Sarah Scotchmer gazes over the moonlit terrace as she sips her award-winning aged Malbec and breathes in the gentle summer breeze. Soft, warm light emanates from rod iron lampposts as beautiful people in the latest European fashions grace the tree-lined plaza’s main square. She looks longingly at her half-eaten prime cut of steak. She’s already had three glasses of wine, freshly baked bread, and two appetizers, but at a mere $7 price for the entire meal, she can still splurge on the region’s infamous ice cream if she elects not to finish the massive slab of cow in front of her.
It’s then that she realizes: quitting her job at age 30 to travel around South America was quite possibly the best decision she’s ever made.
Scotchmer is one of the many young people worldwide who participate in a form of travel commonly referred to as “backpacking.” Thought to have been pioneered by the 1960s’ hippie movement, modern backpacking has since entered into more accessible mainstream culture. There exists no formal definition for the practice, but travel guide TalknTravel considers it “international low cost travel,” and New South Wales’ tourism site distinguishes it from ordinary travel by participants’ use of public transportation, youth hostels for lodging, and extended length of trips.
Ian MacKenzie is the Editor-in-Chief of Brave New Traveler, an online travel magazine that has become the go-to guide for many backpackers and trekkers alike. He created Brave New Traveler in 2006 because he saw a lack of online travel resources publishing
“thoughtful, interesting content about how travel affects the traveler.” With articles such as “8 Free Online Resources For Learning A New Language,” and “Hostel Sex: A Practical Guide For Backpackers,” Mackenzie strives to avoid what he considers “‘destination-specific’ narratives” common on other travel websites.
Mackenzie has a broad idea of the term “backpacking.”
“Some people consider ‘backpacking’ as a type of camping. I prefer to think of the word as encompassing the act of traveling anywhere, in a city or the wild, with little more than the pack on back,” said Mackenzie.
Backpacking started out as a fantasy for 24-year-old schoolteacher Ratha Chan.
“Two or three years ago, I started chatting with a friend. One day, he just said, ‘Let’s go to South America for a year’” says Chan. “Clearly, I didn’t go with him, but it got me thinking. I had to postpone my original trip because I had a lot of issues going on. But then, because of everything that happened, eventually I wondered, ‘Why should I just sit in school when I could be traveling around Latin America?’”
On the other hand, Scotchmer, a Chelmsford, UK native, started traveling independently in 2001 to avoid the clutches of the modern workforce.
“It was the first time I could do it, logically, with college and university. I just thought, before I start work, let’s do something. Let’s do something before I get into the grim day to day life of nine-to-five.”
Her backpack, now 15-years-old, boasts tours of Fiji, the Western Canadian Rockies, New Zealand, South Africa, seven countries in Southern Africa, Hawaii, Europe, Australia, and the east coast of South America (she’s skipping the west so she has an excuse to return). When told that she has now seen six of the seven continents in the world (all besides Antarctica – and she came close in southern Argentina), she smiles and shrugs, “Who knew?”
Sal Viglietta, a part-time staff member at Hostelling International (an operator of some 4,000 worldwide hostels often frequented by backpackers) in downtown Buffalo, says that there’s always a variety of guests in their Main Street location, not fitting into one type of image.
“We get all sorts of people. There are people that come for job interviews, setting up office in their room. There are students getting ready for school, looking for apartments. We have people come that have been backpacking for months,” said Viglietta. “It’s more of a DIY experience instead of being pampered by hotels.”
Both Scotchmer and Chan faced many skeptics who questioned the safety and merit of their trips.
“It’s been kind of interesting because everybody who I’ve met says, ‘I can’t believe you’re going by yourself.’ It’s not something many Americans do. But it’s been a growing and learning experience for me, and that’s the main reason why I’m doing it. I learned a lot about myself in the first week; the first few days actually,” said Chan.
Scotchmer also resisted her critics.
“When I told everyone, they were shocked, if not worried. ‘You can’t go there. It’s not safe. How are you going to fit in?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. I’ll tell you in a few weeks time,’” said Scotchmer.
Mackenzie doesn’t think that issues of safety should deter anyone from embarking on a backpacking trip.
“Backpacking is just as safe as the more accepted form of travel, if not more so,” said Mackenzie. “Instead of being separated from other travelers in say, your own private hotel room, backpacking culture is much more communal. After a few hours in a hostel, you’ll likely find yourself with many new friends who will join you on your travels, and watch your back.”
Even backpackers who are young enough to deal with summer jobs and student loans are finding the gumption to go backpacking overseas.
Marcus O’Carroll, a fourth year Dublin University student working towards a degree in economics and sociology, thinks that “Most people don’t really get around to organizing things; they spend most of their time wanting things instead of chasing after them.” He says that in Ireland, South America is still low on the list of desired places for travel, especially after Asia and Australia. But that didn’t stop him and his best friend Conor Crosbie from going anyway.
“It’s not a usual place; a lot of people from Ireland go inland more, or to Thailand. But I didn’t want to see Irish people everywhere I went,” said Crosbie.
Nor did their lack of the regional language hold them back.
“I knew no Spanish whatsoever before coming here; I could very quickly tell you the words I knew right now: baņo, gracias, cerveza, paella, fajitas, and a few numbers,” said O’Carroll. Crosbie knew the names of some Spanish soccer players.
Kate Mullins, another Ireland native who attests that backpacking through South America is “the best thing I’ve ever done,” enjoys the full assortment of excursions that backpacking affords her.
“When you’re at home, it’s the same thing. You go to work, you go to school, you go home to your family, keep getting’ on, lovely. And the next day, it’s the same thing. But when you go away, everything is different. You can say, ‘Tomorrow I’m going skiing. No, no, canopying. No, no, trekking through the mountains.’ You can do anything you want.”
It’s this type of nitty-gritty, barebones travel that appeals to many explorers.
“What I’ve learned is, embrace the culture. Some people come over on holidays and go to five-star hotels, but you can get that anywhere. Granted, I’ve stayed in some pretty shitty places. But if I were staying in five-star hotels, I might as well be in London, Dublin, or anywhere. It’s all the same. No one here needs a lap of luxury to enjoy our holidays,” said Mullins.
According to Time Magazine, 70 percent of backpackers’ expenditures go to locally owned restaurants and businesses, as opposed to 30 percent of tourists’ spending money. Many backpackers see themselves as more immersed in local and regional culture than tourists who stick to familiar names like Hilton and Marriott.
“I’ve been a tourist. I’ve stayed in nice hotels in Europe. You do not get to see the roots of what the place is about. You can’t just walk out onto the street with five pesos in your pocket and come home with one peso having had a fantastic night. It just doesn’t happen,” said Scotchmer.
Viglietta, a Univeristy at Buffalo student and backpacker himself, tries to advise guests on local, little known happenings that they would never learn about from any AAA book.
“Probably like 80 percent of the travelers come to our desk and ask what there is to do in Buffalo. We guide them to art museums, live music, stuff like that. We help them explore,” said Viglietta.
Mackenzie acknowledges that the line between backpacking and conventional tourism is becoming “very blurry.” He advises, “Some backpackers like to think of themselves as more authentic than the conventional tourist, but ultimately it comes down to attitude rather than how you dress, or where you’re staying for the night.”
A Time columnist once remarked that backpacking is “the only example of a truly global community,” and many who partake in the act of cold showers, broken bunk beds, and being awoken by six alarm clocks in one morning find solidarity in the shared situation. When travelers eat together, shower together, and sleep together, all in a new, foreign land, relationships forged in a week can feel like months.
“Before I came here, I never thought I’d be able to travel alone, but after backpacking I’ve found that it’s so easy to stay in a hostel and talk to people,” said Crosbie. “There’s a shared identity and a sense of community or something. It’s weird,” adds O’Carroll.
Mackenzie agrees.
“The culture of backpacking is very strong. It manifests as a camaraderie between travelers. Relationships will become hyper-compressed, as a week spent in a new city with a new friend will feel like a year. Backpackers are on the whole far more friendly and open to new experiences than your average vacationer.”
And almost all remark that money should never be a factor when debating whether to take the plunge of an overseas backpacking trip. Although the price tag may be a bit hefty for a young person, many swear that after the initial plane ticket, it’s easy to travel on a budget.
“Anyone can pay for it if they’re dedicated. If they have an idea and fancy a place, it’s easy. Some people are addicted to shopping or going to the pub. Whatever they’re addicted to, if they just stop and think about how much money they can save, they can save it. Many times when I’d go and visit friends we’d just drink tea and watch movies, and that would save like 30 pounds, and all that adds up,” said Scotchmer.
“If means be, you can always take out a loan and screw over your future self who’s probably going to be boring anyway,” said O’Carroll.
Whether it’s Scotchmer soaking up local culture, O’Carroll learning Spanish, or Chan finding out that she’s “a pretty cool person,” almost every backpacker has something to gain from opening their eyes to new cultures and perspectives. And for those who still have doubts, Mullins has just one thing to say: “Get here now. Get here now. Get here now.”
Jill Gregorie is a senior Political Science major and Features Editor for Generation, who composed this story while studying in Argentina.
