In my experience, every time you travel you become a savvier packer! You know what is important to take and what you can leave behind, and you learn tricks of the trade that make packing easier.

As a first-time traveller, the best advice I can offer you is ASK. Ask your friends, ask you parents, ask your neighbours, ask your work colleagues; they will all have little tips on what works and what doesn’t. Most importantly, ask the experts. There are numerous companies and shops that specialise in selling kit that is appropriate and reliable. Make sure that you talk to someone who understands your needs and has the experience to take you through the process.

Consider the following:

How much to spend and what to take

It would be easy to buy every piece of kit on the market, spend a fortune and probably never use half of it!

There are, however, certain bits of kit that you will have to spend more on depending on the nature of your trip. These are usually things like walking boots, shoes and sandals, a decent backpack and day sack, good outdoor clothes, such as waterproofs, and the basics like a water bottle, money holders etc. Most of the companies you travel with, whether they are travel agents or gap companies, will be able to give you a suggested packing list. Take this along to your local travel agent or outdoor/camping shop and talk through the list with them.

The most important thing is to research the kind of climate you will be travelling in, what the seasons are like and what the weather will be like while you're there. Although you can never be 100% sure of the weather, you can get an idea of whether it is likely to be hot, humid, rainy or cold and what kit you might need as a result.

We think that a good place to start is a website like Nomad (if you use Nomad and quote 'GapAid09' you get a 15% discount). Not only do they sell the kit you might need, but they also have travel clinics that can recommend places to visit and offer lots of tips and tricks on what to pack.

The only other thing that will help you plan and execute your trip is a good guide book. There are lots of good ones available. The most important thing to remember is to check you are buying the most up-to-date publication or that you download the latest information. Countries change and develop quickly and it is easy for guide books to become out-of-date.