I backpacked through Europe for the first time and learned the hard way that resting is more important than sightseeing

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author stands in front of a garden in Vienna
An overnight train ride on a two-week backpacking trip through Europe taught Business Insider's reporter that rest is crucial while traveling.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I spent 5 days in the Great Smoky Mountains with just a backpack. Here are 9 items I'm glad I packed and 1 thing I didn't need.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A composite image of a white sheet behind everything the author packed: toiletries, books, clothing and tech gear, and the author smiling in front of a mountain on a foggy day
A backpack was all Business Insider's reporter needed for a five-day trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

My week at a Bali surf camp showed me what Gen Z wants from solo travel: adventure and social connection

Tech Insider : Travel, Business, Sports
Wavehouse Bali
Surfers arrived from as close as Singapore and as far away as Christchurch and Moscow.

Wavehouse Bali

I'm not very religious. But at 11:30 a.m. on a blue-sky day in Bali, Indonesia, I sent up a prayer to the Boeing 787 roaring above my patch of waves: Singapore Airlines, please, please take me with you.

I stayed in a Swiss village to save money while backpacking Europe for 2 weeks and found a hidden gem destination

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author standing in front of wine barrels in a gravel yard in Switzerland
A Business Insider reporter traveled to six European cities, and her favorite destination was a small town outside Zurich.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I packed for a 7-day trip to Canada with just a backpack. Here are 6 items I'm glad I brought and 4 I wish I had.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A composite image of an aerial view of the authors packing items on a white sheet and the author wearing her backpack while taking a selfie in the mirror.
A Business Insider reporter took a weeklong train trip with just a backpack for the first time and learned a few things about packing light.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I spent 2 weeks backpacking in Europe. Next time, I'll bring a carry-on suitcase.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author gets ready to board a Trenitalia train in Rome.
The author gets ready to board a Trenitalia train in Rome.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I backpacked around Europe for 6 months. Here are the items I couldn't live without — and the ones I wish I'd left behind.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
Emily and her husband take a selfie on a cobblestone street lined with colorful shops.
I spent six months traveling Europe with two backpacks.

Emily Pogue

I left the US to start over after a tragedy — and fumbled through 5 classic first-timer mistakes

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Author Melanie Gordon smiling with trees behind her
If you're traveling solo for the first time, especially after a significant life event, I hope this helps you avoid some of the pitfalls I fell into.

Melanie Gordon

Disappointing photos show what it's really like to backpack across Europe

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A cluster of arms holding phones to capture a tourist attraction in Rome
Business Insider's reporter expected an Instagram-like backpacking adventure in Europe, but the reality was much less glamorous.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I booked budget Airbnbs in small towns while backpacking Europe and found 2 hidden-gem destinations I'd never heard of

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
A composite image of the author in a cap and blue polo standing in front of a tub-shaped brown building with trees and grass in the background and a sunlit field in front of houses with mountains in the background
Business Insider's reporter booked Airbnbs outside major European cities and found some hidden gems in Germany and Switzerland.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

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