Backpacker culture

When I travel, I go the backpacker route. I carry a lonely planet book, aka the bible; I stay in cheap hostels; I usually don't have my own bathroom; and yes, of course, I carry a backpack.

Almost all backpackers look alike and are very easily identifiable from any distance. Backpacking is a time when it is suddenly acceptable to wear stretch pants and yoga clothes anywhere. It is acceptable to look like you're going mountain climbing when really, you're just checking out a church. You know all those workout clothes you wear to the gym that wick away the sweat from your body? Well good news folks, they have another opportunity to be worn in public: while backpacking.

Backpackers wear 2 types of footwear: flip flops and hiking boots.

Then there's the headgear. The, I haven't washed my hair for days so ill just wrap it up with a scarf, look. Or the, I am so busy mountain climbing in the city streets that I need to pull my hair back with a cap. Or how could we forget the dread locks, to simply say, yes, I am traveling in a foreign country, and I am carrying a backpack.

It is so silly to me how a backpacker, who you could definitely say is a non-conformist, a free spirit, open minded, etc., will then automatically have this conformist style abroad that is synonymous with looking dirty, outdoorsy and eccentric.

I have been backpacking for years, and do you know why I carry a backpack when I travel? Because it's convenient! Because I'm taking buses and trains and walking along unpaved or brick roads, and dragging a suitcase sucks! Because I travel alone, and I'm on a budget and I don't feel like paying for a standard overpriced hotel room that i never spend time in, when I can fulfill my basic needs in a hostel and meet other fellow travelers. But that doesn't mean I have to go and look poor, play the part. I wear my regular clothes, I wear tops and jeans, and flats, and I WASH MY HAIR!

But let this also be a lesson to be learned. Travel is not that expensive. It doesn't have to be. The most expensive thing I ever pay for is my flight, and from there, trains, buses, food, hostels, that can all be safe, clean, good and cheap. Just do your research and invest in a lonely planet or similar guide book. It is so worth the incredible experience.