You’ll be tempted to pack and re-pack, study maps of your first destination, go over your budget for the millionth time, confirm your hostel bookings, check your flight times and obsessively keep an eye on the drawer with your passport.

But no matter how much planning you do, one question will always remain – will I meet people?

This isn’t quite as easy to plan for and is often one of the big pre-departure worries for solo travelers.

After all, travelling is about more than just seeing the major sights, taking a few photos and moving on to the next major attraction.

Meeting new people, learning about other cultures and building relationships on the road is just as important. Failure to do so could mean hours of lonesome wandering or days without any sort of meaningful conversation.

Once you come across another kindred spirit or a group of friendly faces, those times of loneliness are soon forgotten.

Fast-Forward Friends

Friendships forged on the road are unusual, as if they exist in compressed time.

Within moments of arriving in a new city, you could find yourself sitting over fresh drinks in the bar, before hitting the town the following day to take in some sights.

You’ll share a small moment of your trip with them, the ups, downs, and perhaps kindle a passionate relationship.

Inevitably, because they’re heading in a different direction, you have to say goodbye soon after you’ve said hello. Hugs may be given, email addresses will be swapped and then off they go, perhaps never to be heard from again.

There are other times on your travels where things seem to fall into place and some fantastic people cross your path who have similar plans to your own.

The longer you travel together and the more memories you share, the more likely you’ll stay in touch down the road.

Making A Connection

So will you meet people? Yes, you will. You’d have to try pretty hard or be socially hopeless not to meet people on your travels.

If you’re looking for lasting companions, try to put energy into developing friendships that last longer than a couple days at a time.

Stay flexible and be open to change. If that means adjusting your itinerary that had been painstakingly planned up to the hour, consider making the leap to new ground.

It’s the people you meet that will have you looking back on your trip with a huge smile to your face, not photos of famous landmarks or the stamps in your passport.

As an added perk, having friends scattered around the world gives you a great excuse to keep traveling so you can go visit them all!

Kirsty Henderson has combined her two passions (travelling and web design) to produce a variety of websites including Nerdy Nomad and Working Holiday Info. She’s soon planning to leave the rat race to work fulltime on her websites and has rough plans to head overland from London to Beijing in early 2008.

Yet judging by many other travelers I’ve met on the road, I wasn’t the only one learning the hard way.

Now that I’m older and wiser (ok, just older) I’ve learned the error of my ways and feel the need to pass on some sage advice.

These 5 mistakes may seem like pretty basic stuff but can make a huge difference in the quality of your trip.

1. Packing Too Much

You’ve probably heard of this timeless packing advice: take half the stuff you need and twice the money.

I’m not sure how realistic that is to double your hard-earned money on the spot, but keeping your backpack light is a good idea. Ditching extra clothes, guidebooks and the kitchen sink are a good start. You can always buy anything essential.

While carrying around a huge, heavy load everywhere is bad enough, stressing out about new and exciting ways to cram things into non-existent spaces in your backpack each time you move will become your worst nightmare.

Leave a bit of space for your Oktoberfest beer stein, Mexican sombrero or anything else you’re sure to accumulate on the way or you might find yourself making some expensive trips to the post office.

2. Buying Loads of New Gadgets

Once you decide you’re going travelling it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all. You’ll be like a kid in a candy store as you wander around travel and outdoor shops eyeing up expensive backpacks, massive first aid and sewing kits, fancy fold up toiletry bags, silk sleep sheets, quick dry towels and loads of other neat (and expensive!) things.

While some of these items have their place, most will never leave the deepest, darkest corners of your backpack. Unless you’re planning on heading off into the wilderness for days at a time, you won’t need a mega huge, fancy first aid kit, the basics will do.

Same goes for the sewing kit; if you rip your pants then go out and buy a needle and thread. (I often wonder how many people with a sewing kit actually know how to sew).

By all means, pick up that compact quick dry towel but remember: those expensive gadgets that you’ll never use might pay for some amazing activity or add a few extra days onto your trip.

3. Over Planning and Booking Too Far in Advance

With countless websites, guidebooks and TV shows for almost every destination, you’ve got an unlimited supply of resources to plan your trip.

As time slowly ticks down to your departure date you may be tempted to plan as much as possible in advance.

Booking a hostel bed for the first few nights of your trip in a busy city is a good idea. Booking a sailing trip followed by a four wheel drive adventure followed by a three day trek starting on day 55 of your travels is not.

You’ll meet people on the road who will recommend some amazing places that you’d never heard of and your plans are sure to change. Keep some time free to be spontaneous; it’s much more fun!

4. Choosing an Incompatible Travel Partner

The idea of traveling alone can be scary for anyone who’s never done it before. The easier option might seem to be finding a travel partner but if you rush into this decision out of fear of being alone on the road then you can do some serious damage to both your trip and your friendship.

Traveling with another person, especially for long periods, can be difficult at times so you’d better make sure you choose someone who you know you’ll be compatible with.

Even worse, if you beg a somewhat unwilling friend to come with you and decide later that you”re better off alone, ditching them isn’t an option unless they’re as sick of you as you are of them.

5. Trying to See Too Much

Trying to squash 15 countries into a one month trip is going to leave your heading spinning. While every person has to find what works for them, being too ambitious about how much ground you can cover on your first trip is a common mistake.

If you’re backpacking independently you will need to factor in travel times between cities and getting from the station to your hostel – including the inevitability of wandering in the wrong direction for hours on end.

If you move from place to place every day or two it will feel as though all of your time is spent on public transport. You’re on holiday – it’s not supposed to feel like one massive commute.

Instead, take your time. After all, if you enjoy your first trip, that ‘once in a lifetime’ experience will be the first of many more to come. There will be plenty of time to fit in all those places you missed the first time around.

Kirsty Henderson has combined her two passions (travelling and web design) to produce a variety of websites including Travoholic.com and Working Holiday Info. She’s soon planning to leave the rat race to work fulltime on her websites and has rough plans to head overland from London to Beijing in early 2008.

I had no interest in leaping directly into the rat race world of 9 to 5 and even less interest in establishing a career. Instead, I planned to pack my backpack after that last exam and board a one-way flight to Australia.

The only problem was a serious lack of funds. Students aren’t known for being the richest bunch around and after 5 years of studying my bank balance wasn’t exactly in good shape.

With a bit of research I discovered that Canadians are able to work in a variety of countries, including Australia, as part of the Working Holidaymaker Program. (Other countries also offer similar programs).

I decided that working abroad was the way to go.

I spent the year down-under in a variety of jobs, and I came to the conclusion that there’s a lot more to working abroad than earning a few bucks.

Now whenever I travel I’m always on the lookout for a chance to do a bit of work everywhere I go.

So in an effort to open your eyes to the wonderful world of working holidays, here are 7 reasons why working abroad is a great way to travel, and looks sharp on your resume after you come home.

1. Earn Money On The Road

This one is a no-brainer. Work equals money. Money is needed to keep traveling. If you can’t manage to attain your elusive savings goals prior to departure, getting a job along the way is a great way to top up your funds and keep your bank account happy.

2. Learn New Skills

Working abroad gives you the chance to do all sorts of crazy jobs you’d probably never even think of trying at home.

Most of the skills you’ll learn, like how to pick an apple or the quickest way to put on a duvet cover, probably won’t specifically benefit your future career but any new skill shows initiative.

At the very least will make a great story when you’re being interviewed for a new job.

3. Prove Your Independence

Generally speaking, jobs you land while on a working holiday won’t be the most challenging, career advancing in the world but many employers still look at time spent working abroad positively.

Heading overseas, landing a job, sorting out a place to live and starting a new life takes some guts and clued up employers will take note.

4. Meet the Locals

As a traveler you’ll be meeting locals at every turn. But chances are most of them will be working in the tourist industry and will have a vested interest in being nice to you.

If you want to really meet the locals and experience the culture, working abroad is the answer.

You’ll be able to connect with everyday folks, as eager to learn about your home country as you are to learn about theirs.

5. Make Lasting Friendships

You’ll meet plenty of other travelers as you go no matter where you are but most encounters will be brief. Stopping to work will allow you the time to develop lasting, meaningful friendships with other travelers and coworkers.

It makes saying goodbye at the end a lot harder, but the memories will last a longer and you’ll have new friends to visit all over the world.

6. Get a Feel for the Destination

After awhile, cities can start to look the same. Each temple or museum is less and less exciting as time wears on. As you hop from country to country it can feel as though you’re really only skimming the surface of what it’s truly like in each place.

Stopping to work will allow you to see a city or town from a deeper perspective and really get an idea for the pace of everyday life.

You’ll will be able to take the time to learn from your surroundings, seeking those ‘off the beaten path’ places on your own instead of relying on your guidebook.

7. Experience Real Freedom

While you’re working you won’t exactly be free, but heading abroad to start a new life can be a daunting experience. Once you discover that it’s not as scary or difficult as you first thought, it’s as if a whole new world opens up to you.

Having the confidence to head off anywhere in the world to make a living really gives a great sense of freedom. Once you feel as though you can go anywhere and still manage to support yourself, the world truly is your oyster.

Kirsty Henderson has combined her two passions (travelling and web design) to produce a variety of websites including Travoholic.com and Working Holiday Info. She’s soon planning to leave the rat race to work fulltime on her websites and has rough plans to head overland from London to Beijing in early 2008.