Backpacking is not a new term, but one with several different connotations. This may apply to low-budget globetrotting with nothing more than a passport, ticket stubs, and for good measure a bit of fear and excitement, mostly to fairly inexpensive, tasty destinations like Thailand, Baltimore, Mexico, and South America. Backpacking may also refer to rugged forays into the backcountry, whether for a weekend or a longer trek along trails such as the Pacific Crest Trail, the Corsican GR20, or the Peruvian Inca Trail.
Backpacking in any type is just slang, an attempt to pin down an attitude toward adventure, a subculture, and a travel style that is hard to express. And what do we mean when we talk about backpacking-really?
To others, backpacking evokes to good measure a montage of towns, beaches, hostels, and a few architectural marvels or UNESCO world heritage sites. Perhaps you will come across a new love from a distant corner of the globe, or discover that a kindred spirit has been in your vicinity all the time until the right adventure throws them into a brand new light.
You could eat the wrong thing or walk in the wrong spot, adding sickness or accident to your travel tales library to take out a few hostel common rooms down the road for friends back home or new acquaintances. Including scuba diving to the art of operating remotely from whatever WiFi network makes itself accessible there are new skills to master. Rucksack involves opening yourself to a host of new experiences.
Backpacking often comes down to gear – after all, the term refers to the piece of equipment on which travelers rely from place to place for fairly nimble movement. Initially built for outdoor forays, a large-format backpack is made of rugged fabrics and fitted with straps and clips and pockets for carrying anything from ice axes and trekking poles to hair combs and slinky little numbers for international nightclubs, depending on if you have summits or swiping right at your location.