Here are some of my travel tips - mainly for gear and packing. I was lucky that friends and family joined me along the way so I was able to have them bring new gear out and send old gear back; as well as switch between heavier winter gear.

Key is pack light, you can always find all but the most specialized gear wherever you go in the world where other backpackers travel.

Backpack - Key to it All

I used a Eagle Creek Wolrd Explorer model with about 5,100 cu in of space. A zip-off day pack essential. It's versatile - could zip into a suitcase or be used as a fair hiking backpack (I used it in Nepal) with good shoulder and waist straps. Black looks a bit neater than one of the pure outdoorsy packs and can blend into city settings easier.

General Thoughts and Tips on Travelling:

Go with your heart - do what you truly feel like, you're traveling for yourself, not for others. Listen to your soul and follow where it guides you, don't travel just to check off boxes or do things if your heart is not in it.

Talk to the locals - sometimes travellers just talk to one another, since language is usually not a problem and we already share interests. But take the time to try and learn a few local phrases and smile and talk to the locals, it's one of the highlights and why else travel if you don't meet the people who live there?

Leave something for next time - you have a lifetime ahead of you to travel, no need to do everything in one fell swoop. Feel free to leave things for next time, especially if you're tired.

Stay one place awhile - don't run around all day just seeing things. Stay in one place for a while and get to know it. Watch the people go around their daily routine, wander the city and find the hidden, off the beaten-path discoveries; they will be your highlights. Unpack your whole backpack for a few days.

Take a break from the viewfinder - I wanted to take so many great photos I caught myself leaving someplace if the light was not quite right. Put your camera down and look at things not just through the viewfinder, lest you think the world is all a photo op.

Treat yourself now and then - a stay in a nicer hotel, or a few days at a beach sitting around does wonders to recharge your batteries. Even a nice meal (mine was spaghetti) would often be enough to boost my spirits.