1. In third-world countries, take the complimentary toothpaste and shampoo from your hotel or guesthouse and give them to the street kids who beg you for dollars.
2. Don’t get a rail pass that lets you travel every day because you won’t and shouldn’t. Get a Flexipass that allots a set number of travel days over an extended period of time (i.e. 10 days in 2 months).
3. Trains are great, but buses are often cheaper, less crowded, and give you the chance to catch up B movies or improve your karaoke skills.
4. Third-world ferries have a bad habit of sinking, so when riding one, take note of where the locals congregate. Or pack a life jacket.
5. Carry candy bars to give away on long hauls. You may arrive with a new friend (and a couple of cavities).
6. Reservations? What’s a reservation? We laugh at your “reservations”!
7. Hostels ain’t the only game in town. Pensions, agriturismos, private rooms, and park benches are cheap, unique, and often snore-free.
9. When it comes to food, locals know best except when they don’t. Not every Parisian has a refined palate, and not every Beijinger knows where the best dumplings are. Go with your gut.
10. Challenge your palate. Eat stewed tripe in Rome, stinky tofu in Taipei, raw octopus in Korea, and half-hatched duck eggs in Manila. (Okay, maybe skip the eggs.)
11. Hostels have kitchens, so cook for yourself and the other residents once in a while. You’ll experience local markets in a whole new way, and earn instant karma.
12. Nescafe Three-in-One Instant Coffee: Bring along a ten-pack (or more), and you’ll never be groggy in the morning.
13. Splurge! An occasional gourmet meal, air-con room, or full-body massage doesn’t violate the backpacker’s code, and makes the economizing much more bearable.
14. Seduce or get seduced by a local.
15. European beaches in the summer are more packed than a Tokyo
subway. For some liberating space, seek out nude beaches.
<img src='/images/05-06/summersurvival2.jpg' alt="" border=0 align="left" hspace=8 vspace=5>
16. Politics is part of travel. Defend American policies you believe in and pillory those you dislike, but don’t attack someone else’s opinions unless or until you really understand the situation.
17. Play ball! Football, that is. Nearly every town in the world has a soccer pitch and a pickup game almost every evening. Stop by, dribble, make new friends. Goooooooaaaaaalllllll!!!
18. Get tricky. Learn a time-killer that involves others: card games, songs, dances, riddles, magic tricks, games anything other than sitting alone listening to an iPod.
19. Learn five new words. (Then learn five more.)
20. Read the local newspaper, and you’ll have something to tell strangers besides your major.
21. Read novels set in your destination. You’ll understand the place better and won’t get guidebook fatigue.
22. Bring photos of your family and postcards of your hometown. People you meet are likely to ask about them.
23. Throw away your Lonely Planet. Spontaneity is a virtue. Occasionally, tour guides are worth the extra $10.
25. Bring as little as possible you’ll be schlepping that backpack around in the summer sun, and every extra sock counts. Girls: Swimwear doubles as undies. Guys: Go commando. Wedding invite? Time to splurge on a custom suit in Hoi An, Vietnam.
26. The sun is out, and you’ll need a hat so ditch the oh-so-American baseball cap and opt for something more interesting.
27. Carry a towel (courtesy “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”).
28. Travel alone at least for a little while.
29. Living in a city for two weeks is completely different from living there two days.
30. Fanny packs are evil.
31. If you find yourself talking too much about “back home” with your travel buddies, ditch your friends and find new ones who’re asking, “Where to next?”
32. Now’s the time to sign up for frequent-flier programs.
33. Coming home at 4 and waking up at 11? Reverse it a city to yourself at daybreak is a noble reward.
34. There are a million reasons not to take a trip: money, time, school, jobs, relationships, civil war, travel embargos, etc. But there’s always one good reason to go: Because.
Illustrated by John Lee
What the guidebooks won't tell you: 
