How to eat like a real backpacker and stay healthy

Backpacking takes a heavy toll on a person, especially if they’re just starting out on their year-long journey. This is why nutrition plays such an important role throughout the trip. Backpackers get to experience different types of meals as they move from one country to another. And as tempting as it is to walk into fancy restaurants every day, a backpacker’s budget simply cannot allow it.

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Still, a backpacker needs to stay healthy and have enough energy every day for activities and leisure. According to aspiring traveler Michael Volitich, here are some ways on how to eat like a backpacker while staying healthy.

Get lots of fruits in: Fruits are usually inexpensive, filling, and nutritious. They are great substitutes for snacks for travelers who find themselves hungry after a long hike or just walking around the city. Fruit shakes or fruit drinks are also better than sodas or sweet tea, or other convenient beverage that are usually offered to tourists.

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Stay in hostels with an open kitchen: Knowing what’s in your food is a good way of being aware of the nutritional value of what you eat. What’s even better than knowing is being able to control what you have for meals. According to Michael Volitich, this is one of the reasons why it’s such a great option to stay at a hostel with an open kitchen. You can easily save money by buying ingredients at a local market and cook your own healthy meals.

Granolas, nuts, berries, and oats: For hostels that don’t have kitchens, a good alternative is always having a bag of mixed granolas, nuts, berries, and oats handy. Just add milk, yogurt, or even soy milk into the mix and you can have a healthy meal in minutes.

Michael Volitich a creative writing student at the University of Florida who is also interested in traveling and literature. To read more about traveling, visit this blog.

Ways to best prepare for your first international trip

Planning your first trip overseas is exciting for sure, but it can also get quite stressful, especially if you are not familiar with the country and its culture. It helps immensely to be extra-prepared and make sure that all bases are covered. I’m assuming that you already have a destination in mind; allow me then to help you better get ready and guarantee that your trip is hassle- and hitch-free, and one worthy of being a life event on its own.

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The first Michael Volitich- advice is to do thorough research on the place. Learn as much as you can about the local customs, its people, the food, and any special cultural or religious aspects of the culture, so you don’t embarrass yourself or come across as insensitive.

Know how long you will stay in the country and how you will get there. This will dictate your expenses and your budget in general. Are you backpacking? Taking advantage of a budget flight or mileage benefits? Will you be there for a week or a month? Make an itinerary of your trip and ensure that that reservations and bookings are done in advance, so you’d have a good estimate of the amount of pocket money you’d bring. It’s of course much better to transact electronically, but don’t just rely on credit cards.

It goes without saying that you’d need to secure a passport. Sometimes this itself isn’t easy, especially if you haven’t yet collated the documents needed to get one, from your birth certificate, citizenship, and even a lapsed previous passport. A Michael Volitich lesson for all of you: Apply way ahead at a passport agency as the processing line can at times take long.

Finally, apply for a visa if your country of destination requires one. You cannot legally enter a country that requires a visa from your own to travel to. Make sure you apply for the correct one, too; you either would need a student visa, work visa, or a fixed-term visit one.

Hi there. I’m Michael Volitich, a Creative Writing student, lit geek, film buff, and occasional traveler. I’m currently studying at the University of Florida. For more of my writings and my interests, drop by this blog.

Backpacking tips: How to save money on flights

Image source: outofyourcomfortzone.net

If you’re planning on going backpacking, you have to understand that saving every dollar possible can extend your trip by weeks, maybe even months. In fact, for long-term backpacking, the biggest expense you’ll probably have are flight tickets. The rest of your budget you can allocate to hostels, food, sight-seeing, and other expenses. If you want to save money on flights, here are some tips to follow.


Use several websites

Aside from airline carriers’ websites, you should also check out those that compile airline ticket data and compare them with each other. If your trip is several months away, set up an alert to let you know if the prices are increasing or going down.

Image source: outofyourcomfortzone.net

Be flexible

Prices go up or down by a lot if you adjust the dates. For example, some flights cost more if you leave during the weekend or on a Friday. Sometimes, you just have to leave a day earlier than what you planned or stay two days longer to save hundreds of dollars.

This rule also applies to the airports. Direct flights to major hubs can be expensive. Try looking for airports near your destinations. For example, if you’re going to Tokyo, direct flights are expensive. However, you can enter through Narita or Osaka, then take a train to Tokyo. Not only will you save money; you also get to see more of Japan.

Use your miles

If you happen to be using a credit card that earns points convertible to airline miles, then, by all means, use it. Airlines would rather have someone occupy their seats and pay with miles than leave the seat empty.


Hello, I’m Michael Volitich. As a Creative Writing student focusing on sports writing, I need to find ways to better communicate what happens during a game to the people who will read my write-ups. To read more about traveling, visit this webpage.

Traveling Within Your Means

Traveling seems to be on the rise, with cheaper airfare and lodging options. More and more individuals are getting on planes, trains, boats, motorcycles, and just about any form of transportation to live their best lives now. If these things aren’t planned out well, one could be drowning in debt than swimming in white sand beaches.

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The best thing to do to enjoy traveling is to save up for it. You are traveling well within your means if you have a savings plan for all your expenses before and during the trip. Allocating money for your future trips can ensure you of a journey that’s inexpensive and with zero debt. 

Living within your means can afford you that trip you’ve been dreaming of as you are spending less on daily expenses and allocating more money on investments and other savings. The time you spend saving up could also disguise as your season to look for the best deals for your money’s worth. Remember, you can always save up for the things you can’t afford now. 

Traveling can either be cheap or expensive. It only becomes costly if you don’t have the budget for it. There really isn’t an affordable, economical trip. Sure, you can get discounts and freebies with the best deals. To travel within your means signifies that you have a means to do it. Not saving for it might only afford you years of debt. While the world offers individuals many beautiful sights to see, it would be best to set one’s goals for a secure future. Put off that trip first and plan things out thoroughly. 

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Michael Volitich is a Creative Writing student, sports writer and fanatic, lit geek, film buff, and occasional traveler. He is currently enrolled at the University of Florida. For similar updates, click here.