At the dawn of the 14th century, when extensive exploration of the world was under way, the concept of an expeditionary nomad was unheard of. Someone with a passion for finding the obscure and sharing stories from lands that people didn’t know existed was generally considered rather delusional. Making forays into remote countries and cultures was a domain strictly attributed to armies, orientalists, missionaries and kings. Only caravan leaders and rich traders had stories that made foreign folklore of the time. Ibn Battuta’s African and Middle-Eastern expeditions along with Marco Polo’s extraordinary ventures into the halls of great Chinese emperors were feats that contributed to our understanding of eastern cultures. Upon these are built the works of the great sociologist Ibn Khaldun, father of sociology who gave us a stunning tome called Muqadimmah, a crown jewel of modern studies in anthropology and civilisation.

Luckily things have changed a little for commoners like us. Bilateral agreements and travelling opportunities along with the new lingua franca have helped us accomplish what could not have even been dreamt of a century ago. Travelling is still deemed as an activity suited to the rebellious and the curious among us who can endure the tough tides. Physiologically our medieval cousins probably had an advantage with healthy lifestyles and access to the purest of foods but the psychological demands of putting ourselves amidst the unknown has always been daunting.

It’s a common fallacy that travel requires astronomical amount of money and time. For the smarter and the tougher among us there is always another way of doing things. As I hitchhiked from Germany to Turkey, a two-month-long journey during my gap year at the university in Sweden, I hardly paid anything for transportation and accommodation. I stayed with a hospitality network called Couchsurfing.

Couchsurfing is a membership-based organisation that works on vouching and referencing system. People welcome visitors to their cities and homes on a voluntary basis and the favour is then returned.

A household name among travellers now, Couchsurfing has expanded to all corners of the world and you will find members in most inaccessible places in the world. One of them being Svalbard, Norway’s faraway Island.

They say a sound mind is better than chests of gold. Nothing is truer than this when you are out on the road. Not only should your physical condition be at its best but your mental presence and ability to apply the knowledge should also be top notch. Loads of high-tech gear cannot help you if you do not know how and when to use it.

Think of a reason to travel and stay true to it. There is nothing more motivating then a cause, a bigger purpose in life.

The US army’s survival guide is a wonderful read in this regard-- a must-read for anyone with ambitious plans. It outlines a basic rule of 3’s for survival-- the proverbial omne trium perfectum:

You can survive

3 minutes without air – 3 hours without shelter

3 days without water – 3 weeks without food.

These facts should be considered when prioritising a trip. Even before you set out, you should have all the information you would need on your journey. In the beginning this might sound like a daunting task, but it is super easy these days with technology. Nothing beats an iPhone in this respect. You can use it as a compass, use weather app, google maps, couchsurfing app and hundreds of other tools that come along with it.

Finding a Wi-Fi should be the least of your problems in Europe. You can also buy a sim card for each country. Even the smallest towns are well connected. You can easily download offline maps for navigating if you don’t have a paper one. If you are hitchhiking a wonderful website called Hitchwiki.org can be of great use. This is a collaborative platform created by community of nomads that gives you a huge database of good spots to start hitchhiking.

It might be useful to add here that being a Pakistani or non-citizen in EU you might have to answer questions by police and other authorities. Don’t let this intimidate you though. Being confident and upright is essential. Cooperate with the authorities, be firm and have all the documents you would need. Keep a scanned back-up copy of your essential documents and always tell someone where you are going. EU police believes in people being innocent until proven guilty.

On a bad day, you might not find a ride and it does happen. This means you have to either pitch your tent in the middle of nowhere or find a gas station where a little social engineering can get you a place to catch some Zzzzzz.

The question is how do you plan this situation before hand? For that you will need a little more insight into how gas stations work. There are 24-hour service gas stations with basic necessities and there are others that are closed at night. Depending on where you are, it is important for you to know which ones provide a 24-hours service and get there before sunset.

As we go through different countries in Europe, I will let you know how it works and how to look for them.

Now that we have taken care of shelter, let us get to food. Knowing when and what to eat is no choice when you are on the road. This means planning your meals ahead of time. Some part of it comes from your preparatory training sessions before hitting the road. Your endurance should at least take you a day without food just in case. With that said, nothing beats raisins and dry fruit on a journey. Almonds, dates and walnuts are a godsend when it comes to backpacking. A handful can give you enough calories to get going.

Water is of critical importance; you should always have water with you and drink plenty to keep you hydrated on a hot day. Avoid sodas and eat good carbs and proteins. While prevention is always better than cure, Ispaghol works like a charm and is a desi must-have. Another issue is making sure food does not include ingredients from swine. In EU there is an E-code system on the back of food items especially sweets, candies and cakes that lists the food-code for ingredients used in that particular food. A list of halal and haram codes is compiled and is available online for Muslims to use. Beware of what you eat.

Alright, seems like we are good to go. Only we need to pack up! Here comes the dilemma of need and choice. There is no definitive answer as to what is absolutely necessary for you on a journey. Some people can survive with literally nothing, some need huge backpacks to feel comfortable and be able to enjoy the ride. I would not be much help in this matter.

Personally, I am an ultra-light backpacker. The term is rather new in adventure sports e.g. mountaineering. An ultra-light backpacker is someone who carries less than 20 pounds in a backpack. The mantra goes like, ‘Everything you need can be devised and picked up from the road, if you know how to do it’. An SSG commando can use shoe laces to make a clothing line if needed, use it to make fire by friction method, eat edible plants to survive for weeks and travel for miles without rest. It all depends on your familiarity with not only your environment but also your own abilities.

Unless you are travelling for a weekend and shorter, I strongly recommend against carrying too much on you. An old adage says ‘Bring more money than gear with you on travel’. This is rather true but I would replace money with knowledge. The usefulness of heavy gear can be argued against its weight.

REI, a famous name in outdoor gear, divides backpacking gear into 10 essentials. I believe it is a good start for a novice to go through the list and then make one’s own choices. The website includes almost everything you would need to know about travel, fitness, gear and regions.

Even with all the gear, it is pivotal to mention again that a tool is only good to someone with the ability to use it at the right time in a right way. Make it a habit to research about gadgets and try it on your own before you set off on a journey. Changing horses midstream is no choice.

Let us get to something a lot more important in Europe than in Pakistan -- weather. People arrange trips, events, parties and expeditions according to forecast. It is very common to have a forecast calendar embedded with work calendar in offices. It is also crucial for one to know how weather effects the environment and human behaviour, something you will have to deal with over and over again. Wind speed, humidity, real feel and direction of wind are some indicators that you should be able to interpret right and plan accordingly. With time you will be able to forecast using natural signs like birds’ movement, clouds and wind direction. Until then pay particular attention to forecasts.

It would be worthwhile for you to read about topography of earth and common patterns of flora and fauna of particular regions. A good read is Köppen Climate Classification system.

German-Russian scientist Wladimir Köppen made an extensive and detailed classification system of the world in 1884.

Finally, courage is your greatest asset on the road. Being humble, open to lessons, smiling and confident are qualities that are admired worldwide. People are people everywhere. Everyone wants to help in their own way. You’ll find good people and others not so good but belief in human kindness does miracles.

There will be times you will want to quit but only the ones who dare to keep moving come out as victorious. Think of a reason to travel and stay true to it. There is nothing more motivating then a cause, a bigger purpose in life.

A glimpse of what it feels like for some of the greatest, I end with a quote by Ibn Battuta who wrote at the beginning of his journey in his riveting piece of adventures called Rihla. We all can relate to it more or less.

I set out alone, having neither fellow-traveller in whose companionship I might find cheer, nor caravan whose part I might join, but swayed by an overmastering impulse within me and a desire long-cherished in my bosom to visit these illustrious sanctuaries. So I braced my resolution to quit my dear ones, female and male, and forsook my home as birds forsake their nests. My parents being yet in the bonds of life, it weighed sorely upon me to part from them, and both they and I were afflicted with sorrow at this separation.