Keep Your Friends Close And Your Backpacks Closer

So I have this backpack. It’s the kind of backpack one would use if one was to hitchhike or backpack across Guatemala (hint hint). I love this backpack. It’s huge, it’s ugly, and if I wanted to turn the geek factor up to 11, I could use the waist straps. It’s hard for me to explain how much I like this backpack, because I’ve taken it on most of my trips in the past few years and always enjoyed it, I have a firm loyalty to this backpack. Like a dog and it’s master, except I’m the dog.

I think it’s really important to have a trusty backpack. One night, you might wake up at 3am and realize that you pretty much hate your life and want to leave it all behind to go TrainHopping. What the fuck will you use to hold all the shit you want to take with you? That’s right motherfucker. A trusty backpack. Then you’re set.Yes, having a trusty backpack is really important. But that’s not all I’m trying to say. When we want to go on adventures, we think about all the things we need. All the gear that we don’t have, that will be essential to a decent adventure. And obviously planning ahead is a REALLY good idea. But then we go out to MEC or REI and buy all this new fancy, brightly coloured plastic junk that is grossly overpriced. If you plan to go TrainHopping, you don’t need a backpack that is both gigantic and designed for a professional hiker about to scale Everest, you need a dark coloured, small, light, comfortable backpack that probably won’t let you down. You don’t need new gear. You need gear. Hit up the thrift shop or (hint hint) a free box.

If you want to go on a real adventure, one where you break free of the hotel-infested tourist traps and actually experience the culture and grit of a place, you don’t necessarily need new gear. Travel is about adventure, not a huge price tag. Society has labelled travel as expensive because that’s what most people do when they go travelling. Spend a ton of money. You don’t need to if you don’t want to. Sometimes all you need is a few changes of clothes, a towel, and a trusty backpack.

-A

(reporting live from Guatemala in T-minus 6 days)