In transit...

17. Arrive early. Airports suck, but missing your flight sucks a lot more.

18. Jokes about security are hilarious. Spending time in jail is less so.

19. The only thing worse than the taste of airport food is the price. Eat beforehand.

20. Getting drunk on the plane is not fun. Being hungover on the plane is horrific. Your call.

21. Earplugs are your friend.

22. So is an eye mask, even if it makes you look like a dork.

23. Learning to eat using plastic utensils, with your elbows tucked in and your knees bumping the table is an essential flying skill. Start practicing now by sitting in a cardboard box during your next meal.

24. Take something that can entertain you for several hours. A novel. Playing cards. An ipod. A ball of twine. Whatever. Just take something.

25. Set your watch to your destination timezone as soon as you get on the plane, and use that time when deciding when to sleep. It’ll help with the jetlag. Maybe.

26. Get up and go for a walk now and again when you’re in the air. It’s good for the circulation and helps relieve the crushing boredom of a long haul flight, even if only slightly.

27. After 20 hours in planes and airports, toothpaste will change your life.

28. When it comes to conversations with border officials, less is more. Answer questions truthfully but don’t volunteer too much.

29. Distinctive luggage is a good thing. Surprising as it might seem, yours will not be the only black bag on the conveyer belt.

30. Having a change of underwear in your carry-on will be the smartest move you’ve ever made when the airline loses your bags.

At your destination...

31. Being polite goes a very long way.

32. A smile goes even further.

33. If somebody doesn’t speak your language, that’s your problem, not theirs.

34. Lack of a common language does not equate to deafness. Speaking more loudly will not help.

35. Be alert for scams and danger, but don’t let that dictate your trip. Most people are not out to harm you.

36. Opening your heart and mind does not have to mean opening your wallet.

37. Get out of your comfort zone. Eat, drink and do things that you wouldn’t go near in your normal life.

38. Bum bags / fanny packs are the stupidest travel accessory ever, for more reasons than I can even list.

39. If you use a moneybelt, don’t keep diving into it every five minutes. Hiding your valuables isn’t much use if they don’t stay … y’know … hidden.

40. Things will be different to how they are at home. That’s kinda the point.

41. Public transport can be awesome. It can also be the bane of your life. You will experience both.

42. Meet the locals. If you’d wanted to hang out with people just like yourself, it would have been much cheaper just to stay home and go to the mall.

43. Have an emergency source of funds hidden away somewhere, and treat your passport as if it were made of gold. It’s not quite the end of the world if you lose it, but it’ll feel like it at the time.

45. Don’t be afraid to screw up. It’s ok. We learn a lot more from our failures than we do our successes.

46. Having flip flops for the hostel shower can be a really good idea.

47. If your friends back home haven’t seen an updated Facebook status from you in the last hour, it’s ok.

48. When looking for somewhere to eat, find the one where there’s nobody that looks like you inside it. Bonus points if it’s not in the guidebook, and extra bonus points if the menu isn’t in your language (or there’s no menu at all). The food will be better and cheaper, and the experience more memorable. Trust me.

49. There will be times when it’s all too hard. Tough it out. You won’t remember the bad times in a couple of months, but the good times will stay with you forever.

50. Now click here to see this same subject covered by a female backpacker.