About Take your Backpack
Inspiring you to explore the world with confidence and curiosity.

Hello, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱) — and backpacking isn’t just a hobby for me, it’s a way of life. Over the past decade, I’ve traveled through more than 80 countries across six continents, exploring the world one journey at a time. From overnight trains and remote mountain trails to local festivals and unexpected detours, every trip has left me with stories, lessons, and experiences that stay with me for life.

Travel has taught me that the most meaningful experiences rarely come from fixed itineraries. They come from curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to embrace the unexpected. That mindset is what shaped both my travels and this website.

On our way to the Pyramids of Meroë (Johan. - BW)

Why TakeYourBackpack Exists?

TakeYourBackpack was created with a simple goal: to inspire and help backpackers and independent travelers explore the world with confidence. This site is built on real experiences, not polished brochure itineraries or one-size-fits-all travel advice.

Most of the content is based on places I’ve personally visited. In addition, some guides and insights are enriched with advice, stories, and tips shared by fellow backpackers I’ve met along the way. This approach allows the site to cover destinations beyond my own travels while staying grounded in firsthand, real-world experience.

Your support makes Take Your Backpack possible.
Every guide you buy, or booking you make through our links, helps me continue maintaining and improving this site for travelers like you 🙏.

What You’ll Find Here

TakeYourBackpack is designed as a practical resource for planning and inspiration. Here you’ll find:

Personal travel stories, photos, and lessons from my journeys around the world
Practical travel guides covering routes, budgets, packing tips, and when and where to go — organized by continent, travel interests, or the month you plan to travel
Destination inspiration for epic hikes, historic sites, festivals, and off-the-beaten-path adventures
Tools and resources to help you decide where to go next and how to plan your trip realistically

The aim isn’t to tell you how to travel, but to give you the information and confidence to travel your own way.

Country Advisor

My Stories

The Philosophy Behind the Site

Travel isn’t about ticking countries off a list. It’s about meeting people, adapting to new situations, and discovering places — and parts of yourself — you didn’t expect. That philosophy runs through everything on TakeYourBackpack.

If this site helps you plan better, travel deeper, or take that first step toward your next journey, then it’s doing exactly what it was meant to do.

Your adventure starts here. Let’s explore 👉

✈️ The ultimate backpacker shortcutCountry Travel Guides

Skip weeks of research and hit the road with confidence. Get 100’s of pages of proven routes, transport advice, and real safety insights—built for your phone and 100% offline-ready.

🎒 Your 100+-page offline travel companion
✅ 3 ready-to-use itineraries paced for real travel
✅ Many ranked highlights with honest skip-it advice
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✅ Safety blueprints: Common local scams to avoid
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👉 See all 30+ guide features

📅 Plan smarter in minutes, not weeks
✅ Realistic travel times & pacing
✅ Best months per region
✅ Festivals & national holidays
✅ Budget expectations

🗺️ Go to the right places, skip the overrated ones
✅ Many ranked highlights across the country
✅ Hidden gems beyond the tourist trail
✅ Honest pros & cons of destinations
✅ Top hikes, parks & viewpoints
✅ Lesser-known places most travelers miss
✅ Clear “worth it vs skip it” guidance

🛏️ Travel smoothly without rookie mistakes
✅ Best areas to stay
✅ Transport systems explained simply
✅ Local transport tradeoffs
✅ Common scams & safety advice
✅ SIM cards, money & practical tips
✅ What to expect before arrival

🌍 Understand the country, not just visit it
✅ Culture & traditions
✅ 52 Essential phrases & customs
✅ Festivals worth planning around
✅ Traveler-friendly historical context
✅ Insights that make places more meaningful

📱 Built for real travel conditions
✅ Fully downloadable PDF
✅ Works completely offline
✅ Optimized for phone use
✅ Useful in remote areas & buses
✅ Everything in one place

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Best Backpacking
Travel Advisor
2025

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Travel Tips for backpackersBackpack like a pro

Backpacking 20 years ago

No mobile phone
When I first started backpacking back in 1996, things were a whole lot different. Back then, we didn't even have the Nokia 3210, so I hit the road without a mobile phone. Basically, my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook was my lifeline – it told me where to go and what to do. Nowadays, every backpacker's got a smartphone glued to their hand, helping them find the best restaurants, the next place to crash, or where the heck that bus stop is. But in our day, we had our Lonely Planet guidebook firmly in hand. When we hopped off a bus, we'd all scatter to find the 'highly recommended' spot in Lonely Planet and then regroup there.

Guidebook replaced by apps
Times have definitely changed. Lonely Planet has evolved into a general travel guide for all kinds of travelers, not just us backpackers. Most of us have traded our Lonely Planet for apps like Hostelworld, Google Maps, and TripAdvisor.

Making every trip an adventure
Amid all these changes in backpacking, I've figured out how to have the most exciting adventures. On this website, I'm sharing some tips based on what I've learned over time, and I hope to inspire some of you to break away from the beaten path. The real adventures that stay with you for a lifetime usually don't happen on the main trail, you know.

How to backpack like a pro?