Backpacking community
Many backpacker communities exist all throughout the world.
The only membership needed into this group of world
travellers is a backpack and a sense of wanderlust.
Membership is free and it forms the basis of the backpacker
social and support group.
So where do I find these transient communities? Just go where
backpackers go. The best place is a hostel. It is easy to find
someone or a group of people to hang out with. Everyone
there automatically has something in common: they are away
from home and are travelling just like you. Gone are most of
the social pressures that you feel at home.
I have joined a group of backpackers at train stations just as
everyone is disembarking or even while riding the bus. They
stand out since they all carry large backpacks and are
thumbing through a guidebook. It is nice to have someone
with you when you arrive in a new city. Most of the time, they
already know the ropes on how to travel and makes working
together easier. Often they haven’t booked their
accommodations either and it’s usually cheaper if you split the
cost of a room.
Friends are easy to come by when you arrive at your new
destination. Usually in the hostel you just walk up to a table,
sit down, and start up a conversation. The conversation always
seems to go something like this: Where are you from? Where
have you gone? What is cool to do around this area? This is
one of the best sources of accurate information and finding out
what is worth seeing around the area.
From there it is easy to make plans and temporarily join up
with another person or a group. You may even exchange email
addresses just before you part ways. Ironically, first
names are usually the last things to be exchanged. It’s just that
the average backpacker relationship lasts for around four days
before you part ways, it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s
first names.
If you don’t like or don’t get along with the group that you are
in, it is easy to find another group or travel solo. You
shouldn’t be worried about being “all alone in a strange
country” since many other backpackers travelling are “all
alone is a strange country” as well.