Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anaïs Nin, USA and France
I want to travel, but I don't like the idea of going alone.
This is the biggest hurdle for many would-be-travelers. The fact for many of us is if we don't go backpacking alone, we aren't going backpacking. You have to be lucky to have a travel partner with similar goals, time, and money as yourself. Plus, can you realistically expect to have a travel partner with whom you want to spend almost twenty-four hours per day? Traveling alone will force you to meet other people, and will probably expose you much more to the real experiences of travel.
If you feel you must travel with someone, there is a good chance you will meet another person in similar circumstances as you travel. I have traveled with dozens of backpackers for periods long and short--from a few months to a few weeks, a few days, even a few hours. It's fun, and you can go off on your own again whenever you want.
Photo: Maps like this dot many European cities.
I don't think I'm the backpacker type.
Most Americans don't think they're the backpacker type, but maybe you just aren't sure what the backpacker type is. We Americans really don't do much traveling compared to Germans, English, French, Italians, Danes, Australians, etc. We do two-week vacations here and there, sign up for tours and cruises, but as a nation we aren't very adventurous. The reason for this, I believe, is that our country is so gigantic we aren't much exposed to travel in other lands. In Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Denmark, Australia, a great many people--teachers, architects, engineers, secretaries, mechanics, students--do consider themselves the backpacker type, and they travel on their own all over the world. They have an intellectual interest in other cultures, and it is the greatest fun for them to make their own way through other countries.
The whole point of this book is to expose more people to the concept of backpacker travel, and to give them a good start on how to do it. Americans especially need to travel more. It would do our national outlook a lot of good, and it might do you a lot of good. You just might be more the backpacker type than you realize.
Is it safe to travel?
The last thing I want is for someone to read this book and then naively get hurt traveling. There are risks to travel, just as there are risks in everything you do.
Risk is determined by several factors, the first of which is where you travel. For example, the average backpacker is many times more likely to be pickpocketed in Managua than London. Fortunately, "average" backpackers don't usually go to Managua. The ones that do keep their money in a hidden money belt, and are wary with their wallets and packs. Backpackers in Central America are a self-selected group who are overall more "world-wise" than average backpackers in Europe or Australia. These travelers mostly navigate Managua without incident.
But there are plenty of pickpockets in London, and backpackers can get just as run-over by a bus there as in any developing world city. Indeed I consider myself at a greater serious health risk in left-side driving countries like Britain than in proper-side driving countries like Nicaragua--it's just too easy to forget.
The other risk factor is you and how you travel. Your risks skyrocket if you don't wear a seat belt, if you don't take the proper health precautions, or if you walk alone at night in dangerous areas of medieval countries in a miniskirt. If you are sensible, like most backpackers, your risks are reduced wherever you travel.
As in everything, you must weigh the benefits against the risks.
Is it safe for women to travel alone?
The fact is there are a great many women all over the world backpacking alone. Of course many join up with other women backpackers some time during their journey. Everyone knows there's safety in numbers, and it's fun to share experiences. Nevertheless, any lone backpacker will spend time alone, so she should know how to handle herself.
Some countries are more threatening to women than others. While Italy is a thousand times more hassle than northern Europe in terms of pinches, whistles, strange men pounding on your hotel door and sweetly asking if they can visit for a few minutes--it's probably only slightly more dangerous in terms of rape. Most women travelers love Italy and get along well.
Morocco, on the other hand, is three hundred years behind even Italy in its treatment of women. Women traveling in developing countries must understand their western status does not make them immune to the sexual time-warp around them. Indeed, in some countries the woman traveler is a prized sexual target for local men. Fortunately, this usually means nothing more than an uninvited man sitting at your table and asking pointed questions while you're trying to eat.
But be aware that rape is sadly common in some parts of the world--notably certain macho areas of Latin America. While this affects local women far more than western travelers, it gives you an idea of the prevailing attitudes. Women can travel safer in these areas by wearing clothing that hides their curves and covers their skin. They should also avoid going out alone at night in seedy areas. And, unless it's recommended by your guidebook or there are other backpackers there, it may not be the smartest move to stay in the absolutely cheapest accomodation.
Women backpackers say aloofness is one of their best defenses. You may want to avoid making eye contact with some individuals by wearing dark sunglasses. Good defenses for a man who sits at your table and won't take no for answer include pretending to read something, saying something to the waiter, and slamming your fist down and angrily exclaiming for all to hear, "Get out!"
For every backpacker there could come a time when she needs to aggressively defend herself. Usually this takes the form of sharp words and a hostile manner as above, but she may also need to get physical with her defense, and do it effectively by using sharp and surprising force. Every woman can do this. See Chapter 8 Pickpockets, Thieves, and Self-Defense for more information.
My own estimate is there are more women than men travel backpackers. And I have not seen any statistics saying travel is more dangerous for women than men. Indeed I think it's probable that women are able to avoid trouble better than men due to greater reliance on instinct and brainpower.
I'm such a weenie, shouldn't I go with a tour group my first time?
First of all, quit thinking negatively about yourself. You simply have the natural fear everyone has before their first trip. Now, for all you old campaigners who are unsure of your ability to get by in an unfamiliar situation; for those who have just a short amount of time; and for you people who really are weenies--following is a step-by-step plan for two weeks in Europe that will give you a thousand times more satisfaction than being canned into a speeding bus tour, with all the nonsense that involves.
1. Go to your bookstore and pick up a backpacker guidebook such as Let's Go or Berkeley Guides, then select a city to begin your adventure. London, Edinburg, and Dublin are fantastic capital cities that speak English, and are easy to navigate for even the weeniest American. (I began there, too.)
2. Read Chapter 4 How to Get Cheap Flights and get a cheap flight.
3. Select a hotel from your guidebook that sounds reasonable, then give them a call and book a reservation for, let's say, four nights in London.
4. Select a hotel in Paris that your guidebook indicates has an English speaking desk, and then make a reservation with them for four nights. This reservation is optional if you are traveling outside the busy summer season, as you could wait to book a room in Paris until you arrive there by train. There is a tourist office in, or very near, the main train station in every major city in Europe. You just wait in line and an English speaking clerk will find a room for you. Do try to arrive earlier in the day rather than later, though.
5. Select a hotel in Amsterdam, or wherever, and make a booking there. Or again, in the off-season you could wait until the morning of your arrival.
6. When you decide to leave London you walk to the train station, get in line, and buy a ticket to Paris. In Paris you buy a ticket to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam you buy a ticket back to London, where you could have a reservation back at your old familiar hotel. (Incidentally, returning to a city you may see it quite differently. Travelers often talk about this phenomena.)
7. Your train will either go through the chunnel or drive into the hold of a large ferry boat. You don't have to do anything special. Just get on the train and in a few hours you will be where you want to be. It couldn't be easier.
8. Pack very light. Three suits of clothes is all anyone needs. Four is extravagant, and is the absolute upper limit. Don't bring anything you are only going to wear once. "Three suits" means the one you have on and two in your bag.
9. Sometime when you are sitting at a cafe feeling free, happy, and satisfied, send me a postcard.
Won't I look funny dining alone?
Depends on how you eat. Lone diners are far more common in Europe than the States, but you will probably meet dining companions at some point.
But who do I talk to when I'm alone?
To yourself, of course! Write letters and keep a journal. Think about what you've seen. Read a book. Study the language. Observe people. Play with children. Make friends. Hit on German backpacker gals/guys. If you're an American you may already be world class when it comes to talking to strangers.
But I don't speak their language.
Fortunately you do speak the most international language there has ever been. Indeed, many backpackers from all over the world mostly speak English while traveling. Of course not everyone speaks English--and in some places hardly anyone does--but you can still get along. You know what a hotel looks like. You know what food looks like. You know what airports and train stations and taxis look like. You can always make sounds like a train, hold your arms like wings and swoosh like a plane, point to your mouth or just go to McDonald's.
Europe is easy for monolingual Americans. China, on the other hand, is difficult for independent travelers who don't speak Chinese. You can stare at the characters in your guidebook and on a neon sign for half an hour, and still not know if you're looking at a hotel or a laundry. Until you go inside and make your hands into a pillow--and they try to press your shirt.
What if something unexpected happens?
When something unplanned happens--which must be expected and even desired in backpacker travel--you are the one to deal with it and reap the benefits. Being thrown into new, accidental situations is what backpacker travel is all about, and one reason why it is so much more interesting than group travel.
When the chicken train inexplicably flies by leaving you and twenty others with tickets to turn in, you can either sulk or begin thinking about alternative transport like everyone else. Something will come up, there will be a way around your predicament. The fellow you've been chatting with may say, "Hey gringo, my brother has a truck. You want to ride?"
Don't people in other countries all hate Americans?
Bite your tongue! An amazing number of people have uncles, brothers, sisters, or cousins in the States; have themselves visited or worked here; or have seen and heard about us through movies, books, and pop culture. If they have a problem with the U.S. Government or foreign policy, they usually separate this from individual Americans. Of course, if you are rude, obnoxious, or loud you may not be well received.
What if I get sick or injured?
You could also crack your head in the bathtub tomorrow. But take good health recommendations, and before venturing into the developing world seek professional advice and immunizations from a travel clinic. In Western Europe and other developed countries medical care is excellent, and in the developing world you should be able to afford the best doctor in town. Some travel insurance policies include emergency transport back to the States. See Chapter 9 Effects of the Sun, Maladies, etc. for more information.
I wish I had traveled when I was younger, but I'm so old now I don't think I'll fit in.
Ridiculous. There are many backpackers over 30, 40, 50, and 60, and I even met an 81-year-old American lady on her first hosteling tour of Europe. She got discounts. So see your doctor, strap on a backpack, and see some of the world before...
I've never been without a car before. Won't using public transport be terrible?
In most of the world public transport is far more convenient than in most of the U.S. For many travelers it's among the highlights of their trip.
Photo: Riding public transport you'll meet more people more intimately than you ever thought humanly possible.
How will I know which bus to get on?True, it's not always easy to get on the right bus. Nor is it always easy to get off the bus. But hey, at least you are on a bus, heading somewhere, presumably.
The basis for this fear, like most others, is fear of the unknown. The mind invents all kinds of rationales and worries to accommodate fear of the unkown. You conquer it by getting on your bus or train or airplane and seeing what happens. You can read all you want about the unknown, make all kinds of plans, but eventually you have to march into it. Every journey is a series of steps taken one at a time.
But how will I know when to get off the bus?
Also not always easy. Fortunately, bus drivers all over the world have the uncanny ability to know where you want off if you ask them. If possible sit near the front, perhaps at some point reminding the driver of your destination. Ask someone near you if this is your stop. You can point to a map, or just say "Plaza de Armas?" quizzically and with a smile. They will understand and either shake their heads or say "Si!" and shoo you off. When you reach your stop it's not unusual for three or four people around you to let you know at the same time. The good people of the world really do look out for you.
What will I have after spending all this money on travel?
Good travel is a matchless educational experience.
How will I know what all the funny money is worth?
You'll figure it out. It probably won't take more than one or two transactions. It's no big whoop.
It was then that the idea of visiting Lhasa really became implanted in my mind. Before the frontier post to which I had been escorted I took an oath that in spite of all obstacles I would reach Lhasa and show what the will of a woman could achieve. But I did not think only of avenging my own defeats. I wanted the right to exhort others to pull down the barriers which surround, in the center of Asia, a vast area extending approximately 79 to 99 degrees longitude. Alexandra David-Neel, France, from My Journey to Lhasa, 1927
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Few places in this world are more dangerous than home. Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action. John Muir, USA and Scotland, from The Mountains of California
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Man must have just faith in himself to have adventures, and just enough doubt to enjoy them. G.K. Chesterton, England
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If you don't risk anything, you risk everything. Unknown