Backpacking has recently become very popular all over the world. This is a modern trend. So who are these backpackers?
Backpacking translated from English means “travel with a backpack.” In fact, this is not so much a cheap and budget trip (although traveling with a backpack is the cheapest), but rather a whole culture of travel, its goal is to study the local culture, life and nature of the country.
Backpacking Goals
Such trips have several purposes:
- Backpackers strive to blend in with the local culture and people. They like to use public transport, stay in inexpensive guest houses, eat local traditional food, and communicate with the indigenous people.
- Among such travelers it is customary to explore mainly non-tourist places where there are no crowds of tourists. For example, everyone knows what the Eiffel Tower looks like; it is much more interesting to see small ancient French towns and villages in the vicinity of Paris.
- Green tourism. In addition to visiting cities, backpackers like to visit nature reserves and national parks, and walk along hiking trails in the mountains.
As a result, backpackers move around the country a lot, so their trips last longer than the standard 1-2 weeks. They usually go on vacation for a month or more.
Backpacking, traveling with a backpack lightly. You don’t have to go to see Paris; you can travel around the city’s outskirts, studying French culture.
Backpackers never travel in large organized groups, they do not use the services of guides and plan all their routes themselves. Such tourists travel lightly, buying many things and clothes on the spot. This is understandable; moving around the country a lot with a suitcase is simply inconvenient.
Where is backpacking best developed?
First of all, these are the countries of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia), the Himalayas and Tibet (Nepal, India, China), South America (Colombia, Bolivia, Peru), New Zealand and Australia. Among the closer countries, backpacking is developed in Georgia and Turkey. Many people travel with a backpack to European countries where public transport is well developed.
Masha Pasha can offer some good ideas for inexpensive backpacking without traveling to distant lands:
- Western and southern coasts of Turkey. Here, if you move along the coast from the Izmir region and south towards Antalya, you can see many beautiful small resorts and towns, secluded beaches, national parks, historical and natural attractions. The roads are convenient, prices are low in the off-season. The best time to go is October – November. It will still be quite warm, but prices will already drop significantly.
- Mountain Georgia. There are amazing landscapes, colorful villages, high mountains and hospitable locals. Visit regions such as Svaneti, Megrelia, Kakheti and, of course, the capital of the country, colorful Tbilisi.
- The Slovak High Tatras are a unique rocky mountain range with excellent hiking trails, and the nearby ancient towns of Levoca and Kosice will delight lovers of European architecture.
Backpacking in comfort
If a tourist adheres to the ideology of backpacking, but wants to travel in comfort, then such trips are called flashpacking or backpacking. After all, you can travel around the country, staying in good hotels, eating in restaurants and using the services of comfortable transport and taxis. The goal is to get new experiences; this is a kind of adventure, not a package tour. Such trips are now trending and will become increasingly popular in 2024. In addition, this is an opportunity to save money while relaxing in a luxury hotel. After all, hotels located away from popular tourist spots are cheaper.
