Destinations
Backpacking destination guides that help you choose where to go next.
Browse the places covered on Backpacking Is Life so far, from first-trip Southeast Asia routes to Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the Philippines.
If you already know the region, jump straight into the country pages. If you are still figuring it out, start with the route and itinerary guides first.
Start with the right type of guide
Not every trip starts the same way. If you are still deciding where to go, use the broader destination guides. If you already have the region in mind, the itineraries will get you into routes, timing, and pacing much faster.
Destination Guides
Country and city guides to help you compare places, understand costs, and work out where to start.
Itineraries
Step-by-step routes for first trips, short breaks, and longer backpacking plans where timing really matters.
Destinations covered so far
These are the main destination clusters currently live on the site: Europe, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Europe
Longer routes, city planning, travel money decisions, and classic backpacking stops across Europe.
Southeast Asia
Backpacker routes, long-trip planning, transport logic, and the strongest first-trip content on the site.
Indonesia
Bali and wider Indonesia through the lens of budgeting, travel cards, logistics, and longer stays.
Japan
Transport, travel money, eSIMs, food planning, and practical help for busy, high-cost trips that need structure.
Philippines
Island-hopping planning, route basics, and travel advice for one of the best-value beach-heavy backpacking trips.
South Korea
Itineraries, transport, food guidance, and practical planning for fast-moving city trips and longer loops.
Thailand
The classic first backpacking country: islands, routes, transport, hostels, and plenty of easy entry points.
Vietnam
Route planning, buses and trains, eSIMs, budget logic, and city-by-city trip planning across Vietnam.
Best places to start
If you are new to the site, these are the most useful starting points before you disappear into destination rabbit holes.
First-Time Backpacking Guide
The best starting point if you have never done a proper backpacking trip before and want the basics sorted.
3-Month Southeast Asia Route
A realistic long-trip backbone with better pacing, route order, and fewer costly logistics mistakes.
Thailand Travel Guide
If you want the easiest country to start with, Thailand is still the cleanest entry point into backpacking.