Well hello to you my reader chums! Backpacking around Asia for 2 months was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had, and I'd love to relive it again. In preparation for my trip, I never had been backpacking before or travelled for that extend of time so I didn't really know what to expect. If you're going to backpack Asia, here are 5 things that you should know before you go on your trip.

You don't need to pack lots of clothes

When it came to packing for Asia, I wanted to bring lots and lots of clothes as they were supposed to last me for 2 months. However, I soon found, I really didn't need to bring too many clothes with me because as much as I wanted to look cute on my Instagram feed, more clothes meant more weight to carry and I could just rewash everything I brought. Also, going to Asia, you're no short of a clothes market where you can buy the cutest of clothes for only a couple of pounds. That means if you bring a couple of versatile clothing pieces, you can then buy a few items along the way too - and a lot of the stuff you buy will be lightweight.

Asia isn't so different

Asia has a complete cultural difference and has unique sights compared to the UK, but what I mean by it isn't so different is the fact that it's not like Mars. You'll still be able to have fresh water, good food, wifi and see plenty of normal chains like Mcdonalds. Before I went, I thought countries like Cambodia would be quite off the grid, however, a lot of the places are westernised and do speak quite good English. When you go off the beaten path, that's when fewer people will speak English and you won't see many 'western' things.

Always remember, safety first 

In any new country, you go to, you're bound to have your guard up a little and feel unsafe. However, as I travelled through Asia, I felt incredibly safe and at home the entire time. I don't know if it was because of the calm nature of the locals or the lack of dangerous things I witnessed that made me feel that way, but I did. Even at night time, as I walked the streets with my boyfriend, I never felt alarmed or frightened like I have back in the UK.

Although I did feel safe, it was important to still look after my things and always ensure I had my valuables close to me and made use of safes in hotels to lock away my money/passport. It's also important to be wary of scams as you're travelling and people conning you out of your money. Healthwise you want to keep safe by wearing mosquito repellent, taking digestion tablets and wearing lots of suncream.

Street food isn't scary

When I initially arrived in Thailand and saw my first street food market, I was very worried about buying any and eating it. However, street food is some of the best food I've tried across Asia, it's incredibly authentic and made with fresh ingredients. If you're worried about having a bad belly or getting food poisoning, on the lead up to your trip, take probiotics and digestion support pills as it'll help your gut get used to the bacteria.

Everything is super cheap

If you've read any travel blog or heard about someone's experience in Asia then you'd know literally everything is super cheap. You can buy dinner for the equivalent of a pound, alcohol is ridiculously dirt cheap and you can get a top-notch hotel for nothing compared to what you pay in Europe. The main cost of Asia is literally getting there. Once you've arrived, public transport is so affordable as are activities, food and having fun. Even though things are cheap, I would recommend setting a budget for each day just so you can work within your means and have leftover cash for emergencies - as trust me you may run into a few of them.

I hope you enjoyed this tip style post. When are you planning to go backpacking?

Thank you for reading <3