Backpacking is the cheapest way to travel the world. There are certain things though, that you must know as a backpacker. Here’s your travel checklist:

1) You carry your own backpack, always. When applied broadly, this means that as a backpacker you’re on your own, even if you travel in a group. You need to be able to take care of yourself, no matter what. As such resourcefulness is important. Evaluate all decisions in this light. Plan your trip keeping in mind what you can handle and what you can’t. You’re not out there to prove anything. The idea is to have fun, but not pay a heavy price.

2) Backpacking is no joke. It requires thorough and advance planning. Since you will be on your own and out of your home for a decent period of time, planning will ensure that you do not run into problems that end up ruining the trip or those that were completely avoidable. Planning is also important to ensure that you manage your time and your money efficiently while you’re traveling. Plan your date of departure, route, tickets, the places you will see, where you would like to stop, where you would like to stay in advance. Whether you stick to this or not is of course entirely optional. The purpose of the plan is to give you some idea as to what you’re doing. It’s pretty hard to change a plan you never had.

3) Carry information, by the truckload. This is the single most important item on the list. Knowledge of the place you’re visiting is of utmost importance, not just to make your trip safer and easier but to turn it into a learning experience. The more you know of a place theoretically, the more the actual experience will mean to you. Also, in case of an emergency, information about the place you’re in will be your saving grace. Knowing a place beforehand will also ensure you don’t miss out on anything.

4) Prepare the backpack well: The backpack is what will stay with you throughout, so you want to ensure it has what you need to survive. The emphasis is on ‘survive’ so you need to carry accordingly. A backpack is ergonomically built – which means when used correctly it causes no or minimal discomfort. For this it has to be used intelligently. Learn how to pack a backpack well (courtesy the internet) and then how to carry it properly. The last thing you want is a backache on your travels.

5) Prepare yourself better: On a tour like this, you’re up against a lot. As long you carry your presence of mind and don’t lose your sense of adventure – you’ll do great. However exercising caution never hurt anybody. So maybe a course in self defense or learning the language are really good ideas.

Missionary travel is one of the best ways to travel and experience other people and cultures for anyone who wishes to stretch their legs and be of service to others at the same time.

The advantages to missionary travel are many and one of the great things that it offers is that you are guaranteed to always have something purposeful to bide your time with while you are traveling. You can rest assured that your church will have all the hot spots of injustice ready to go for you when you arrive so there will be no need to waste any time scouting them out on your own. Drug addiction, prostitution, poverty, gang violence, and Pagan practices run rampant in many foreign countries so you can rest assured that there will be no shortage of souls to save.

If your church offers missionary travel, than there will also be food and housing available for you when you arrive at your destination. Making new friends that share your beliefs is one of the other benefits of missionary travel.

Missionary travel is a great personal test for yourself that you can take that will prove invaluable in your later years and while others may choose to stay behind in your home town to enjoy their creature comforts you will be off building memories and character. If you are going to move up in standing in your church and plan on one day being a respected elder then missionary travel is one notch in your belt that will always put you in a command position.

Completing a mission for your church is a right of passage that will always set you apart from the crowd and it means that you have paid your dues and that your mettle has been tested.

To find the latest information on missionary travel as well as mission travel, visit Christian travel agency Golden Rule Travel that specializes in missionary, adoption, and humanitarian travel. Golden Rule Travel has the years of experience, the technology, the contacts, the contracts, and the dedication to customer service to give you the least expensive, most hassle-free travel possible. A brief overview of what goes into optimizing your travel experience:

* Golden Rule Travel checks multiple sources:
o The Amadeus CRS system
o The online travel sites
o Special negotiated contracts direct with many major airlines
o The consolidators (many who consider Golden Rule Travel one of their VIP clients)

* Every booking done is reviewed by the general manager, one of the most experienced agents, to ensure that you got the best deal possible and that all the details are done properly. When you get a ticket from Golden Rule Travel, you have two agents working for you, not just one.

* At Golden Rule Travel, the Christian travel agents will be honest with you.

* Golden Rule Travel is dedicated to providing the best customer service possible (Golden Rule Travel has cell phone numbers so you can call the owner or general manager 24/7 if you have an emergency).

Golden Rule Travel offers a full range of travel services to individuals, church groups, NGOs, humanitarian agencies, and missionary organizations.

Online travel agencies will be able to hook you up with the right missionary travel. They can book you a tour anywhere in the world via any type of transportation. If you are planning a missionary travel, contact a missionary travel agency.