Top 12 Reasons Why Tourists Backpack

Backpack tourism is becoming increasingly popular among all age demographics, but is most common among 18-35 year olds. Backpack traveling began as something that struggling travelers do when they need to get from one place to another, but lack the funds or the means to travel via conventional methods.

Reasons Why Tourists BackpackStorm Crypt / Water Photos / CC BY-NC-ND

Today, it’s still a budget-friendly way to travel, but more people are taking up backpack tourism for the fun and the experience of it of it all. In fact, backpacking across country is quite fashionable and trendy in some parts of the world. We’re going to show you twelve reasons why more and more tourists are choosing to backpack when they are vacationing instead of opting for more traditional means of travel.

1. It’s cheap.

Compared to staying in hotels, motels and luxury resorts like most travelers do, backpackers usually spend a night or two in local hostels for just a few bucks a night. They can camp just as cheap or do the popular “couch surfing” thing where other travelers open their homes for a couple of nights to those passing through free of charge.

2. You can be flexible with your plans.

Because you don’t have any pending reservations or itineraries, you’re free to take your time in the places you enjoy the most and move on from the ones you don’t care for. You can move freely at your own pace without having to worry about meeting someone else’s schedule.

3. It’s more personal than conventional modes of travel.

Backpacker tend to interact more freely with the locals than conventional travelers do. This provides them with an immersive experience that they wouldn’t get otherwise. Because of this, backpackers are more likely to absorb the culture and language of the region better than conventional travelers do.

4. You can just disappear.

Being able to unplug and go completely off the grid is quite appealing in today’s fast paced technological age. No missed calls, no deadlines, no emails – no reminder of what’s waiting back at home at all. This can be bliss for lots of travelers.

5. You get to venture off the beaten path.

Backpackers tend to shy away from popular tourist draws and head for the out of the way places typical travelers do not see. This is a wonderful way to learn about a culture and find some of those wonderful hidden gems that the outside world hardly ever sees.

6. Backpacking provides amazing experiences.

There’s no way you can learn everything there is to know about a place just by reading a book or watching a film. Sometimes, you just have to be there in the center of it to get the full effect and understand things clearly. You can’t do this with a tour guide because people learn and absorb at their own pace. You need time to take it all in and backpacking allows you to do just that.

7. It helps you stay active.

Nobody really ever goes on vacation to exercise, but backpacking gives you the best of both worlds, so to speak. You still get to see, do and experience all the things you came for, but you’re being active while you’re doing it instead of riding around in a car, bus or train day after day. Getting out and about is good for the body, the mind and the soul.

8. You can avoid tourist traps and the crowds they attract.

The one bad thing about being a tourist is looking like a tourist. Nobody wants that. You feel weird and plus it makes you a target for certain types of crime. Touristy groups can get annoying after a while and you just want to get away from them. Being a backpacker helps you blend in by looking more like a local and drawing you deeper into the culture and region than posing as a traditional tourist ever would.

9. It look awesome on a resume’.

When you’re applying for those fabulous jobs, sometimes you get asked questions about the kinds of things you have done and accomplishments you’ve achieved in the past few months or years. “I backpacked my way across Southeast Asia during the spring and summer of 2012” looks exponentially better on a resume’ than, “I’ve spend the last five years unemployed watching television on my mother’s couch” ever would.

10. It’s challenging.

Challenges are good for the spirit. Backpacking is a challenging activity and it drives you to push yourself to meet goals, make changes and adapt to your circumstances. It forces you to keep your wits sharp, your wits keen and your mind clear and focused. All these things are great for proving to yourself just how much you can accomplish when you set your mind to it.

11. You get to rediscover yourself.

Although some backpackers opt to travel in groups, most tend to go it alone. Being completely and totally alone with yourself for an extended period of time helps you rediscover yourself, clear your thought processes and get back in touch with those parts of your being you may have encapsulated away. It can be a peaceful solace of sorts that some backpackers find quite exhilarating.

12. It creates a lifetime of memories.

It’s one thing to say, “I flew over the Great Wall of China during my aerial tour of the country”, but it’s quite another to see the Great Wall of China on television and know exactly what it feels like to walk it step by step, end to end. Backpacking creates a lifetime of memories that you couldn’t make by traveling any other way – beautiful memories that you can share and relive for the rest of your life.

This is just a short list of the top reasons tourists backpack. Yours may be similar or totally different. There’s no right or wrong reason to backpack – and no right or wrong way to go about it. With a little bit of planning, you, too – can experience life as a backpacker anywhere that you choose.

It doesn’t matter where you go, so long as you go! And remember, it’s not the destination that matters because the fun and adventure lies in the getting there.

About the Guest Blogger – Author Uttoran Sen is a travel blogger and a backpacker. Publish such unique and high quality articles on your blog for free – visit the travel guest posts section of Guest Crew article gallery.