I have been traveling for well over 2 decades. It started out as backpacking then as I got older this situation evolved into kind of backpacking in that I go to inexpensive places for the most part, but I ditched the actual backpack years ago in lieu of a small rolling suitcase. Unless you are going somewhere with uneven terrain or doesn't have streets, which is very rare to find these days, you don't actually need a backpack so the term is more of just words than an actuality. These days the "backpack" portion of my luggage is normally just my laptop bag that is also a backpack and mostly I use this just for things I need immediately on the plane.
In the years I spent traveling I have seen people time and time again make the same mistakes in traveling and I think it would do any future backpacker a world of good to not make these mistakes. I know a lot of these things are mistakes because I actually **did do these things** and learned by doing it wrong.
Let's get into it now ok?
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<h3> Over-reliance on technology - STOP IT! </h3>
This wasn't really an issue when I started traveling back in the late 1990's but these days it seems as though people have got their mind into thinking that their computer, tablet, and phone need to do all of the traveling for them. Most people think they are saving money by using sites like Booking.com, Hostels.com, and many others like it. Sure it is nice to read the reviews (even though these ratings are very easily manipulated by the owners) and have an idea of what is around where you are going but you aren't actually going to save any money and all the tricks they use such as "only 2 rooms left!" are all lies anyway.
I have met and keep in touch with many hostel owners around the world and the consensus with all of them is that if someone walks in the door with their phone in hand and says "such and such website says that this room is (insert cost amount here)," that said owner will **always offer a lower price** than is indicated on that website.
The reason for this is simple: All of those booking websites charge the owner between 10 and 20% of the listed rate.
So when you book on a travel website you are likely always going to pay MORE than if you just contacted the owner directly. In all of my travels this has only not been the case a couple of times.
You also need to understand that these booking websites that have basically taken over the booking market are slowly but surely putting the little guys out of business because in many cases their profitability was already very low and the 20% reduction is killing them.
When you book using major sites you are actually contributing to the corporate takeover of the travel industry and eliminating the small guys because the bigger places can afford to pay to get top spots and even to have bad reviews removed. The little guys can't do this.
In all of my travels I have enjoyed staying at the Mom and Pop places a lot more than the gigantic party-hostels (even when I was younger) and I feel as though you meet more adventurous people when you stay at the smaller establishments. So do yourself a favor and stop using the big booking sites. It might seem counter-intuitive but trust me on this one, I have many years of experience.
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<h3> Get your local information at a bar </h3>
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Once again, technology can be your enemy in this regard because what website is going to tell you the truth when the truth doesn't make them any money? The same is also true of any tourism agency, of which there are many in any backpacking location anywhere I have ever been. They are going to tell you that every single brochure you pick up is an "amazing experience" because they are paid commission to do so.
The owner of a bar wants to sell you some drinks and the people who work there are locals. They stand to gain noting by lying to you about the various attractions of the city they inhabit.
I was told this tactic by someone in Kuala Lumpur after I had just gotten off of an overpriced and quite miserable train journey from Singapore. I had been sold a bad deal and the person who sold me the ticket knew that there were going to be no repercussions on his end for having done so. This person (who I met in a bar) had years of traveling experience and told me that when he arrives in a town he didn't normally even have lodging booked yet. He would just take public transport or a taxi to the "backpackers part of town" find a bar, and park his bag. He would then have a few drinks and speak to the bartender (which is very likely going to be an owner in a backpacker bar) and ask him or her for the "real" information. He said that this almost always ends up in him getting a hidden gem that you are not going to find on websites. Also, he would find out about the cheaper ways to see the sites of the area while also avoiding the crowds.
Plus you get the added benefit of day drinking depending on when you arrive and this can be a lot of fun as well.
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<h3> Not socializing </h3>
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It's a global phenomenon and this anti-social behavior has long since extended into the backpacking world: People will hang out in the lobby of their hostel, which back in the day used to be a place to meet people from all over the world and exchange stories and instead of doing that, they are staring at their phones or at their laptops/tablets and are missing out on what backpacking is truly all about.
The entire idea behind backpacking in my mind is to see things you wouldn't see and share these experiences with new friends from all over the world that you probably wouldn't have the chance to experience and meet if you were back home. Yet these days when I travel people are simply sharing their very limited experiences with people back home instead of just talking to those that are around them.
I have met hundreds, if not thousands, of very interesting people over the years while traveling and I still keep in touch with many of them to this day. I also ended up getting real-life experiences from people that had already been to a place that I was thinking of going to next and they were able to give me the real scoop on what those areas are actually like. You are not going to get this sort of up-to-the-moment information from a travel blog (even my travel blog) and certainly wont get it from a booking site.
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<h3> TL;DR </h3>
Basically this is my rant about how technology has slowly but surely eroded the entire traveling experience rather than enhanced it. Most of the online information is built in a way to direct you to spend money through that particular website and they are not generally in the business of actually helping you to enjoy your actual travels.
I'm not saying people should just wander into the great beyond (although that is precisely what we used to be forced to do back in the 90's) but maybe just maybe don't depend on your technology to do everything for you. When people do this they are missing a major part of the backpacking experience and these unknowns are actually a huge part of what makes backpacking such a rewarding experience.
Cut the cord folks, get unplugged, other clichés! Get out there and just not know where you are going next. I promise you will thank me for it later!
hiveblocks