Backpackers stink. They are gross transients with no future and spread venereal diseases as they migrate from hostel to hostel. Most only do so to drink more beer, sleep in more hammocks and collect visa stamps. They carry lice, and sleep with bed bugs. The common rooms in hostels are nearly always infested with backpackers snoozing, lounging, beer drinking and are ultimately filthy. Backpackers are the lower class of civilized people who don’t care to work, or contribute to society.
I find it amusing that some outsiders who have never experienced the amazing, and deep sub culture of backpacking can actually believe most of the above statements. For me, backpacking annually leads to a sense of groundedness. It allows me to converse with some of the most diplomatic, caring, and selfless people I have ever met. From political conversations with six different nations, to simply outreaching and sharing goods, feelings or food to those in need, I have experienced some of the best people here, in this ‘dirty’ subculture of humanity.
It is my belief that if every young person had the opportunity to travel the world, and experience it in its entirety, we would be more likely to live in a racist, sexist and possibly even classist-free world. With the experience young people take with them, so comes a greater understanding, a greater knowledge, more compassion, and a greater willingness to act. We take away so much, particularly when you travel with so little. It often allows one to step back, to breathe and to reflect upon what we have, and what we do not have back home. Often what we have is great. Often what we do not have is even greater; we realize most people live without that greater understanding, knowledge, compassion and willingness to act. People live their lives with blinders on. Never stopping to help. To ask questions. To act.
I hope that one day all children will have the opportunity to both travel, and experience those people that do. That through this sharing of bedrooms, kitchens, and living spaces with cultures from all over the world, we can translate it into a broader picture. I believe that backpacking is one small way we can work towards accepting the differences between people and cultures, and even embrace them. We can look forward to sharing our culture, and receiving other cultures from all over the world. Through this sharing, I believe we can break down the fear and bigotry towards different people; we just have to understand each other first.
Both within the backpacking community, and within the poor communities we visit, there is a sense of family and kindness. We understand the connection between people as a whole. That the Asian boy, the Dutch girl, and the native tribes one visits all deserve life and kindness. They deserve that bandana you’ve been carrying, or the extra t-shirt you know you don’t need. They will share their lunch with you when you have no money. They will keep you company when you miss home. They will teach you, and you will teach them. The deep connections one can find are amazing when one leaves a cell phone at home; one can regain the ability to simply talk and connect, even when there is a language barrier.
Backpackers are not dirty. They are teachers, writers, economists, students, plumbers, interior designers, nurses. They are all fed up with the grind. They understand this grounded feeling. They are regaining their humanity and their ability to recognize the bigger, more significant picture. They want to find out what is important for the world, and want to understand their roles in it. Many simply go to see the great natural and manmade wonders of the world, but they come home with much more than just photos. No matter the initial intention when one embarks on a journey that takes them from hostel to hostel, tribe to city, jungle to desert, a deeper connection with the world becomes apparent. We may come home with small trinkets to share with friends, but we come home with much more than that. We come home with a greater knowledge, understanding, compassion and a drive to act. We share stories of the people we meet, of the experiences we’ve had in hopes that one day, you too will share in our amazing experiences abroad. That instead of 5 star hotels, and foreign owned resorts, you will share in our sub-culture of amazing people giving back to the world in many small, and sometimes big ways.
