Practical travel advice for people who want to travel better, spend less, and avoid the obvious mistakes.
Backpacking Is Life is a travel blog for people who are planning real trips, not just scrolling through perfect travel photos.
Here you’ll find straightforward advice on where to go, how long to stay, how to get around, what things actually cost, and the small decisions that can make a trip easier, cheaper, or a lot less stressful.
Photo by Baguette Knight on Unsplash
Who’s Behind It?
I’m Lee, the person behind Backpacking Is Life. I started this site because I like travel advice that actually helps you make decisions.
When you’re planning a trip, you don’t always need another list of “must-see” places. Sometimes you just want to know which route makes sense, how many days you really need, whether the cheap option is worth it, and what to sort before you leave.
That’s the kind of advice I try to share here: useful, honest, and focused on the real choices travellers have to make.
What You’ll Find Here
- Backpacking guides for first-time and experienced travellers.
- Destination guides that help you decide where to go and how long to stay.
- Itinerary ideas built around realistic routes, not just pretty maps.
- Travel money tips, cards, eSIMs, insurance, and useful trip admin.
- Honest advice on transport, costs, timing, and common travel trade-offs.
Why This Blog Exists
A lot of travel content makes every destination sound amazing, every itinerary sound easy, and every option sound like the best choice. But real travel planning is usually more complicated than that.
Sometimes the cheapest flight lands at a terrible time. Sometimes the “must-visit” place only makes sense if it fits your route. Sometimes paying a bit more saves you a full day of hassle. And sometimes skipping somewhere completely is the better decision.
Backpacking Is Life is here to make those decisions easier, clearer, and less overwhelming.
Practical route ideas, realistic timing, and advice on what order actually makes sense.
Budget advice, money-saving tips, and honest notes on when cheap is not always better.
Flights, buses, trains, ferries, airport transfers, and the pros and cons of each option.
Travel cards, insurance, eSIMs, apps, booking platforms, and the boring-but-important stuff.
About Affiliate Links
Some pages on Backpacking Is Life include affiliate links. That means I may earn a commission if you sign up or book through certain links, at no extra cost to you. I only want to recommend things that make sense for travellers, whether that’s a useful travel card, eSIM, insurance option, app, or booking platform.
The Style Of Advice
The aim is to keep things direct and practical. No pretending every destination is perfect. No acting like every trip has to be spontaneous. No overcomplicating simple decisions. Just clear travel advice to help you plan better, spend smarter, and enjoy the trip more once you’re actually there.
Good Places To Start
Start Here
A simple place to begin if you’re planning a trip and want the most useful guides first.
First-Time Backpacking Guide
New to backpacking? Start with the basics before you book everything.
Destinations
Browse travel guides by country, city, or region.
Plan Your Trip
Travel money, transport, insurance, eSIMs, and practical planning advice.