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8 tips for older backpackers

Fantastic! Escaping the rat race is what many of us dream about. Here are strategies to make your experience smooth and enjoyable:

1. Consider your budget and time frame. It is possible to do the 'backpacker' thing and still create your own individual itinerary. Don't forget that there are other people like you travelling, so it's not all 18 year-olds doing their Gap Year.

2. Consider the countries or regions that you most wish to visit and work out a suitable Round-the-World air ticket. There is now a lot of choice and flexibility, and much can be tailored to fit in with your perfect itinerary. If you want to avoid the hippie trail, try to create a slightly different route to the ones offered as packages. A travel consultant can offer advice. Remember that all round-the-world tickets must go forward in the direction of travel that you have already chosen.

3. Consider persuading a friend to go along with you for companionship, and to share costs. It can make the trip safe and more fun, and give you the freedom to get away from the pack without being completely on your own.

4. Look up friends or relatives en-route as these provide good escapes and local insight into what it's really like to live in the country. Locals can often suggest good cost-effective alternatives that will allow you to get off the trail on occasion.

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