Backpacking is an alternative way of travelling that’s been growing popular in the past decades. It’s loosely defined as “independent, often international and low-budget.” Some travel websites go as far as classifying backpackers- those who find cheaper, DIY ways to hit as many places they can, those who rent cars to live in and go around the entire trip and those who literally backpack and find places to stay (for free) along the way.
I did my very first backpacking this year, visited three countries in six legs. It wasn’t a smooth experience, but it’s definitely one for the books. It’s hard to translate in words what an adventure it was, but it’s worth saying that everyone should try backpacking at least once. Here are a handful reasons why:
1. It’s a cheap way to travel.
This is probably the biggest “come-on” of backpacking. Who would disagree? Instead of throwing money on accommodations and expensive tour packages, you can use the extra moolah to either extend your stay in a certain place or add more places to your itinerary. For our Indochina trip, we spent just Php 35,000 (around USD820) for a 14-day adventure. Backpacking stretches your budget beyond wonders. Still not convinced it’s a great way to travel? Read: more shopping money.
2. It sharpens your mind.
You do a lot of analytic thinking, risk assessment and quick decision making. We travelled in the worst bus conditions from Vientiane to Siem Reap. Stopping over in some remote Cambodian town, the driver tells us we can cut our travel time by four hours if we take the mini bus on the other side of Mekong River. In less than 5 minutes (‘cause the bus was about to leave), we had to decide whether that route was safe enough, fast and comfortable enough, and worth the extra thirty dollars we were throwing in. In short, backpacking gives your brain a 360-degree workout.
3. It teaches you new sets of skills.
Not to mention all the new skills you’ll learn- willingly or otherwise. Organization and time management tops my list. People skills is a means of survival if you’re resting weeks/months of your life in the hands of total strangers. And since backpacking is normally done cross-country, you’d need to brush up on your language and math skills as well. Haggling skills is nice to have- okay, it’s also a means of survival.
4. It brings out your creativity.
And I don’t mean you’d end up painting and writing songs as you watch the sunrise in Angkor Wat, although that’s a totally not a bad idea. Backpacking will force you to think of practical but fun (sometimes crazy) ways of surviving different situations. Think, if you’re gonna write a book, you’ll come up with titles like 50 Ways To Kill Time On The Road, or Speed Travel: How to Enjoy a New City in Less Than 6 Hours or The Art of Saying No to Scary Vendors and Yes to Cute Travellers. My favorite would be, Finding Relief: What to Do Where Toilets Don’t Exist.
5. It gives you time to reflect.
Really, what can be more inviting than being in a completely new place, with new people to meet and all time in your hands? While in Luang Prabang, I made it a point to take some time away from my friends to explore the city alone. I ended up finding this quaint coffee shop where I spent hours journaling and just watching people go by. It was a totally calming experience. Having no itineraries gives you a sense of freedom to appreciate what is and dream for what will be.
6. It strengthens bonds.
Whether it’s your friends, your partner or your family you’re going with, you’ve never fully known them until you’ve gone through places together in grit and grime.
7. Some of the most important values of life, you learn in one bus ride.
Patience? Wait in the freezing cold for two hours before boarding. Trust? Share a sleeping bunk with a complete stranger (oh and you’d get to share blankets, too). Compassion? Not hurt the driver for overbooking and making you sit on the bus floor. Endurance? No toilets for more than hours. Wisdom? Know what to do when the bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Faith? Be completely certain you’ll make it to your destination- alive. You get the picture. (Note from the author: true story).
8. It pushes you to your limits.
I never thought I would make it carrying a 13 kg. pack everyday for two weeks and survive without taking a shower for days. Kidding. But seriously, when was the last time you surprised yourself by doing something you never thought you can or would do? Whether it’s physical limits, emotional capacities, worst fears or strongest inhibitions you’ll deal with, you’ll definitely have a never-thought-I-had-in-me moment.
9. Lastly, it teaches you to let go and just completely trust where life would take you.
“Leap! And the net will appear,” says American naturalist John Burroughs. Sometimes, the best plan is to not have a plan. Get lost in a new place. Sing songs you can’t pronounce. Breathe in the beauty around you, celebrate the people you meet, laugh at your misadventures. You’d be surprised how things- still wonderfully- works out in the end.
I did my very first backpacking this year, visited three countries in six legs. It wasn’t a smooth experience, but it’s definitely one for the books. It’s hard to translate in words what an adventure it was, but it’s worth saying that everyone should try backpacking at least once. Here are a handful reasons why:
1. It’s a cheap way to travel.
This is probably the biggest “come-on” of backpacking. Who would disagree? Instead of throwing money on accommodations and expensive tour packages, you can use the extra moolah to either extend your stay in a certain place or add more places to your itinerary. For our Indochina trip, we spent just Php 35,000 (around USD820) for a 14-day adventure. Backpacking stretches your budget beyond wonders. Still not convinced it’s a great way to travel? Read: more shopping money.
2. It sharpens your mind.
You do a lot of analytic thinking, risk assessment and quick decision making. We travelled in the worst bus conditions from Vientiane to Siem Reap. Stopping over in some remote Cambodian town, the driver tells us we can cut our travel time by four hours if we take the mini bus on the other side of Mekong River. In less than 5 minutes (‘cause the bus was about to leave), we had to decide whether that route was safe enough, fast and comfortable enough, and worth the extra thirty dollars we were throwing in. In short, backpacking gives your brain a 360-degree workout.
3. It teaches you new sets of skills.
Not to mention all the new skills you’ll learn- willingly or otherwise. Organization and time management tops my list. People skills is a means of survival if you’re resting weeks/months of your life in the hands of total strangers. And since backpacking is normally done cross-country, you’d need to brush up on your language and math skills as well. Haggling skills is nice to have- okay, it’s also a means of survival.
4. It brings out your creativity.
And I don’t mean you’d end up painting and writing songs as you watch the sunrise in Angkor Wat, although that’s a totally not a bad idea. Backpacking will force you to think of practical but fun (sometimes crazy) ways of surviving different situations. Think, if you’re gonna write a book, you’ll come up with titles like 50 Ways To Kill Time On The Road, or Speed Travel: How to Enjoy a New City in Less Than 6 Hours or The Art of Saying No to Scary Vendors and Yes to Cute Travellers. My favorite would be, Finding Relief: What to Do Where Toilets Don’t Exist.
5. It gives you time to reflect.
Really, what can be more inviting than being in a completely new place, with new people to meet and all time in your hands? While in Luang Prabang, I made it a point to take some time away from my friends to explore the city alone. I ended up finding this quaint coffee shop where I spent hours journaling and just watching people go by. It was a totally calming experience. Having no itineraries gives you a sense of freedom to appreciate what is and dream for what will be.
6. It strengthens bonds.
Whether it’s your friends, your partner or your family you’re going with, you’ve never fully known them until you’ve gone through places together in grit and grime.
7. Some of the most important values of life, you learn in one bus ride.
Patience? Wait in the freezing cold for two hours before boarding. Trust? Share a sleeping bunk with a complete stranger (oh and you’d get to share blankets, too). Compassion? Not hurt the driver for overbooking and making you sit on the bus floor. Endurance? No toilets for more than hours. Wisdom? Know what to do when the bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Faith? Be completely certain you’ll make it to your destination- alive. You get the picture. (Note from the author: true story).
8. It pushes you to your limits.
I never thought I would make it carrying a 13 kg. pack everyday for two weeks and survive without taking a shower for days. Kidding. But seriously, when was the last time you surprised yourself by doing something you never thought you can or would do? Whether it’s physical limits, emotional capacities, worst fears or strongest inhibitions you’ll deal with, you’ll definitely have a never-thought-I-had-in-me moment.
9. Lastly, it teaches you to let go and just completely trust where life would take you.
“Leap! And the net will appear,” says American naturalist John Burroughs. Sometimes, the best plan is to not have a plan. Get lost in a new place. Sing songs you can’t pronounce. Breathe in the beauty around you, celebrate the people you meet, laugh at your misadventures. You’d be surprised how things- still wonderfully- works out in the end.