When to go

In the Northern Hemisphere summer runs from May to October, while in the Southern Hemisphere it's the exact opposite - summer runs from November to April. In tropical areas on both sides of the Equator you have to consider the rain seasons that can flush an entire trip down the drain. Due to the climate changes it may prove difficult to prepare yourself fully for the freaks of nature, but being as well prepared as possible still helps.

India and South East Asia are usually extremely warm and rainy in the summer months but really great places to go in the winter. In the very southern parts of the world, such as New Zealand and Argentina, the weather can get quite cold during our summer months. Other destinations, such as Australia and the Caribbean Islands, are blessed with fairly nice weather all year round. Our travel consultants are always ready to hand out good advice on how to travel as dry-shod as possible.

If you're from the northern part of Europe, and need a minimum of day light and you're susceptible to winter depressions, you would be wise to plan your backpacker trip to begin in autumn and continue all through winter. That way you can also  write Christmas cards from a boiling hot beach to your friends at home, and sense them going green with envy all the way from the other side of the globe. Fancy that!

A rule-of-thumb is to plan your trip six to ten months in advance, though a shorter time span will also do. When you've made plans well in advance, you have enough time on your hands to prepare all the practical stuff. And in this case you will also stand a greater chance of getting hold of cheap flight tickets and adventure tours - the early bird gets the worm!