Backpacking has the power to change your life

Backpacking has the power to influence us in ways that are beyond our understanding. Going backpacking can change your life and turn you into a dreamer. In today’s fast-paced life traveling can give you enough space to discover yourself and listen to the voice of your heart. This is exactly why you should go on a long term backpacking trip at least once.

When I first started backpacking, it was undoubtedly challenging. I didn’t know what to do, where to go, how to plan my day. Nothing. I was absolutely blank.

Confusion leads to Solution

I had no idea what going with the flow meant, let alone “feeling” the flow. Considering I was always the kind of person who was very well programmed by the school education system, it was very frustrating to not have a schedule to follow or someone constantly telling me where to go, what to wear and what to do.

So I would end up going to the most frequented tourist spots. Which made me feel incomplete. There used to be this constant throbbing in my head that kept telling me that this, what I was doing in the most crowded places of a city was just wrong. This is where the feeling part started to kick in. So I started to look for things and places that felt right.

I would sit next to a waterfall or in a cafe eating, trying to feel happy and satisfied but that wasn’t “it”. SO I kept looking.

Which proved to be a good thing because it made me want to explore further and try more options until I actually figured what “it” was. In my attempts to do so, I started to understand myself better.

Setting my gut feeling into motion

After a few short backpacking trips that were full of confusion, I always tried and pushed myself into figuring out where my flow was. It was most certainly not in the direction of going to another city and spending a lot of money on hotels, cab fares, and restaurant bills. All of this just felt useless.

One thing became very clear, that I wasn’t going out of the city that I live in to get to another city and spend nonsensical amount of money. I remember spending 40,000 INR (about 570 USD) for a 4 day trip to Himachal Pradesh for a group of 3. It was a big-time learning experience.

Backpacking can change an individual’s perception of life. That is exactly what was happening to me. I was figuring things out about myself that I would have never known if I had lived a 9 to 5 life going on luxury trips twice a year. I was able to go on more budgeted trips that were well managed and a lot more fun.

And no, it never felt like I was missing out on something by not staying in a five-star resort. I was closer to the locals and fellow backpackers who always have stories to tell, culture to share and tips & tricks to follow along the way. Something that is not a part of a luxury trip package.

Learn to take a Carefree Breath

Backpacking has the power to show you how much life every moment holds. Living in the cities and having corporate jobs have taught us to manage time better but not how to live in the moment. We are always planning ahead of time to stay on track, keep our jobs and meet the deadlines.

Luckily, not every part of the world has a working internet. Which gives us time to interact with the other people that are around us. To lift our heads up out of the screens and take a look at the beauty in our surroundings. The world outside of the digital arena is way more beautiful and welcoming. But you wouldn’t know that unless you lift your head up every once in a while.

Backpacking takes you places that are not even on the map. Simple places with simple people, simple lives and sorted priorities. I have learned a lot from these people and their lives. Time here moves slower than cities. Gives you enough space and peace of mind to close your eyes, have your arms wide open, chin up, head tilted (slightly) backward, and take a deep breath.

Backpacking has the power to turn you into a positive outlook-er

Consider the situation where you do not know what the next couple of hours hold or what lies beyond the next turn. Would you really choose to be anxious throughout your journey or rather choose to keep a positive mindset about everything that’s yet to come.

While on a backpacking trip, there is no space for fear, worry, anxiety and lack of confidence. Not to worry because backpacking teaches you all of this as you go along. There is no course that you have to take for backpacking to get yourself ready. Just take a breath and believe in yourself.

Once you are already on the trip you might as well keep a positive outlook about everything that happens throughout your journey. This will help you to stay calm and find your way out of every possible roadblock. Having a calm and rational mind is the key to a successful backpacking journey.

Traveling can change your life and help you find yourself

Backpacking has the power to change you and the life that you lead.

If dating a backpacker can do so much, imagine what becoming a backpacker can do. It’s not just me saying this, see what Adam has to say, or Jinna, or Angela. There is also science behind how traveling changes your personality.

I found an article titled 71 ways backpacking will ruin your life, and honestly, everything that Katie wrote in that article doesn’t sound like being ruined. It sounds quite the opposite actually. But hey, you don’t have to believe everything I say.

Just prepare a backpack and go on a one-day hiking trip. Then go on another hiking trip and keep doing it over and over until you get comfortable with the idea of spending the night under the stars. Once you get comfortable with that, take a trip further away from home and for a longer duration.

You’ll see the magic of backpacking happen to you while you least expect it.

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