What’s backpacking without getting wet? Canadian couple (R) Eamon and (C) Bec, together with a (L) travel buddy, joined a whale shark underwater when they went backpacking in the Philippines. (Photo : Travel Bugs/YouTube)
Checking out the submissions for the meaning of the word “backpacker” at Urban Dictionary would lead to something surprising: the term primarily had nothing to do with travel.
According to most of the entries, “backpacker” originally referred to a graffiti artist or it was associated with music, rap/hip-hop in particular.
Most people nowadays would think of a backpacker as an independent traveler who is, more often than not, on a shoestring budget.
Budget travel almost always appeals to the younger set: college peer groups on a spring break vacation, yuppies taking some time off away from the maddening corporate world and far from the vicinities of the concrete jungle, young lovers simply wanting to spend more time together, and perhaps all the youngsters out there who are raring to travel but don’t have that much cash.
Traveling, in general, can be exciting as chances to discover wonderful places, to learn something new, to experience random pleasant surprises and to make new friends abound.
Because backpacking is synonymous with budget travel, where else can one get really useful tips on how to travel for less than from travel bloggers themselves?
Many travel bloggers are most likely backpackers. Their main difference perhaps from other backpackers is that they write--blog--about their firsthand account of their travels, with matching pictures to support any claim they would make.
They definitely know the way on how to get to those “hidden” getaways and locate those “secret” restaurants.
These bloggers can give directions to a town’s cheapest accommodation where one can also sleep in peace and wake up the next day--in the same place--with one’s belongings still there.
Matt Stabile, founder and editor-in-chief of TheExpeditioner.com, enumerated the top 50 travel blogs as of the fourth quarter of 2015.
In the Feb. 10, 2016 blog entry, Stabile said that he intended “to create the most objective and accurate list of the most popular travel blogs.”
A data recruitment team manager at New York-based employment agency Averity, Stabile said that his “list is based solely on the number of visitors a travel blog receives.”
The top five most visited blogs according to Stabile’s research are:
1. “Nomadic Matt” by Matt, a Boston native and the author of “How to Travel the World on $50 a Day.”
2. “Nomad Revelations” by Morocco-based Joao Leitao, who calls his blog as “an archive of 15 years of travel experiences.”
3. “Expert Vagabond” by Florida-based Matthew “Matt” Karsten, who said, “Travel doesn’t have to be expensive.”
4. “Y Travel Blog” by Australian married couple Caz and Craig Makepeace, who introduce themselves as “serial travel addicts and have lived in five countries and had adventures through 52.”
5. “Our Awesome Planet” by Anton Diaz from the Philippines, which he created in Jan. 2005.
Stuffing a good ol’ guidebook in one’s backpack won’t hurt, too. One can choose from those published by reputable travel guidebook companies, such as Lonely Planet, Fodor’s, Frommer’s and Rough Guides.
Just remember, when backpacking, the lure of spontaneity can be strong; therefore it would be wise to plan.
Planning can be crucial as it can save a backpacker more money, more time and more effort and, most importantly, it can save his or her own life.
