Budget travel is one of the latest trends to hit tourism. Nowadays people don’t want to stay in opulent hotels and spend a lot of money in transit. For all of you who are considering this way of travelling, here are a few tips on what to pack.

1. Baggage: The first thing to get hold of is obviously a sturdy travel companion. I own a Samsonite Back-pack and I trust it completely, when I go for short trips.

1. Clothes : If you are travelling cheap, the key is to get hold of just enough clothes to last the trip. You can use Laundromats in your hotel or just wash your clothes yourself in the sink if the need arises. Jeans, shorts and t-shirts are recommended pieces of clothing in such cases.

1. Zip-lock bags: I carry three sizes of zip-lock bags with me, a few of each: sandwich size, 1-quart regular-style, and 2-quart or gallon freezer bags. The small ones are great for holding your “pocket stuff” when you go through airport security or when you’re swimming or doing other activities where you fear getting wet. And of course, they’re great for putting food in.

1. Front-wallet pocket: Pick-pockets are the bane of tourists worldwide. So instead of a back-pocket wallet, you can carry a front pocket one which is reasonably safe for you to monitor and put you documents, cash and other important stuff in.

1. Secondary Back-pack: Unless you’re barking mad, you don’t want to haul your main bag around with you all the time. For daytrips, you’ll want a daypack — something to fit a guidebook, water bottle, picnic lunch, and camera into. When it comes time to move on, though, you don’t want a second bag to have to worry about. Fortunately, a number of companies make small backpacks from super-light material that fold down to a 4? or so pocket; open it up, pack it full, carry it around, and leave your big suitcase/backpack at your hotel or hostel (make sure it’s secure, though).

1. Guide Books: There are some great guide books out there; I’m kinda partial to the Lonely Planet books. A good guide book gives you not only an idea of what to see and where it is, but background information about the culture, history, and language of the places you visit.

1. Transportation: Take the bus or other public transportation whenever you can. It’s a great way to get your bearings in a strange city and to see the sights, including a lot of points of interest that might not have made it into your guidebook.

1. Medicines: Many people have certain allergies and conditions. And you might not get the medicine that you want at the places you are visiting, since you wouldn’t know what it is called there. You should pack a first aid kit replete with all generic medicine as well as allergy medicine.

1. Carry a currency Conversion card with you with 1, 5, 10, 20 and so forth in the local currency with the exchange in yours. This way you can quickly consult it to know if this is a good price. I print mine a day or two before leaving. Also please use a Debit Card instead of a Credit card, just to be safe, as many countries and places still don’t accept cashless payment.

1. My final suggestion is to not stress out about some hypothetical timetable. I know the places I travel to have a BUNCH of amazing things I might not get the chance to ever see again. But the thing is, if you don’t calm down enough to enjoy and take in the places you do make it to, all you have are pictures and no memories.