Fears and Concerns
To yourself, of course. Write letters and keep a journal. Think about what you’ve experienced. Study the language. Observe people. Play with children. Make friends. Hit on German backpacker gals/guys. If you’re an American you may already be world class at talking to strangers.
I want to travel, but I don’t like the idea of going alone. This is the biggest hurdle for many would-be-travelers. The hard reality for many is if we don’t go backpacking alone, we aren’t going backpacking. You have to be lucky to have a travel partner with similar goals, time, and money as yourself. Plus, can you realistically expect to have a travel partner with whom you want to spend almost every hour of every day? Traveling alone will force you to meet other people, and will probably expose you much more to the real experiences of travel. If you feel you must travel with someone, there’s a good chance you will meet another person in similar circumstances as you travel. I have traveled with dozens of backpackers for periods long and short--from a few months to a few weeks, a few days, even a few hours. It’s fun, and you can go off on your own again whenever you must. Photo: Sometimes it’s hard to find your way. (Maps like this dot many European cities.)
Photo: Sometimes it’s hard to find your way. (Maps like this dot many European cities.) I don’t think I’m the backpacker type. Most Americans don’t think they’re the backpacker type, but perhaps you aren’t sure what the backpacker type is. We Americans really don’t do much traveling compared to Germans, English, French, Italians, Danes, Australians, etc. We take brief vacations, sign up for tours and cruises, but as a nation we aren’t very adventurous. The reason for this, I believe, is that our country is so gigantic we aren’t much exposed to travel in other lands. Many people in Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Denmark, and Australia--including teachers, architects, engineers, secretaries, mechanics, farmers, and students--consider themselves backpacker types, and travel on their own all over the world. They have an intellectual interest in other cultures, and it is the greatest fun for them to make their own way through.The purpose of this book is to expose more people to the Americans especially need to travel concept of backpacker travel, and to give them a good more. It would do our national outlook good, and it start on how to do it. might do you good. You might be more the backpacker type than you realize.
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. Anaïs Nin, USA and France
Is it safe to travel? The last thing I want is for someone to read this book and then naïvely get hurt traveling. There are risks to travel, as there are in everything you do. The first determinant of risk is largely geographical. For example, pickpockets are currently a greater plague in Managua than London. Backpackers in Central America, however, are a self-selected group who are overall more worldly than average backpackers in Europe or Australia. They know to keep money in a hidden money belt, and are wary with wallets and packs. These travelers mostly navigate Managua without great incident. But there are plenty of pickpockets in London, and backpackers can be just as run-over there as in any developing world city. Indeed I consider myself at The other determinant is you. Your risks skyrocket if a greater risk in left-side-driving Great Britain than proper- you don’t wear a seat belt, if you don’t take proper side-driving Nicaragua--it’s easy to forget where you are health precautions, or if you walk alone at night in dangerous areas of medieval countries in a miniskirt. If when you’re having so much fun. you are sensible, like most backpackers, your risks are reduced wherever you travel. As with everything, you must weigh benefits against risks.