10 Golden Rules For A Backpacker

Has your backpack become like a loyal friend to you and do you most often find yourself staying in hostels?

Not all of us are made for backpacking, and we understand there are travelers who truly love the facilities of a 5 star-hotel and travelling in the first class. These commodities however don't really have what we like to call “ability to adapt”, the fundamental qualification that people who choose to backpack need to have.

Being a backpacker doesn't mean you have to be a solo traveler - if you prefer, you can also travel with friend or with your partner. Even if we genuinely believe that rules and stereotypes should not be taken too seriously, we created for you a 'tongue on the cheek' written 10 rules for a backpacker:

1. Hostels are like a holy place for you

Excluding couchsurfing and randomly slept nights at the airport while waiting for your flight, hostels are always the kind of accommodation you should prefer. If you are a picky type of a traveler, dont' worry, design hostels luckily exist nowadays such as Goodmorning Hostel in Lisbon, or 7 Santi Hostel in Florence, where the bar is built where there used to exist an ancient monastery.

2. Don't mix the feeling of loneliness and being alone

If you are a solo traveler you surely know it's possibile to feel a bit lonely sometimes, but that's not always a bad thing. In fact, it could be an opportunity to get to know yourself better. Remember that the person you are going to live forever with is nobody else but you, and referring to the previous rule number 1, choosing to stay in a hostel is a great way to meet new people.

3. Remember to renew your passport

Having a valid passport is essential for every traveler, and we are not talking about backpackers only! Remember to renew it, since after a while there is the risk to forget about its expiry date. So, well before-hand prior to your next departure it's very vital to check the validity of your passport.

4. Honor your backpack

The backpacker's backpack is holy and it has to be respected. The backpack often becomes the traveler's house, everything you may need during your trip is there, from the sleeping bag to the emergency kit, from the toilet paper to a pair of earplugs, which ma be rather useful if you book a bed in a shared room.

5. Don't lose your instincts

Set yourself free to go instead of continuously thinking of “what” and “if”. If there's something you're really eager to do - just go and do it! The right time to go is NOW, because every moment you doubt is lost and after a while you'll realise to be in your 50's, looking back to your passed life saying “Oh what if that day I did that and said that...”. Between the backpacker's 10 rules this surely is one of the most important, since it makes your trip an adventure, which is the ultimate purpose of travelling.

6. Respect the country you are visiting

Even if you can't speak the language of the country you are visiting, take time to find out some information about the destination, customs, and gestures, which rather often may be quite different from yours. The country you are visiting is hosting you and just for this reason you should respect it, not only the historical buildings, (sometimes including hostels!), but first of all its people and citizens.

7. Don't steal universal adapters

It happens, we know it, bumping into a person who will try to steal your universal adapter while you're asleep like a log. “Don't do to others what you don't want to be done to you”, applies here like it should in every day life. And just in our humble opinion, it's anyways better to keep the adapter inside your backpack!

8. Learn other languages

You don't need to have a PhD in 5 different languages to travel around the world. However, speaking at least a few words of other languages in addition to English could be useful, depending on the local language of your destination. We advise always to travel with a dictionary, since you never know!

9. Don't be jealous of other travelers' trips

Everyone makes their own choices in life as well as in travel, so don't be jealous of someone traveling to your absolute dream destination. His/her trip won't be yours because each one of us is different and we truly believe this variety exists to spice up our life!

10. Don't envy other travelers' budgets

There are always people who can afford and people who can't. Backpackers usually don't swim in gold, arranging their travel between hostels and low cost meals and using public transportations or often choosing to move around by foot. Planning a trip with a definite budget is not always a bad thing and it makes you appreciate things more. Basically, you just need to make sure you know where you want to be investing your travel budget on.

Curious to learn more tips for budget travel? Check our cool and comfy selection of hostels here!