Life is definitely more than just working and fulfilling the obligations of family and society, we must enjoy, learn and explore the spectacular landscapes of this beautiful planet, but you will think «how to do it without enough money». This way of thinking makes the dream of traveling seem unattainable, but many achieve it in a practical, economical and safe way.
To break with these paradigms, the backpacking culture has emerged, which is a way of traveling the world overcoming economic barriers, making the trip an adventure full of magic and benefits not only economic, but also spiritual and cultural, since it allows the traveler fulfill their dreams and enjoy different cultures and landscapes.
Likewise, traveling around the world is a recreational activity that many people carry out according to their economic possibilities, and both the frequency and the means of transport, lodging and destinations, among other things, will depend to a greater degree on the preference of the traveler. traveler, but above all on their purchasing power. This is how we find different types of travelers, among which are backpackers, who are those people who travel with their backpack or luggage on their backs, hiking, and walk the path or solve problems of your trip independently.
However, the conditions of the trips can vary, depending on the type of tourism that they develop, whether it is regional, national or international, there are cases in which people move by themselves on roads that lead from one city to another, in trucks or cars that move them freely and spontaneously, if it is a regional or national route, there can even be cases in which they move from one country to another in this way, as happens in the countries of the European Union or in Latin America .
Other times people can travel in a formal or conventional way from one distant country to another, and once they reach their main destination, they become backpackers to travel that country independently, lowering the costs of their trip, however it is likely to make use of formal services in exceptional cases of places where traveling alone is not allowed, for example, in historical places, such as the «Inca Trail in Machu Picchu» in Peru, or protected areas and ecological reserves.
In this way, this politically correct description that defines the backpacker as a traveler with his backpack on his shoulder and with a limited budget, it should be complemented by saying that for many people being a backpacker is something more, it represents a way of life, of living new experiences, of making a journey of self-knowledge, through the exchange with different cultures, of communication and coexistence, where the journey becomes a deeper experiential process.
Another characteristic aspect of backpackers who travel the world is the fact that their trips are generally of long duration, with exceptions to this rule, so they can obviously vary according to the type of person, their objectives, if they only want vacation and enjoy a few days off, or it could take much longer, if your goals and budget allow it, varying motivations and plans; however, they all have in common the desire to get to know places and people in a different way, escaping from “organized tours” and very “touristy” places or destinations.
In this way, backpackers decide the way they travel, creating their own itinerary according to their time and destination, it even happens that they change plans during the trip, deciding for example to stay longer in one place or on the contrary to go to another city because they met people who recommended it to them and travel with them, which makes them independent and adventurous, dreamers and with a broad sense of practicality.
Definitely, it could be said that the first objective of a backpacker is to look for economy when traveling, considering that one of the compelling reasons that make trips difficult is the budget, which is why the so-called backpackers try to carry them out with the least possible cost, for which they tend to stay in very cheap hostels or hostels, to travel by public transport or asking some drivers to take them or bring them closer to their destination, even walking long distances, and save on food since they buy your food in supermarkets which is much cheaper than eating in restaurants.
This is how backpackers save the maximum amount possible, in order to get to the places they want to visit and stay as long as possible. For this reason, they optimize both money and time. Even a backpacker could lower costs by 70% compared to what he would spend as a traditional tourist.
Therefore, tourism practiced by backpackers is considered as alternative and economical with minimal expenses, which is its basic characteristic, being practiced mostly by young people and students, however, in recent times the average age of people has increased who are engaged in this activity.
It is worth noting that, according to the World Confederation on Youth and Student Travel (WYSE) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism carried out by young people represents 20% of all global arrivals, which is a considerable percentage. , in addition to the fact that the expenditure made by these young travelers has increased by 40% for the year 2018, considering that a young tourist spends on average a total of 1,915 euros on a trip, with a total of expenses per day of 25 dollars , that is to say about 16 Euros, which are distributed between lodging, transportation and food.
On the other hand, we have been observing in recent times an emergence of a new generation of backpackers or flashpackers, who are over 30 years old, and who have adopted some of the habits of the younger ones, although the objectives of the trips could be more aimed at cultural tourism, or seek spiritual retreats, activities that take them away from the most crowded areas, but in essence the fundamental condition of low budget prevails.
Another interesting piece of information provided by the aforementioned institutions is the fact that approximately 70% of these young people travel with a well-defined purpose, such as: learning a language, doing volunteer work or social work, studying abroad, learn about other cultures, seek self-knowledge, learn about other religious beliefs, among other short, medium or long-term goals.
This is how, unlike people who make traditional trips with air tickets purchased in advance, hotel reservations and previously planned tours, backpackers prefer give up the comforts and the seemingly safe, in order to spend less money for transportation, lodging, and food, in order to prolong time of your adventure.
This custom of traveling as a backpacker has been increasing in recent decades, as well as the reasons for doing them that have diversified, since years ago this type of trip was made mostly by young people who had completed a stage such as high school or a career. university the race, and undertook a process of searching for new horizons and new experiencesstarting a new life project in some cases.
It should be noted that, among young people from countries such as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the United States and some European countries, it is very common to enjoy a gap year traveling the world, after having completed a university degree, many even seek destinations exotic destinations such as Africa or India, or closer destinations such as the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which can be traveled from the border with France to the border with Portugal where Santiago de Compostela is located, passing through all of Spain on a mystical journey of medieval date.
Another interesting aspect of the backpacker community is the way they act and enjoy their trip, highlighting their culture of sociability, sharing Y camaraderiedue to the fact that, as a general rule, they are people with a great desire to relate to the world, other cultures and ways of thinking and acting, so they are always open to all kinds of experiences and situations, seeing themselves as more daring and risky in life. In most cases, to the point of sleeping in tents at the campsite, which is often a bit far from the city center, exposing themselves to inclement weather and insecurity, depending on where they are.
Other travelers opt for hostels, whose prices range between 13 and 20 dollars, that is, between 10 and 15 euros per day, being the preferred destinations of these backpackers countries belonging to Asia, Europe and Latin America, which sometimes search through networks social, contacting communities dedicated to this type of tourism and the orientation of young people, such as: Backpackers America that spreads and projects the backpackers of the continent, as well as Backpackers Venezuela, Backpackers Colombia and Backpackers Mx (Mexico).
In short, being a backpacker who goes around the world interacting and exchanging experiences means living a process of deep rapprochement with the place visited, delving into its culture and customs, with no other tools than the abilities of communication, exchange, empathy, sociability. and adventurous attitude, curiosity and collaboration, which allow unforeseen events to be resolved and effective development through personal relationships with other people along the way during their journey through the world, with open minds and hearts in the face of incomparable experiences and events. that are presented.