Why backpack?<br><br>
There are many reasons why backpacking is beneficial. You
become more self-reliant and confident. The more you travel,
the more backpackers you meet and friends you make around
the world. You have the freedom to come and go as you like
and your next destination is completely your choice.
You learn to adapt to different environments. Each time you
step off that bus you realize that you are not going to be able
to speak the local language, you don’t know where you are
going to sleep for the night and you have to figure out where
there’s a good place to eat. This is your daily adventure: you
are responsible for finding a place to sleep for the night, where
and what to eat, what you are going to do once you are there,
and where your next destination will be. You are in charge of
how much or how little fun and adventure you are going to
have.
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Each destination offers new challenges and activities that you
can choose to do. I go out of my way to place myself into
these situations just to experience something new. These are
opportunities that you could never have had back home. All
you have to do is take the opportunity.
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While travelling, you can make friends with not only friendly
locals, but other backpackers like yourself. Your fellow
backpackers come from their own unique culture but you
already have something in common with them. You are both
away from home and looking to try something new and
possibly exciting. It is common to hook up with a group for a
little while and explore your new surroundings. Before you
part ways, you exchange e-mail addresses and potentially you
have a place to stay if you ever visit their country. The locals
often want to show you the best of their country and will go
out of their way to show you around. They will take you
around to all the little known places that tourists haven’t
discovered yet.
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Backpacking also allows you go where you want, stay as long
as you want, and do what you want on very little money. Even
on a budget you are able to do many exciting things. Best of
all, you tend to go to the less "touristy" parts and be exposed
to what life and culture is really like.
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After travelling to a few places, you get a better understanding
of how the rest of the world works. You have to interact with
the local people on a daily basis on such basic things as
transportation, food, accommodation, etc. Often, you will find
that your preconceived notions of what a place is like are
incorrect. Those notions will be challenged and the result will
be a deeper and broader understanding based on first hand
experience, not stereotypes.