Travel

Choosing a good backpack is one of the most important parts of planning your backpacking trip. Whichever one you choose,it s going to hold all of your belongings for the next weeks, months, or if you re really adventurous, years! You re also going to be carrying it on your back for that long too! The backpack you take can make or break your trip, which is why it s really important to choose a good one.

Note to the newbie travelers: One of the misconceptions I had when I first set out on my 2 month backpacking trip around Europe, was that I d be carrying my backpack with me everywhere I went. I don t know how or why I thought that, but I did. So, just to clarify, you ll only be carrying your backpack with you when you travel from one city to the next one. As soon as you arrive at a hostel, you can drop your pack off (good riddance)! You won t need to carry it around with you while you sightsee. Then when you leave the city, you ll pack all your stuff up and take it with you. Just keep in mind that in order to get from one hostel to the next hostel, you ll probably be walking, taking the metro, a bus, or a combinations of them all before you get on the train or plane that will take you to the next city. Then once you get to the new city, you ll more than likely have to walk, take the metro, a bus, or some combination in order to get to your new hostel. On travel days, you ll have your pack on your back for HOURS!

My point is that you don t want (or need) to bring a large pack with you. Whether you re going for days, weeks, months, etc. it s really not necessary. Trust me, your back will definitely appreciate it if you travel light!

Key Things to Keep in Mind When Purchasing a Travel Backpack!

• Size: No more than 46L (females) You don t want (or need) to bring a large pack with you. Whether you re going for days, weeks, months, etc. it s really not necessary, and your back will definitely appreciate it! (L = liters)

• Will You be Traveling around Europe via Planes?   Budget airlines in Europe, such as Ryanair or EasyJet, offer great deals on flights, and they can be a great alternative to days traveling by train. However, you will need to comply with their strict carry on baggage allowances, if you want to avoid their crazy, expensive fees. Ryan air s carry on size restrictions: (55cm x 40cm x 20cm or 21.7 x 15.7 x 7.9 in). EasyJet s carry on size restrictions: (56 x 45 x 25cm or 22 x 17.7 x 9.8 in).

• How Often Will You Need to Access the Stuff in Your Pack? -You ll be surprised by the number of times you ll need to get into your pack. Whether you re putting things in it, or taking things out, you ll need to have convenient access to your pack. That s why I d recommend getting one that has a main compartment access zipper, instead of one where you can only access it from the top. The latter makes it so much harder to find things, especially if they re way down at the bottom of your pack! So stick with one that has a main compartment access.

Keeping those points in mind, I highly recommend the Osprey Porter 46L Travel Pack.  It comes in a few different color, such as Black, Red, and Green. (Pictured Below)

This is the backpack I used while backpacking Europe for two months in the Summer of 2015. It s really a great pack. I was able to take it as carry on, on many Ryanair and EasyJet flights with no problems. I absolutely LOVE the main compartment zipper. It made it so easy to grab what I needed out of it, without having to dump everything out. I also had no problems fitting everything I needed into either. I still had some space left after I finished packing, and I even overpacked! I did feel some back pain after carrying it around for hours, but I m pretty sure that s the case with all packs. Overall, I definitely recommend this pack for traveling!

You can get it here from amazon  for around 99USD, which is a great price for the pack!

Hopefully this post helps some in regards to buying a travel backpack!