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Backpacking (travel)

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Two Danish backpackers in front of the Vienna State Opera in July 2005
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Two Danish backpackers in front of the Vienna State Opera in July 2005

Backpacking is a term used to denote a form of low-cost international travel, differentiating it from Tourism. The name comes from the backpacks that budget travelers generally carry in the interests of mobility and flexibility.

Many commentators see backpacking as descriptive, not only of low-cost travel, but of the culture and philosophy often associated with it, especially anti or trans-nationalism as well as a romanticization of wanderlust and a desire for "authentic" contact with local culture.

Contents

History

Backpacking as a form of travel is usually said to have originated in the 1970s with the advent of low-cost jet airplane fares. During this era it became common for young Westerners, to follow the hippie trail into India and Southeast Asia. This period also gave birth to the first budget guidebooks (see Tony and Maureen Wheeler) and began to change the way that many people looked at the possibilities and opportunities of travel.

More recently, backpacking has become something of a rite of passage in the popular culture of some countries, most notably Australia and New Zealand. This can be put down to the light population and geographic isolation of these two countries from much of the world's population and history, the fact that Australia and New Zealand are both affluent English-speaking countries where the majority of their citizens can afford overseas travel, and that both countries have a tradition of students attending university in the home city rather than moving away for college. A substantial amount of young adults from Israel also undertake long-term backpacking trips, particularly after they finish their mandatory military service.

Culture

The Westbahnhof in Vienna. Public transport is usually important to Backpackers
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The Westbahnhof in Vienna. Public transport is usually important to Backpackers

Backpackers are sometimes identified as a subculture of generally youthful travellers dedicated to budget travel. They may go hiking and camping, backpacking in the other sense, but they more often explore more urban settings, usually because of the availability of public transport.

Low-cost options are popular: such as sharing lifts, standby flights (or if the backpacking trip is circumglobal, a relatively cheap round-the-world air ticket which permits numerous stops), youth hostels, free hospitality services and buying food at supermarkets abroad instead of going to restaurants.

Hostels and other budget accommodations tend to be communal to some degree, and thus backpacker culture is often highly social and emphasizes the camaraderie of communal life, such as the shared kitchens common in many hostels. When backpackers stay in one place for a while, they often seek a house-share with numerous other backpackers and are likely to share a room to keep the costs down.

The common language of backpackers is overwhelmingly English in varying levels of fluency while German is arguably the second most common language encountered due to the large presense of backpackers from Germany or Switzerland. (However, German-speakers will usually only speak German informally amongst one another, and will otherwise speak English in most other situations). Britons, Australians and Germans typically form among the most common backpacker nationalities in the world, in addition to Canadians, Israelis, Kiwis (New Zealanders) and numerous other Western European nations such as Switzerland or The Netherlands. Per head of population, Australia is thought to have the highest representation of backpackers.

Backpacker culture is perhaps typified by the Lonely Planet (Australian) series of guidebooks, which caters to budget travelers both in its regular guides as well as, more specifically, the "On a Shoestring" regional compilations. The Rough Guide (UK) and Let's Go (USA) series of guidebooks are also popular, but they are often disregarded by hard-core "survivalist" backpackers because of the dependency they create for their readers. In France, the traditional backpacker's guidebook is the Guide du routard.

Young travellers generally tolerate being away from home amneties such as televisions or computers for extended periods of time, however the combination of a high resolution digital camera and high capacity MP3 Player are considered the must-have electronic devices to take along. Blogging from various Internet cafes around the world is also a growing phenomenon, offering a more convenient way to relay information to interested friends and family at home.

Age of Backpackers

Backpackers can be of any age to theoretically be part of the backpacker scene and subculture, however the vast majority of budget travellers are clearly in their 20s. Patrons at most youth hostels are rarely under 18 (some even mandate a minimum age of 18) while guests over 30 would assumingly constitute a minority. The 'stereotypical' backpacker is often invisioned as a senior college student or recent college graduate about 20 to 25 years of age with no dependants (spouse, children, etc.), therefore making it relatively easy to put typical daily responsibilties on temporary hiatus to go travelling for up to many months at a time. Depending on which part of the world people backpack through, the median age can vary slightly.

Philosophy

Hostels are an integral part of backpacker culture.
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Hostels are an integral part of backpacker culture.

Rolf Potts writes in his book [Vagabonding] about what he sees as the myths that surround conventional travel:

Of all the outrageous throwaway lines one hears in movies, there is one that stands out for me. It doesn't come from a madcap comedy, an esoteric science-fiction flick, or a special-effects-laden action thriller. It comes from Oliver Stone's Wall Street, when the Charlie Sheen character — a promising big shot in the stock market — is telling his girlfriend about his dreams.
"I think if I can make a bundle of cash before I'm thirty and get out of this racket," he says, "I'll be able to ride my motorcycle across China."
When I first saw this scene on video a few years ago, I nearly fell out of my seat in astonishment. After all, Charlie Sheen or anyone else could work for eight months as a toilet cleaner and have enough money to ride a motorcycle across China. Even if they didn't yet have their own motorcycle, another couple months of scrubbing toilets would earn them enough to buy one when they got to China.
For many, this sums up the allure of backpacking, promising an "exotic" or "adventurous" experience that is also deemed "authentic," that is, an experience that, because it is self-planned and directed, does not fit within the typical Western-style vacation or travel industry.

This desire to experience "authentic" travel may be a reaction to the commercialization of the travel industry. Many backpackers express disdain towards “packaged” travel experiences including cruise ships and guided or bus tours which typically consist of a large number of tourists led by a guide. In contrast, backpacker philosophy encourages self-reliance and individuality, like overcoming the language barrier without the help of a translator or making all of one's own travel arrangements (to present two examples). [John Gregory] sums up this philosophy as:

Those spending big bucks for guided travel get peace-of-mind in return. They are guaranteed no worries, no hassles, an experience as close as possible to being home, without being home. They get an hour and fifteen minutes for the guaranteed-open museum, then a two-hour sightseeing ride that catches all the picture-postcard highlights. They break for lunch at a "recommended" restaurant, where the food is reasonable and ordering is easy. And as the next bus pulls in they re-board theirs to repeat the routine, ending with an easy check-in at a reasonable hotel, populated with plenty of other tourists, pretty much like themselves.
While all travel is good for the human spirit, budget backpacking is unparalleled for meeting people and experiencing worlds on their own intimate terms. There are many travelers who have the resources for pampered-class but choose to strap on a backpack and see the world via the seat-of-their-pants, because they know it's the best way to experience cultures and interact with local people
In the United States among many other Western countries, this backlash against the large-scale commercial travel industry as expressed in the philosophy of backpacking has made some inroads into mainstream culture, such as in the popular travel guide writer Rick Steves who, like Tony and Maureen Wheeler of Lonely Planet, spun his experiences as a backpacker in the 1970s into a successful guidebook series.

Working on the Road

Many backpackers gain temporary work (usually low-paid, unskilled, casual, and sometimes in violation of local labor laws) in the countries they visit. For instance, London's pubs are well known for the number of Australian bartenders working in them; "Irish pubs" around the world hire Irish backpackers. In Australia, fruit picking is a popular job among backpackers, although it can be physically demanding.

Backpackers are also commonly employed by hostels, where English-language proficiency and familiarity with hostel operations are considered assets.

Criticism

Backpacker philosophy is sometimes criticized for being hypocritical. Some travellers have been known to forego finding "authentic" contact with a culture, and instead congregate only with other travelers in international hostels or guesthouses.

In addition, backpackers are sometimes blamed for the commercialization of the destinations they travel to. By definition, any “undiscovered paradise” cannot remain pristine under the demand of thousands of visitors. This can often lead to the overuse of certain natural and cultural resources, a vice backpacking shares with other forms of tourism. A notable example of this phenomenon is Byron Bay in Australia, which was a largely quiet backpacker town in the 1970s and is now considered one of the most popular destinations in the 2000s with a bias for yuppies.

A third layer of criticism is economic. Backpackers’ pursuit of “cheap” travel destinations is only possible through the imbalance of living costs between Western and developing nations. Thus, backpacking can be seen as an inherently exploitive activity that benefits from the poverty of destination countries. Bolivia and Cambodia are notable examples of very inexpensive countries which backpackers visit and have the ability to stay comfortably for months even on a relatively small budget, all the while contributing nothing to the local have-nots.

Advantages

In their defense, some backpackers say that budget travel pumps money into the economies of Third World countries, increasing their standard of living and creating jobs, and doing this in a way that is inherently more egalitarian than mainstream tour companies, who often operate with minimal contact with third party vendors or average citizens. Backpacking in comparison, frequently makes use of local food vendors, merchants and accommodations, and thus does more to benefit the local economy. The lower cost to the budget-conscious young Western tourist and the increased patronage to local merchants actually makes the economics of backpacking a win-win situation in many cases.

Backpackers are accused of traveling to exotic places only to associate with other backpackers. That perception is probably correct but requires some explanation. Generally backpackers are from developed countries, speak fluent English (even if from a non-English speaking country) and are Caucasian (except for the prolific Japanese backpacker tradition). When these backpackers arrive in developing countries they congregate at the hostels and guesthouses in the center of town where they tend to not blend in. In these areas the best English speakers among the locals tend to be touts who will prey upon the backpackers to visit the factories that they "own", to buy jewels to smuggle back and resell in their home countries, to purchase their services as a "guide" and to undertake illegal activities such as gambling, prostitution and drug use.

Most backpackers would like to interact with locals, but have a hard time fending off the touts. Backpackers find it easier to fend off touts if they are traveling with other backpackers. Locals with the intent of approaching a backpacker are generally not as aggressive as the touts. Backpackers would consider it obtrusive to approach a local in English and ask to join the local in their home for dinner for instance. The inability to travel beyond the areas covered by public transportation further strain the situation.

Generally a backpacker will stash some travelers checks, credit cards and identification in the hostel or guesthouse safe to minimize damage if they are robbed during the day. Backpackers are thus most vulnerable when traveling between locations and stashing isn't possible. Backpackers prefer to minimize that risk by traveling between cities in groups, especially in dangerous areas like the infamous Nairobi to Mombasa train ride in Kenya. When they reach the next destination, new groups will form to continue on a few days later. Backpackers universally trust other backpackers based on the logic that "someone wouldn't come all the way from [ Stockholm, Berlin, Sydney, etc. ] just to steal from other tourists."

Americans and Backpacking

For more information on this topic, see Backpacking (United States).

The frequency and demographics of American backpackers are often debated. It is sometimes alleged that Americans backpack less than citizens of other Western countries or that they face discrimination from their fellow backpackers. This topic is often a controversial one among members of the community.

Destinations

Favored

Prague became a popular destination for backpackers with the fall of the Berlin Wall
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Prague became a popular destination for backpackers with the fall of the Berlin Wall

Classically, Western Europe is a very common backpacker destination because of the availability of public transport and the large number of hostels and other budget accommodations. However, since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet states, Eastern Europe has become a rapidly growing destination for budget travelers. Originally this meant cities such as Prague and Budapest, but more recently Croatia, Slovakia, the Balkans, and the Baltic Republics have become a popular stops on the backpacking circuit

Long-term backpacker destinations are places with low costs of living such as Goa (India), Essaouira (Morocco), or Thailand. Australia's East Coast is also a very popular destination for many backpackers, and many travel and work in the area long-term in order to finance other travel, most notably to New Zealand where a plane ticket between the two countries can be procured for as little as $100. South America is quickly becoming a hot-spot for backpackers, who are drawn to the continent by the often very favorable exchange rates and unique culture and beauty. Machu Picchu, Patagonia, the Triple Frontier and the cities of Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro are often the highlights for travelers to this continent.

Khaosan Rd. in Bangkok is known as a backpacker "ghetto."
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Khaosan Rd. in Bangkok is known as a backpacker "ghetto."

Certain destinations are so popular on the backpacking circuit that some cities house "backpacker ghettos," whole districts where large numbers of travellers congregate to find cheap accommodation, street food, and share travel information. The most famous of these is the Khaosan Road area of downtown Bangkok.

Avoided

While largely a matter of nationality, personal taste and the current political situation, some generalizations can be made about the destinations many backpackers avoid. For example, a fair number of backpackers, like many other tourists, avoid countries where obvious tourists are repeatedly accosted to purchase merchant goods or are otherwise known to be harassed.

High Costs

Regions with a high cost of living, such as Scandinavia for example, are avoided by many long-term backpackers because of the expense. Other destinations have high costs for transportation, such as Polynesia, and are also avoided by the majority of backpackers. This rule applies to a lesser degree to many destinations in Western Europe, where costs are generally high enough to discourage extensive (three months and longer) budget travel. Travel to popular but extremely expensive cities such as New York City or London is generally limited to just several days, and backpackers tend to try and fit as much daily sight-seeing as possible in such locations.

Infrastructure

While not an absolute, countries without developed infrastructure, especially in the form of public transportation, are more difficult for backpackers to travel in because of the serious limits on mobility. This includes many African countries and the greater part of Central Asia.

Some travellers also avoid the United States of America for similar reasons, because of the general lack of public transport, the expense of renting a car and the lack of hostels in many destinations. Hostels in the United States are also generally expensive in comparison to many other countries, often between $US20-30 per night. This has given the United States a reputation for being relatively 'unfriendly' towards backpacking culture. The prevalence of motel chains, catering primarily to private motorists, may contribute to the relatively small number of backpacker hostels in the USA.

People who wish to travel the United States extensively and as cheaply as possible often decide to purchase an economical van with improvised bedding within the vehicle. Even this option is becoming increasingly expensive however, as oil prices in the 2000s remain stubbornly high.

Instability

While the desire to travel at low cost and the desire to travel with convenience and security are often at odds, some countries are generally avoided by backpackers because of the general political instability. In the most extreme cases, such as Iraq, Somalia or North Korea opportunities for travel may be severely curtailed or an outright impossibility. Other areas are avoided by many backpackers because of the perceived general hostility of the political climate, including some parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, Myanmar and parts of Central Africa.

These are generalizations made by the majority of the community and are disputed by many others (Myanmar being a recent example of debate), especially travelers drawn to “dangerous” destinations.

Crime and victimization

Some countries are largely avoided by backpackers due to a substantially increased risk of being kidnapped or mugged of their possessions, to the point where the benefits of travel may not compensate for their dangers. Colombia in South America is a notable example, which has the unfortunate reputation of having one of the highest number of kidnappings per capita in the world. African cities such as Johannesburg or Nairobi are also discouraged on the backpacker circuit due to their very high crime rates.

Crowds

Many backpackers try to avoid crowds of other (ordinary) tourists. The first rule is to avoid traditional package holiday destinations such as Benidorm or Cancún because it goes against the backpacker's image. Such places may also be undesirable because of high costs, inauthentic culture, limited sightseeing options and exclusively prebooked accommodation.

Backpacking in fiction

Novels about backpackers include James Michener's "The Drifters", William Sutcliffe´s Are You Experienced? (India), Alex Garland's The Beach (Thailand), Emily Barr's Backpack (India, Vietnam, China), John Harris's The Backpacker (India, Thailand, and Australia) and Ingrid Marson's The Rules of Backpacking (Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, South Africa). Eli Roth's movie Hostel (2006) and Australia's Wolf Creek (2005) could also be mentioned for delving into the darker realms of independent travel.

Although not exactly about backpackers, Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel On the Road can be seen as very influential in the formation of youthful travelling subcultures.

See also

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
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