels or hostels are recommended by other travelers (see Resources below). Read the ratings as well as the positive and negative comments. People who have visited Asia will leave tips, advice and warnings to future travelers.
Take a pocket translator with you. If you travel across the land, you will definitely cross areas where people don't know English.
Find out what inoculations you need before you leave home. Check any health warnings and mosquito problems.
Change your currency or take traveler's checks with you. Remember if you are going to remote villages, you may not be able to use your traveler's checks. Take enough money to cover food and shelter and always calculate the cost of traveling by bus, train or small plane. Asia is a large place so you will need money to get from one city or country to the next.
Plan your itinerary before you go. Know where you plan to stay, how you plan to get there and how long you will remain. With a plan, you can calculate how much money you need and how long the trip will take. Leave a copy of your plan with family members.
Pack for the climate. Make sure you take a backpack that will withstand the weather and hold all of your belongings. Pack a backpack with all the essentials that include food, clothing and shelter. Visit a backpacking website or check with experienced backpackers for a recommended list of items to take.
Visit some of these Asian hot spots: Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Malaysia, SriLanka, India, Nepal, Tibet, Korea, Japan and Indonesia. Make sure you plan ahead so you can figure out how many places you can realistically visit in one trip.
