Backpacking is now on everyone's lips. But what differentiates backpacking from other ways to travel? What are the positive features of backpacking?

In this blog article, we’ll name the eight reasons why backpacking is the best way to travel.

1. Flexibility

If you travel with a backpack, you are much more flexible than you are with a suitcase. There are several reasons for this. Your backpack is much less fragile than a suitcase, allowing you to stow your backpack, e.g. in the trunk of a tour bus or on the loading area of a truck without giving it a second thought. In addition, you can’t use a suitcase when you’re traveling on long stony paths, whereas you can simply strap your backpack onto your back.

2. Backpacking is cost-effective

Due to the afore-mentioned high flexibility, it’s much easier for you to spontaneously snap up offers on your travels, and e.g. hitchhike through the country. For backpackers, it is quite normal to not spend the night in expensive hotels, but rather in inexpensive hostels.

Let's face it; luxury hotels worldwide are completely interchangeable. On the other hand, hotels that are personally run by the locals always exude a greater flair and allow you to mentally adjust faster at the holiday destination.

3. Break down prejudices

Backpacking is not just a way to travel; it’s also a certain approach to life. Those who don’t break down existing prejudices toward other nations, skin colors or religions while backpacking will swiftly reach their limits. However, if you’re open to foreign people from other backgrounds, you’ll quickly be included in the big backpacker family, especially in multicultural hostels. Cooking together, even though you don’t speak a common language, is quite normal while backpacking.

4. Build international friendships

Great friendships often arise from encounters with different people. Not infrequently, you’ll then visit each other in your home countries. This brings a great advantage with it - because there is nothing more interesting than exploring a new country together with locals and immersing yourself directly in a foreign land and culture. In addition, you’ll often save the cost of a hotel or hostel, because you can stay at your friend’s apartment for free (or for a gift).

5. Gather valuable experiences and ideas

Backpacking is a valuable ‘school’ for your life. You’ll learn important skills in how to deal with a wide variety of people, and find out how to adapt to new circumstances with incredible speed. This is one of the reasons why long trips are now well received by large corporations. Studies have shown that employees who regularly go on extended trips, can get to grips with new topics quicker and integrate faster into a new team.

6. Learn to get along with just a few things

The average person’s backpack weighs between 10 and 15 kilograms.

Limited by the size of your backpack, you’ll learn to restrict yourself to the basics and leave unnecessary things at home. That's how you’ll discover that you can be happy with just a few items. You will certainly ask yourself more often, especially after a long trip, whether you really need to make a major purchase or if it is only being suggested that you absolutely must have it now due to the multimedia advertising.

You can significantly reduce your spending on unnecessary things just by deliberately questioning your consumption.

7. You’ll leave your comfort zone

Oh yeah! You will inevitably have to leave your comfort zone - particularly if you travel to countries whose standards are well below those of your home country. But your personality can only grow outside of your comfort zone. For example, you’ll quickly learn to deal with unfamiliar circumstances.

8. You’ll find out who you really are

Do you know who you really are?

That may sound strange. But if you go backpacking for an extended period, you’ll find that you possess many more facets that you were not really aware of up to now - because you did not have the time or reflection in your daily routine to just let yourself drift away and see what happened to you. After an extended backpacking trip, it is quite possible that you will come back as a completely different person, because you will have recognized what you have in you.