Tips to follow when travelling to Pakistan from UK

Backpacking to Pakistan is a hell lot of excitement and learning. That’s a given. Be that as it may, there are some things that you must give a once over with a fine tooth comb to make your stay unforgettable and safe. We have singled out some beneficial tips for you if you are backpacking to Pakistan. Let’s get into this:

Dress Codes

While travelling within Pakistan, dressing is something to be taken consideration of. People living out there follow their own traditions and have rich culture. To be brutally honest, you get to follow the dressing codes throughout your stay in Pakistan. In particular, when you are paying a visit to the religious places such as mosques, shrines etc. Covering a scarf over your head and neck will do the job.

Also, taking your shoes off before getting into the holy places will hit the nail on the head. Alright, get me the answer of this question. Wouldn’t it be exciting to dress like locals and behave in a way locals behave? Surely, it will. And believe me or not, people will appreciate you if you try to get dressed up like them. Vola!

Keeping your documents safe

Well, that’s something very necessary to keep a close eye on. Keeping your documents safe is something you must fix into your mind every time you are out of your stay-place. You will be asked to show your documents by the local police or rangers several times throughout the trip.

Therefore, it’s important to keep all of your valuable documents such as passport, ID cards, credit cards, hotel booking cards, travel insurance etc. safe so that you don’t lose them at any cost. It is recommended to make multiple photocopies of all of your documents and keep the copies on you all the time. Don’t travel with the original documents on you. On the off chance you lose the photocopies, you can make use of the originals which you kept safe.

Transportation in Pakistan

Being the 6th populous country of the world, Pakistan is the country with extensive road and railways network. But due to greater population, travelling around Pakistan can be a bit messy. If you ask me, I would be singing the praises for trains for longer journeys. This way, you can both enjoy and relax during the journey.

Be that as it may, go for buses for the case of shorter distances. In all cases, keep your eyes open while getting into and around Pakistan. No ifs, ands, or buts about that.

Packing your bag

Before setting up the things in your rucksack, consider applying the Spanish proverb “On a long journey, even a straw weighs heavy”. Yes, you heard it right. Why pack everything when you can get it easily from Pakistan? Just keep the super necessary stuff on you such as clothes, medicines if you are on any, shoes, chargers and power banks, documents etc.

But, don’t over pack in order to save yourself quite a lot amount of money which you might have spent otherwise. However, if the excess luggage is creating issues for you, you can take the services of a reputable cargo to Pakistan to get your excess baggage transported to Pakistan without any trouble.

Medication

Before packing your bag for Pakistan, don’t forget to get the necessary shots before your trip. Pay a visit to your doctor and talk about your tour and span of the stay in Pakistan. Ask for the medications, if necessary. Also, get yourself vaccinated from the common diseases like Malaria, Diarrhoea etc. Straight after that, ask your doctor whether you should backpack or not (in case you are having heart issues or anything serious).

After all the aforementioned conversation between you and your doctor, you are ready to get into Pakistan. Whoa!

Accommodation in Pakistan

Accommodation in Pakistan can be messed up specifically if you are on budget. Hotels are available throughout the country but budget hostels are hard to find. But that’s not an issue in big cities like Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Couch surfing is also a trend in leafy areas of Lahore and Islamabad. Be that as it may, at the time of check-in, ask for the dorms instead of the separate rooms so that you can save a few more bucks. As far as the hospitality of people out there is concerned, people in Pakistan are super friendly and don’t forget they are listed amongst the happiest nations in the world.

For this reason, you won’t encounter any issue that you should be worried about in advance.

Get the services of maps before getting around in Pakistan

Having said that, getting into and around Pakistan is as easy as falling off a log. However, get a map or take the services of Google maps before setting up the route and type of transportation. Keep a close weather on the distance you are going to travel up. Sometimes, when you are hiring a taxi or auto, the drivers tend to make extra money when they find you a foreigner. Well, the truth hurts.

Can you leave insurance out of this? Surely, not. For this reason, check out the distance before hiring the private transport and bargain for the fares. This way, you will end up saving quite a lot. That’s a given.

Travel Insurance

Well, travel insurance before starting your journey is something you must fix your gaze on and same goes for Pakistan. Buy your travel insurance so that in case anything happens to your luggage, you will be compensated. Health insurance is also very beneficial in this case. It is recommended to buy travel insurance before visiting Pakistan.

Planning according to the weather

Pakistan is a huge country with respect to the area. Weather in Pakistan is diversified. At the same time, you can experience 48C during summers in Punjab and Sindh and snow-capped mountains in Northern areas. So plan according to weather. The perfect time to visit Northern areas is from October to February if you are pinning your hopes on watching snow-capped Mountains, ice skating etc.

Food in Pakistan

While you backpack to Pakistan, consider the proverb “Health is wealth” in order to enjoy the trip. To go on being healthy, watching out for food in Pakistan is something very vital to look back on. Pakistani food is the blend of different spices and you are likely to experience a rippling stomach if your stomach isn’t used to of spicy food. For this case, feast on carefully in order to stay healthy. Always eat freshly cooked food and avoid eating the food that’s open to flies and dust. Although street food in Pakistan is mouth-watering (but very few of the stalls keep a close eye on hygiene). Therefore, keep your eyes open before eating food from open stalls.

Same is the case with water. Almost whole country is facing the issue of clean drinking water (except from the elite societies). On that account, avoid drinking tap water. Instead, drink bottled water and check out if the seal is intact. Bottled water is easily available in the market and stores but check out the seal every time before buying it.

As Pakistan is a developing country so you can expect pollution down the streets of cities. To keep safe against the dirt in the cities, make use of mask and bandana while wrangling around. Keep medicines against headache, diarrhoea and other common infirmities on you all the time.

Now that you have considered all these tips carefully, you are ready to take off. Have fun!