Before going on any trip abroad its best to go through a list of essential things your are going to need, to help you on your travelling trip I have put toghether a short list of backpacking essentials that you are going to want or need during your trip.

What you are going to need to remember is this. The hotels (guesthouses, dormrooms etc) that you stay in aren’t going to be luxurious (unless your living on a large budget) which means some basic comforts are going to be needed. You are going to want to take plenty of underwear along with some towels, you don’t want to wash all the sand off your body only to find you only have your beach towel to dry yourself with.

Your going to want some suitable footwear for when your trips/treks. Even a trip to a waterfall may involve a fair amount of walking/climbing. I remember once when we had to climb about 40ft to the top of a waterfall, lets just say safety, paths or stairs are not really a priority. My friend was wearing flip-flops at the time which snapped during his decent, which was highly amusing for me, not so much for him.

The more minor things on your checklist are going to include a watch/alarm clock, a fannypack/bumbag and suncream (this is probably the only thing that costs more in Asia).

There are also things I would put on my backpacking checklist, things that I didn't have when I went the first time and did end up regretting this. The first of which is an iPod. I was lucky in the fact that I could borrow my friends (which I did) but it would have been nice to have my own.

Your also going to want to entertain yourself on those long bus trips so get a good stock of books or games you can play during your journies.

I have also put toghether a list of things that wouldn't be on my backpacking checklist, but please note that I take no responsibility for any consequences, I'm speaking from personal experience and I'm not a doctor.

Mosquito nets - These are only needed for trips that are, to use a lonely planet phrase, “off the beaten track”. Most places you visit will not require one, if you are straying a little off the track the guesthouses will have them provided. Any further you may need one, however I am talking if you were to camp in the middle of a jungle, not if your staying in a guesthouse out of town.

Mosquito tablets – again only needed for travelling into the more remote places or places near water. I would advise going to your doctor for confirmation of the tablets needed (they will give you a few choices) but do not buy them here. Instead write down the name of the one you want and buy them when your out there. They are a lot lot cheaper to buy in south east asia.

The best thing that you can do is to imagine yourself in different scenarios and think what you would need. For example a 10 hour bus ride you could do with a book or a 2 hour wait until the next party, put some music on. Write down your own backpacking checklist and keep going back and adding to it. There are also plenty of websites that will help you write your own list.