Thread: Backpackers/budget travellers

The backpack Chris is referring to is what's called a "travel pack." There are many brands available that are made by companies that specialize in outdoor gear. Some of the older Steve's bags do not have a waist belt, which is a must-have. I;'d definitely shop around.

The virgin islands national park on St. John has excellent tours and paths for you to explore with guides or on your own. A couple from Austin, Texas, recently spent their second honeymoon and have shared some pictues with us. Kim and Steve June 2003 Vacation
alouise1@viaccess.net

Wow, interesting topic and observations. I have to agree that most backpackers I have seen are the youthful, adventurest types. I have seen OLDER backbackers too. I have come across a few backpackers in my days. I never really had the time nor job, to disappear for a few months at a time doing a backpacking tour anywhere. I saw the world working on board a vessel, which took me all over the world. BUT, what happens when we hit a port? We basically converted into "BACKPACKERS". That is where we carried our belongings, change of clothing, carried our souveniers or gifts back in our knapsacks or backpacks, or just plane travel toat bags. Don't forget, we have no cars to put our things in, nor do we live on shore. Our home is on the ship, and if we get stranded, its nice to have a toat with a set of clothing for the unexpected. I disappeared into the mountains in Northern Philippines with my backpack for 5 days when my ship harbored in MANILA BAY. Of course, I had more money than the average backpacker and could afford to stay in a 45 dollar a night hotel. Aside that, I was your basic backpacker. I was on foot, road the bus, and visited interesting sites around town. A backpacker to me is just a TOURIST with LESS money. Instead of using luggage, he carries a BACKPACK. He stays in cheaper places, but likes to linger in foreign countries for up to a month or more. Doesn't really have a career to go back to, and has alot of time on his hands.

I think some people tend to confuse a BACKPACKER with a CAMPER. A backpacker stays in economy HOSTLES and doesn't mind sharing communal bathrooms nor bedrooms. He doesn't know where he might stay from day to day, and everyday brings on a new and different enviroment. He tries to visit points of interest, to include climbing volcanos or walking through the jungles to see old ruins. If he's lucky and finds a decent HOSTEL for the night, he may linger in the lobby and utilize the internet over good coffee and as Europeans mostly do, converse about anything. If he has to, he may camp the night somewhere if he has no choice.
A CAMPER on the other hand, lives for the outdoors. He travels with SLEEPING outdoors in mind. A sleeping bag is a must, maybe a sleeping mat, a tent, he looks like he is carrying STEPS of equipment upon his back. He usually camps domestically, although, some do it abroad, but a CAMPER and a BACKPACKER are somewhat different breeds. One is in search of the outdoors fun while the other is in it for the "TOURISTY ADVENTURE".

Now, where does the Space Available or Non-rev fit into all of this? Again, they can convert to either a camper or backpacker when the plane lands, only, he did not have to pay FULL FARE, and if his wife works for the hotels and gets free lodging, this makes him the CHEAPEST SKATE with the highest traveling standards, and the ENVY of all in the travel world.

I remember walking through downtown MERIDA, with my wife, we were looking for the bus terminal for a run down to UXMAL. It was hotter than hell, sweat pouring down my BEEP like no tomorrow. I asked the guy at the gasoline station downtown how to get to the terminal. He pointed somewhere to a street, but there were hundreds of streets he pointed but just as I looked up, I noticed a clan of backpackers disappearing into a street. I looked at my wife and said, "THERE THEY GO", and I know they gotta be doing the same thing we are. They were a long way ahead of us, so we cut through the park or ZOCALO and dodged into the street I saw the backpackers go into. Sure enough, they were there, but way way ahead of us. As we walked, they disappeared around a corner. When we came upon the corner, there it lay....in big signs...TERMINAL DE AUTOBUSES. Sure enough, I saw those backpackers and they went straight to the terminal heading for UXMAL. I could tell they must have been from ITALY or GERMANY, somewhere there. One girl had RED as hell hair, and her duffle bag and pack was way bigger than her. I couldn't believe she could carry all that crap. She had awful strong atheletic looking legs, must have been a MARINE or something at one time humping that pack. My wife got a super kick out of that. She couldn't stop laughing at how smart I was to follow those backpackers. I even cut her laughter short when I told her to carry my back pack, since this tough lady was carrying thrice her own size. (Of course, I didn't hold my wife up to that one.) We made it to UXMAL thanks to those backpackers. I felt so happy, I even helped a stranded young kid that got his things ripped off in the terminal on his way home to CHIAPAS. The poor kid just wanted phone card money to call his mother. Or so that is what his story was. Needless to say, WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, JUST FOLLOW THE BACKPACKERS. Chances are, they are going to the EXACT same place you want to go to cheaply.

Ahhhh....you don't really need a new club for backpackers. Go here and check it out. www.hostels.com If you tell them you NONREV, they'll think you have more money to spend. Right?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MK:
We need to start a nonrev backpacking/hostelling club!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

One of the only reasons i work for the airline is to travel cheap. I have found backpacking,hosteling,cheap travel web sites and camping to be my new way of life. Boy what a life my son is now 12 and enjoys it as much as I.We just spent a week in Maui nonreved over ATA style camped for a week and only dished out about 300.00 clams for it all. I have also thought of wedding myself a hotel employee for the discounts and LOVE also of course.Talk to ya soon and keep it cheap.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 29Palms:
Ahhhh....you don't really need a new club for backpackers. Go here and check it out. <a href="http://www.hostels.com" target="_blank">http://www.hostels.com</A> If you tell them you NONREV, they'll think you have more money to spend. Right?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MK:
We need to start a nonrev backpacking/hostelling club!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Hostels.com is primarily a booking engine and while it has some good hostel info, the message boards are icredibly lame. Besides Lonely Planet's Thorntree, one of the best internet bbs for budget travel/hosteling in Europe is Eurotrip.com, but I'm a bit biased as I am a moderator there (under another name that wasn't available here, unfortunately)

Thanks for that info I will be traveling to europe in march in know its not the best (weather) time to go but lufthansa is offer us 99.00 round trip from the states to europe now thru march 31st so here I go . Im flying into frankfurt but catching the first train out to wherever. I will be following my new favorite web site NONREV.NET till I leave. so if anyone wants to chim in go rite ahead