Is Backpacking Just a Party Tour?

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The modern representation of what it means to be a backpacker certainly seems to follow this credo. Everything we see on television and in the brochures definitely adds weight to this argument. Even the people you meet who have been traveling will tell you that this is how they spent most of their time.

The reality is that yes, partying is a huge part of the travel experience … for many people. For others, it never really factors in. I would argue that the pendulum has begun to swing, and far too much of the backpacking experience is dedicated to drinking. Why is this a problem? The more time you spend in the bar, the less time you have for discovery, growth, and fulfillment. Backpacking just becomes a party tour, deminishing the soul enriching experience.

Still don’t see this as a problem? One day you will. Imagine coming home after backpacking all over Europe, and all you have to show for it is a bunch of drunken pub stories, a few touristy snapshots of iconic landmarks like Big Ben, and the Eifel Tower, and the world’s largest hangover. I could have done all of that in a two week holiday, and for half the price. Whereas it took you 6 months, and almost your entire life savings.

What you neglected to realise is that the journey offers a wealth of experiences beyond the bars, and clubs. And to be honest, I have never been inside a bar that looked significantly different from the ones I have been to back home. The accent is different, but most of the drinks, and most of the patrons are the same.

What I can’t get back home is the unique opportunity to take time and reflect on my life. To sit atop the ancient gardens in Japan, to take a river cruise to a remote region in Africa, to live with the locals in Brazil, or to climb atop Ayres Rock in central Australia. Travel takes you to a place that is foreign, exciting, inspiring, and most of all unique… but only if you let it be. Drinking the same beers and vodkas in the same Irish bar is not an experience, it is a death sentence. A death sentence to your soul.

I think it is vital that you take the time to look inside yourself. Evaluate your priorities, and negotiate a fare mix between party, experience, and adventure. I have written much more about this in my upcoming book Beyond the Vacation. More details on the release coming soon.

However, before I end , I will leave you with this final thought. When you do decide to backpack the world, take a moment and let your soul breathe, you wont regret it. And while your at it, let your liver breathe as well.

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