Backpacking is not for everyone. Far from it. When regaling my friends with stories from my time backpacking in Europe, I was greeted with strange looks. They expressed interest in staying at hotels rather than hostels, full of all the amenities and accommodations offered to make one feel at home. A familiar respite in a foreign environment filled with strange foods, different languages, and new customs that throws one into the clutches of culture shock. There is nothing wrong with liking this type of experience. I enjoy this type of living just as much as the next person. However, backpacking changed the way I experienced and viewed my world, giving me the independence and confidence to navigate new situations and fully embrace the present. Backpacking gave me the background necessary to go into university. It showed me how to break out of my comfort zone and gain the independence needed to leave home for the first time. Thus, I would highly recommend everyone try backpacking at least once in their lifetime to try and gain a new perspective about the world we inhabit.
If you take one lesson from this post, let it be one in minimalism: a study in having less but experiencing more. Backpacking taught me that a minimalist lifestyle not only connects oneself to the community and friends they are traveling with but grants one greater mobility, allowing one to inhabit the current moment they are in. When traveling, you can only bring the luggage that you can carry and manage (whether that be a backpack or a suitcase). Backpacking expedites the process, for one can only carry a certain weight jumping from train to train without tipping over (I speak from personal experience). Thus, one must pack not only the necessities but learn to do so in a manner that is light and efficient. I will speak about how and what to pack in an upcoming blog post. Yet, living in these constraints seems to provide freedom rather than bars to a prison. To express the idea in a cliché, without too much excess, a weight is lifted off one’s shoulders. It first frees your time in not having as much to unpack and pack. Yes, you are forced to pack efficiently but if done correctly, there is always enough space as your essentials are continuously being switched out. Second, the minimalistic experience of backpacking allows one to navigate between locations easier, taking up less space on trains and having the ability to quickly run to catch the next adventure if necessary. Yet, ultimately, backpacking allows the freedom to connect to the community you are visiting and the people you are visiting it with, unencumbered with material possessions and present in the moment.
Shared living is a concept that one must get used to. As an extrovert, I love going hard and continuously meeting new people and experiencing new things. It gives me energy and ideas about the next step or project I want to undergo. However, even as an extrovert, I need time to recharge. Thus, when looking to hostels, I was apprehensive. Yet, when quickly thrown into the experience, I realized that this form of communal living didn’t take away my independence or ability to have down time. It rather gave me a support system and network to better experience the environment I was visiting whether it be through new travel companions or suggestions of off beat locations. I traveled with my childhood friend and we quickly learned a system that worked for us in cutting down on what we were carrying. For example, in daily activities such as hiking, my friend would solely pack water in her day pack where as I would pack sunscreen, cameras, and other essentials. We were able to bring more but travel lighter. We quickly learned with experience that you should buy what you need when it arises rather than pack for the what-ifs. These what-ifs rarely happen or are easy to fix (like running out of shampoo). This concept I learned to apply to my daily life as well. In removing what-ifs from my life, I learned to deal solely with the present. What-ifs stop you from living in the moment because it draws focus to the future and worries about possibilities that (a) will never happen or (b) cannot be stopped. In existing in the moment, one can fully experience life and the wonders it holds.
Additionally, backpacking made me reevaluate the culture I inhabited. To put it frankly, we need a lot less than we think, especially in the United States. After living out of a backpack for two weeks, I realized that the clothes I hadn’t worn in months were just taking up wasteful space. So, when I returned, I cleaned out and donated two thirds of my clothes to charity because ultimately, I did not need them. I started to think more about what I purchased. Did I need it? Did I already have it? What affect would it have on my environment? In our current era of fast fashion and consumer culture, we tend to forget the detrimental effects wrought by these cultures on our environment, our home. Our current practices are unsustainable and are so ingrained in our culture that if individuals don’t start taking action, it will continue to spread. Thus, stressed out and hopeless at this realization, I looked back to what I learned backpacking: deal in the present. I took it into my own life to try and live as sustainably as possible, walking to the grocery store, carpooling, and trying to cut down on how much trash I produce. I realized that in dealing in absolutes, trying to create change all at once, no effect would occur. I would need to take it into my own life and try and use it to inspire other individuals. Overall change does not occur with one person, but it starts with an idea and resonates first with individuals before spreading to others. I firmly believe that a change in perspective is what creates unity and a positive impact on the global community. Whether you experience that through backpacking or merely exploring a new community a few blocks away that is different from your own familiar surroundings, you may start to realize that there are grander themes at play that unite us as a species, as a member of Earth. Love, hardship, innovation, survival. Themes that conquer differences. Backpacking taught me to expand my horizons, challenging my views and perspectives, confirming some but changing others. I hope you can find that same experience, that same adventure in your own lives. The spark that lights a flame in your soul.
