[skibum515]

any questions you have, ask! one thing i found really helpful was that I had a guide book and rather than carrying around the whole huge thing, I tore out the pages that were relevant to where I was. It was a huge effort to tear up a book, but it made my day pack a LOT lighter!

also, don't be those dorky people who carry their money in a pouch around your middle. I carried a messenger bag or a small backpack. The messenger bag I carried over my shoulder, but balanced on the front of my hip rather than on the back and put my wallet in a small zip pocket that wouldn't fall through if the bottom of the bag was slashed (i never saw it happened, but supposedly it does). If I was carrying around my backpack, I put a small lock on the zippers to make it slightly less enticing for someone to pilfer through my stuff while I was wearing it. There was also a small zipper pocket that was suspended from the top of the pack (inside) so again, if someone slashed my pack, I'd still have my wallet/passport.