The Backpacker's World

“I wonder how you can exist without a piano. It almost seems to me a necessary of life.”
-Fanny Thornton (from the novel North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell)

Fact: It only takes two words to make a backpacker’s eyes light up with delight: “free laundry.”

Fact: It only takes two more words to make that backpacker your friend for life: “free food.”

Living out of a backpack really does make one realize how little is needed in life. With the obvious exception of my book collection, I’ve actually missed very few of my things since I’ve been on the road. It’s a little unsettling to realize that all I need to survive day to day can be stored in one decent-sized backpack. I was especially shocked to realize that I hadn’t had Starbucks for over a month and was no worse for the wear. And with only two pairs of shoes (trainers & flip flops) and limited clothing options, it’s freeing to not have to deliberate over what to wear each day. It quite simplifies the process of getting ready in the morning.

The backpacker’s struggle is this: Everything necessary for daily living must be able to be carried all at once. Too many bags, and you won’t get anywhere. Too heavy a bag, and you’ll drop from exhaustion. Therefore, you give yourself a certain amount of space and weight, and you stick to it. It’s like physics – if you buy something, something else of equal or greater size and weight must be thrown out. It certainly makes you think twice about unplanned purchases. Personally, I wish most things in life worked like this – I think I’ll make an experiment of it next time I make a purchase at home. One thing bought, one thing tossed. It would certainly cut down on clutter, don’t you think?

Some hazards of the backpacker life:

My brand new trainers now look like I’ve worn them every day for five years. Australia’s red center with all the clingy red dust is mainly to blame.

I’ve lost either my shampoo or my conditioner I think a total of four times by forgetting it in the shower long enough for another backpacker to claim it. Oops.

I’ve avoided bed bugs, thank goodness, but just barely. My roommate of one night was not so fortunate. I felt itchy the entire day just out of sympathy for her.

Constant company is fun but can be exhausting at times. I imagine long term backpackers must daydream about just one night in a room to themselves.

Towels never have a chance to dry properly. Damp towels = smelly towels. Smelly towels + dirty tennis shoes = musty smelling clothes. I have learned quickly that backpacking is not a way to impress people with your high sense of fashion. The true (female) backpacker wears zero makeup, hair tied haphazardly into a ponytail-ish bun, wrinkled clothes...and a huge grin on her face because she’s more thrilled about the free food at her hostel than the shopping center down the street. (She couldn’t fit new stuff into her backpack, anyway.)

And on to the primary joys of the backpacker life:

Flexibility! Halfway through my travels from Darwin to Sydney, I decided I wanted to stay a week in Melbourne with some of my new friends. So I did. Simple as that. I love it!

I’ve met people from all over the world! I’ve had long conversations with people from Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, China, Japan, Canada, and the USA. (And those are just the ones I can clearly remember at the moment.) I’ve been invited to visit people in at least half of these countries.

I’ve witnessed firsthand a Swiss and Belgian debate the best source of chocolate…and the same Belgian debate the best source of beer with a German.

I helped a Japanese girl work on her English, and in return she made me an origami crane out of beautiful Japanese paper.

While in Cairns, I made a new friend every night, even convincing a few of them to join me for dinner & the movies.

While snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, I made friends with a Chinese Frenchman who invited me to visit him in Paris. I think I’ll pass on that one, but it was fun to be asked to meet someone in Paris, all the same. I’ll always be able to say that now.

I’ve met friends in one part of the country, only to meet them again in another! Case in point, I met Maike first in my Jillaroo class in Tamworth, again two months later in Cairns, and again several weeks later in Melbourne!

All in all, I'd say that I rather enjoyed my try at backpacking Australia!

This blog entry is dedicated to my lovely sister-in-law, Nathalie, for lending me her beautiful, sturdy backpack for my trip. Thank you, Nat!!!