I

Introduction

I WROTE How to See the World because too many people are missing the experience of world travel, mainly because they don't realize how easy, fun, and economical it is to pack a bag and just go.

I also wrote this book because how one travels is more important than where one travels. Not only is low budget independent travel the best way to experience other cultures on an intimate, participatory level, but it's a great way to learn about yourself.

And while the subtitle On $25 a Day or Less suggests an unrealistic figure for many readers, it's there to make clear that world travel is at least a possibility for almost anyone living in a free society, and to describe the book I knew how to write after eight independent tours through thirty-five countries.

In Part One you will learn:

• How to meet people
• How to communicate simply and effectively
• How to get cheap airline tickets
• About all kinds of accommodation, including hostels, backpacker hotels, pensions, private homes, and campgrounds
• About exchange rates, black markets, and other money issues
• How pickpockets operate, and how to avoid them and other rip-offs
• How to protect your health, including information on travel clinics, immunizations, women's concerns, water purification, travelers' diarrhea, twenty serious maladies such as malaria and yellow fever, how to avoid insect bites, foot care, skin wounds, heat and humidity, altitude sickness, and medical kits
• About common pre-travel fears and concerns
• Interesting passport and visa information, hitchhiking realities, and more

Part Two discusses:

• Walking and backpacks
• Efficient travel clothing, and tips for doing laundry on the road
• Twenty essential items
• How to select a good sleeping bag
• For those who go the camping route, how to choose a tent and stove
• How to organize for less stress and more fun

Part Three is a compendium of tips, considerations, and poems from myself, other travelers, and literature. Topics include street food, attitude, telephone and mail, hustlers, drugs, car travel, camels, trail tips, favorite countries, itineraries, etc.

There is also a bibliography of recommended reading, a comment form for your input, and eight useful checklists so you won't forget much or burden yourself unnecessarily.

This book will save you time and money, and help you travel more safely. It may also encourage you to have some of the best and greatest times of your life. I wish you informative reading and happy traveling.