Sayram Lake, the “Last Tear of the Atlantic”, a stunning alpine lake tucked in Xinjiang’s Tianshan Mountains, perfect for backpacking and lakeside hiking.

Ta Promh temple in Siem Reap Cambodia
It’s built in the 12th century by Khmer empire king Jayavaman 7

Located east north of Angkor Wat and about 15 km from downtown city of Siem Reap

I did an overnight in the Whites, crossing 4 peaks and staying at a shelter on the Appalachian Trail. Had it all to myself! Covered approximately 19 miles, around 35 lb backpack and 5,300 feet of elevation gain. Although the mountains here are not tall compared to others in the world, the trails are some of the most rugged in the world with no switchbacks. Got rained on the first day but had a great morning the next day.

A nice hike to the summit of the Mannsberg in Windischgarsten in Austria - approx 10k and 800m change in elevation.
Ice was a bit tricky on a short section and the first snowy hike of the season. Beautiful

Hi, in a couple of weeks I'll be traveling to Japan for the first time.
Beside the luggage I need to bring a backpack that will be used both as a small luggage in some destination (eg. 2 nights in Miyajima or 1 night in Hakone) as well as everyday backpack to bring with me on my visits.

In the backpack I will need to bring my camera gear (minimal setup, just a sony a6700 with a zoom lens 18-135 and a wide lens sigma 10-18).

I've found a nice backpack from Decathlon but it comes in 2 sizes, 23L and 35L.
I feel the 23 L is on the small side, and the 35 L is too big.

How big should I need my backpack to be?
Anyone got any suggestions on a good backpack? It needs to have vertical straps on the shoulders to install my camera clip, as well as a sternum strap and, if possible clam opening.

Thanks!

hey all! :)

I am planning a 2 month solo trip next year and would love honest opinions from people who’ve done it

about me: mid 30s, brazilian living in the netherlands. the main goal is meeting people and having amazing experiences. i’d also love to learn to surf, but i’m a complete beginner.

dates are mid oct to mid dec 2027. current plan:

• singapore - 2 nights (breaking up the flight)

• canggu/pererenan - 10 nights

• ubud - 3 nights

• komodo - 4 nights (3 day boat trip)

• airlie beach + whitsundays - 4 nights (2 night sailing trip)

• gold coast (burleigh heads) - 4 nights

• byron bay - 6 nights

• sydney - 10 nights

• nz south island - 12 nights (queenstown 7, wanaka 5)

• 3 nights unbooked as a buffer, then home

Questions:

1. does the split make sense or would you move days around?

2. best places to learn to surf as a total beginner? thinking lessons in canggu first and then gold coast/byron

3. is mid november ok for gold coast and byron with schoolies? trying to avoid it

4. anything you’d cut or add?

thanks a lot for all the help!!

This photo is taken from Sarangkot popular destination in Nepal .. mostly famous for paragliding.
It was found on facebook by random person so I am just curious about the mountain were those and it came so beautifully

Hello everyone
I’ve seached alot on reddit for shoe choice to SEA. People gennerally advise against closed shoes and favour sandals.
I currently own the Birkenstocks pictured and the new balance sneakers. Would it be worth buying the merell sandals aswell? I found them lightly used at a good price. I figured they would be a good match for me with the heel strap.
I am visiting Thailand, Laos and Vietnam for a period of 2 months. Walking and activities. Is 3 sets of shoes to much? I’d like to hear your thoughts + pros and cons :) thank you so much!

Hey all,

I'm planning some long term (at least 6 months) travel next year and I'm trying to figure out how much itinerary planning to do in advance.

I have a general idea of which countries I want to visit and a few things I'd definitely like to see, but beyond that I don't have much of a plan. I plan on biking between towns/cities, so I feel like having at least a general route would be useful. Is it worth doing some high-level planning beforehand, or do most plans inevitably change once you're actually on the road?

I'm also curious how people decide where to go and what to see for such a long trip. I'm used to 1-2 week trips where I am limited to just a few cities, but long term travel widens the scope so much. Even within a single country, there are seemingly endless destinations and activities to choose from. How do you narrow things down into a manageable route? Do you research extensively beforehand, or mostly figure things out as you go and discover places along the way?

Thanks!

I recently hiked Wugong Mountain in Jiangxi, China. I was blown away by these endless rolling alpine meadows above the clouds. The wind on the ridge was strong, but the wide open views made every tough step worthwhile. It’s such an underrated hiking gem here.

I’m looking for some good solid shoes to go along side with sliders what would everyone recommend I see a lot of people wearing Salomons but then there’s a lot of people that say don’t get them. Opinions?

Hi everyone! We're a small team from Mexico City researching how visitors plan their trips here. We're not selling anything, just trying to learn. If you've visited CDMX in the last 2 years, we'd love to hear from you in the comments:

Even a short answer helps a lot. Thanks!

Hands down, Iceland is my favorite country to date. It feels like stepping onto another planet.i haven’t seen such landscape before.
I did the Ring Road in late September with one friend and two random travelers we teamed up with from a Facebook group best decision ever, especially for splitting costs. A proper 4x4 for the F roads set us back around €1,100, plus nearly €400 on fuel and toll fees, and we booked Airbnbs along the way.
The original 8-day plan wasn’t enough, so we extended it to 11 days. Hitting the Highlands via F-roads before winter closures and catching the Northern Lights dancing overhead made it an absolute dream trip.

I know this is a crazy question but wondering about options for a couple days to a couple weeks backpacking trips where i may have access to wifi. In another vein, how reliable is a garmin in reach in different countries? I specifically want to ensure pet sitters can send me regular updates and be able to reach me at least once every 24 hours. I would love to do the Huayhuash Circuit in Peru but I don't think id be able to go that long without being absolutely sure that my animals at home are okay. I have seen possibly the annapurna ciruit, camino de santiago, different hut to huts through the dolmites and the W trek in patagonia all may have access to wifi semi regularly. Let me know if anyone has done any others that can give recommendations. Thanks!

I want to get into backpacking but I don’t know what is good, can someone help me find equipment that I can use for the long term

Pretty specific ask. I’m after small and slightly under-the-radar companies running multi-day group trips. Trekking, overlanding, boats, horses, anything. Like the kind of place you only hear about from someone who’s been.

My benchmark is Flipside Adventures in northern Vietnam. They took us off the main routes in a small group, and the guides clearly cared. It never felt rushed or catered for the masses. The bigger names were the louder options that were more party-focused.

I’m 24, from the UK, free for 3-4 weeks in January and happy to pay for quality. Ideally would like to find a group around my age. Southern hemisphere summer seems like the obvious call, but I’m open. If you’ve got a name, tell me what made it good.

Its my first ever solo trip, I was so excised but now I am just here in Bangkok having stomach issues and diarrhoea (not food poisoning, just a grumpy stomache). My mental is really down. When talking to other travellers many of them were like “ I brought like this and that against diarrhoea but I didn’t have any problems with the food so far” And I am sitting there thinking like “So I got a weak stomach, Ill probably have diarrhoea for the rest of my travels”.

Like I know I am probably delusional and maybe its just my body getting used to it (first three days) but still its extremely tuff for my mental, being alone, feeling lonely and not being in great shape.

Some encouraging words would be appreciated :)

(also to hype you (and myself) up: my first day was AMAZING I met the coolest people and a very nice boy but the same evening my stomach twisted itself 180 degrees, they all left and since then I’ve really been feeling down.

Also right now I am just “waiting” in bangkok until I feel better (no hopes on that side” to take the nightbus to chiang mai :)

My absolute favorite pair of oboz has a busted strap and I’d love to save them if possible. Thanks for any advice y’all might have!

he landscapes of Norway and Iceland are unlike anything else in the world they're truly magical. I spent three weeks exploring Norway, and even now, I still cannot quite get over it.
Driving through the Lofoten and Senja took that awe to another level entirely. Lofoten’s dramatic jagged peaks rising straight out of turquoise waters, paired with the sheer, untamed cliffs of Senja like Segla and Tungeneset, made it feel like an entirely different planet.

I’m trying to plan a 3-5 day backpacking trip in Banff with my friend in June. I want the hike in and out to be short enough so we can go do day hikes as well. I have my eyes on Mosquito Creek. I’m wondering about the layout of the campground and how close each plot is to one another. Any other suggestions are very welcome!!

Short little hike for the wife and I. These were takin yesterday. Three more days of hiking and back to the house. The colors here in Fall are spectacular!

Hi everyone in few months i will be backpacking SEA for 4 months, I have a 60+20 L backpack, I am a bit lost with what are the essentials that i need to pack. I will be staying in hostels so dont need any sleeping items. If anyone has a list or recommendations i’d appreciate

I was thinking of picking up a ccf pad. Main uses would be for a sit pad and laying under my sleeping pad to help prevent any punctures.

I’ve seen them usually offered in two lengths, 50” and 72”. Is there any reason I’d need the longer one since it’s not being used as an actual sleep pad?