Fact: It only takes two words to make a backpacker’s eyes light up: “free lunch.”
Fact: It only takes three words to make that backpacker a buddy for life:\”are you hungry\”?
Going backpacking makes you realise how little you really need. With the obvious exception of my book collection, I haven\’t missed much since I’ve been a world traveller. It’s a bit of a worry to realize that all I need to live can be stored on my back. I was especially shocked to realize that I hadn’t had Starbucks for over a week and was still alive. And with only two pairs of shoes and limited clothing options, it’s freeing to not have to worry about what to wear each day. It quite simplifies the process of getting ready in the morning.
The backpacker’s eternal struggle is this: Your life is on your back. Too many bags, and you won’t get too far. Too heavy a bag, and you\’ll end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Therefore, you give yourself a pre determined amount of space and weight, and you stick to it. It’s like physics – if you buy something, something else of equal or greater size and weight must be let go. It certainly makes you think twice about impulse purchases. Personally, I think it\’s easier this way – I think I’ll make an experiment of it next time I\’m at home. One thing bought, one thing tossed. It would undoubtedly cut down on clutter, don’t you think?
Some dangers of the travellers life:
My brand joggers now look like I’ve worn them every day for four years. Australia’s Uluru with all the clingy red dust is mainly to blame.
I managed to get so sunburnt scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef , that I had to miss my Daintree Rainforest tour
I’ve lost either my shampoo or my conditioner I think a total of nineteen times by forgetting it in the shower long enough for another backpacker to claim it. Doh.
24/7 company is cool but can be a pain at times. I imagine long term backpackers must fantasize about just one night in a motel room.|Towels never get fully dry. Damp towels = mouldy. Smelly towels + dirty tennis shoes = musty smelling backpack. I have learned quickly that backpacking is not a way to impress people with your personal hygeine. The true (female) backpacker wears no makeup, hair tied haphazardly into a ponytail-ish bun, dirty clothes…and a huge grin on her face because she’s more thrilled about the free food at her hostel than the shopping center down the street. (She couldn’t fit new stuff into her backpack, anyway.)
And on to the primary joys of the backpacker life:
Flexibility! Halfway through my travels from Adelaide to Perth, I decided I wanted to visit in Melbourne with some of my new friends. So I did. Easy as that. I love it!
I’ve seen a Swiss and Belgian debate the worlds best of chocolate…and the same Belgian debate the best source of beer with a German.
While in Cairns, I made a new friend every night, even conning a few of them to join me for dinner & the movies.
While snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, I made friends with a Italian who invited me to visit him in Rome. I think I’ll pass on that one, but it was fun to be asked to meet someone there, all the same. I’ll always be able to say that now.
I’ve met friends in one part of the country, only to meet them again somewhere totally different! Case in point, I met Kylie first in my horseriding class in Newcastle, again two months later in Cairns, and again several weeks later in Sydne!|I helped a Chinease girl work on her English in Tamworth , and in return she made me an origami crane out of beautiful Japanese paper, which I still had when we met again in a bar in Melbourne
Pretty much, I\’d say that I rather enjoyed my experience of at backpacking Oz!
This blog entry is dedicated to my lovely sister-in-law, Nadine, for giving me the inspiration for my trip.