Is Backpacking a Thing of The Past?
When backpacking comes back. That is the statement I along with many others have said over the past six months.
But as a generally positive “half-glass-full” type of person, should have I been so quick to assume the backpacking trails will recover? CNN recently published an article here, discussing the massive ramifications of the loss of travel, particularly in Asia. Hostels have taken a huge hit across the board with many shutting down for good while others have closed their doors temporarily but with no future in sight.
As someone who was on the backpacker trail when COVID hit, I can say it was certainly a devastation. Seemingly overnight, my Instagram timeline morphed from static images of beaches and elephants to images of flights home. Besides my small group of ex-pats taking refuge in Bali, it looked like backpackers vanished into thin air. With a new year and no solution on the horizon - what will backpacking’s future look like?
Call me Miss Rose-Colored Glasses, but I do think the backpacking lifestyle will recover, it will just take time. Even when travel is more “open,” the possibility of quarantines or covid-test clearance will keep backpackers at bay who formerly reaped the benefits of visa-free entries and simple border crossings. Even more pressing, backpacking only works with large amounts of participants. The huge draw of this lifestyle, besides the low budget requirements, is the people you meet along the way. I made friends from around the world, had new and known faces at each hostel and traveled alongside strangers that became companions. Without hordes of people descending on Koh San Road in Bangkok or a whole group of new friends to island hop with - the appeal of backpacking certainly goes down drastically.
Another question the article points to is whether these countries even want backpackers back, with some destinations utilizing this time to readjust their marketing strategies and aim for high-net worth individuals. For places like Australia and New Zealand - I do believe it’s a stretch but could be a successful transition if done right. For most of the popular backpacking Asian countries, including Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, I think their need for backpackers is alive and well and will not change anytime soon. With Europe holding the top spot for “luxury” travel and Asia’s market share of tourists historically being convenience and budget travelers, they would need an overhaul in communications strategy in order to change their reputation.
Beyond that, I think CNN’s coverage of people who believe backpacking to be a big negative, citing poor behavior and low economic imprint, as overall short-sighted. They are correct in wishing for better behavior - but drunken antics are typically the direct result of young travelers, not poor ones. At the end of the day, gaining access to cultures and locations, understanding budget and finance, and learning to be outside of your comfort zone are all reasons why access to this type of travel is pivotal to the young generations.
Even more important, luxury travels put a huge amount of money Into just a few pockets while backpackers put livable wages into a lot of pockets. Despite spending less, their long-term travel and propensity to frequent local establishments is what keeps many of these neighborhoods intact. This also provides a more authentic view of these counties and the chance to meet and interact with locals. By relying on high-net worth individuals, whole countries will effectively become invisible in the world landscape. Despite having money flow in, high end trips to Cambodia, Thailand or Vietnam would provide little value. Guests will leave their sumptuous hotels and 5-star meals behind and tell their friends at home about the lovely sights they witnessed on their two-week getaway. Little do they know; they saw next to nothing about the authentic lifestyle of the people they now claim to understand.
Luxury travel has a place in this world -but so does backpacking. For the good of all the local people who I’ve seen struggling, I do hope this form of vacation comes back sooner rather than later, but if you have an opinion on the matter, I’d love to hear it!