5 Lessons to Learn from Backpacking

For many people, backpacking can prove to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is unlike anything else in this world. If you’re looking for a different way to travel and explore the world, then your best bet is to put on a backpack and set out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Beginner and veteran travelers recognize backpacking as one of the unique travel experiences because of the ups, downs, and struggles that comprise the entire journey from point to point.

Although there are many things to experience and take from going on a backpacking trip, there’s one particular take-away to watch out for that you won’t be able to find anywhere else, which is life lessons. If you’ve been on several backpacking trips, you’ll realize that there’s more to learn from traveling.

Are you eager to get a headstart on learning a few valuable lessons before you learn them yourself on your next backpacking trip? Here’s what you’ll only be able to learn through backpacking:

1. Material things aren’t as important as you think

This might sound like the most pretentious and “hippy-like” lesson you’ll probably hear out of this list, but the truth is that backpacking with nothing but the essentials can you teach you even more about all the other ways that you can live life. Typically, this lesson sets itself in little increments: from the time you realized that you overpacked a little on your first backpacking trip, all the way to the moment wherein you learn that traveling is all about the sights you get to see, the experiences you collect, and the people you meet along the way.

2. Patience won’t cost you anything

When it comes to backpacking, it’s best to expect that having to be open-minded and patient is needed, especially when it comes to exploring the world with like-minded travelers that come from different parts of the world. Aside from learning about and appreciating new customs, cultures, and languages, backpacking will also teach you how to be human through the countless experiences you’ll have with the different people whose paths you’ll cross with during your journey.

3. Life is too short to live in fear

Backpacking is perfect for those who want to get over their fears and rebrand themselves as completely-different people. The backpacking journey comes with different experiences that can teach anybody not to let their fears stand in the way of how they live. Whether it’s jumping on a plane to a different territory, leaving comfort zones, exploring a jungle, or plunging into the deep sea, different experiences will teach you to be even more fearless along the way.

4. Doing things alone isn’t always lonely

Typically, people travel with friends, family, or both combined— a factor that makes backpacking much more different. Without an experience point of view, chances are that you’ll probably perceive traveling by yourself as the loneliest thing in the world. In reality, however, the truth is quite the opposite. Although backpacking is mostly done alone, experiencing it first-hand will help you realize that traveling alone isn’t as lonely as you’d expect because of all the people you will meet and the experiences you create along the way.

5. Life is all about the little things

If you find yourself feeling that you have been taking life for granted, then chances are that you probably need to go on a backpacking trip. By being more than a thousand miles away from home and the farthest that you’ll ever be from life’s comforts (fresh laundry, hot water, warm meals), backpacking teaches travelers to appreciate all the little things that they’ve enjoyed in their lives, turning them into better people when they return.

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