Other Important stuff

Passport

• If you're thinking of backpacking in the near future, check your passport now and make sure it's valid.
• Check the amount of pages you have left for visas 
  • I hold my breath every time customs stamps my passport b/c I have very few pages remaining
  • 6 month update: I have literally 1 page left. F.
• Print extra passport photos, you'll need them for your visas/random permits along your adventure

Visa

• Do some research about the countries you might go to and get visas early! I had to rush my China visa and didn't get an India visa in time because I procrastinated :(

Shots

• Nobody likes shots. Be sure to get these well before you plan to depart, some immunizations require multiple visits over varying spans of time. I got a 9 shots on my last visit :/
• Have your immunization record saved somewhere, you never know when you might need them.

Credit/debit Cards

• Credit: No foreign transaction fees are a godsend. I personally use Chase Sapphire Preferred and couldn't be happier.
  • Check out Nerdwallet's breakdown of the best travel credit cards. Really helpful info on the different cards out there.
• Debit: I have a Charles Schwab Debit card. It has no ATM withdrawal fees and will save you small fortune if you're backpacking for awhile.
  • 6 month update: I have lost this debit card twice. Make sure to always double check your debit card is there after ATM withdrawals- some ATMS give you the money first then your card & vice versa

Insurance

• I went through World Nomad for my travel insurance. I haven't had to process any claims yet, but I've heard really good things about their service. I'm not planning to get helicopter evacuated off of Everest, but I'm happy knowing that it won't cost me a fortune if I do...

Phone

• Get your phone unlocked! For the most part, each country you visit will have a SIM card vendor at the airport with a local provider for pretty cheap. For example, I have unlimited 3G data in Vietnam for $8 USD.
  • I recommend ChronicUnlocks. They unlocked my phone within 24 hours and have read plenty of good reviews.
• I've been using TMobile for the past 6 months and it has worked splendidly. It might not be the mots cost effective (paying ~$50/month) but it's really convenient if you aren't planning to stay in the country longer then a week. 
  • TMobile will tell you a brunch of crap that "it'll stop working after a week abroad" or "you need to have 50% of the usage in the states"... that's B.S. my data is still working about 7 months after being abroad