Backpacking Info Site

Camping is one of the most famous recreational activities nowadays. Many people leave their urban life to enjoy nature’s beauty. Generally camping is done with a group of people. Special camping equipment is also taken along so that you can enjoy nature’s beauty with total comfort. Camping is the best way to get rejuvenated on the weekend. Various games can also be played while you are camping with your family or friends. You don’t need much equipment for enjoying following games.

Hide and seek is a very simple and interesting game that do not require any equipment. You will find great pleasure in hiding behind the beautiful trees. This game will provide amazing thrill like you have never experienced before. As many players can play the game and you will not get bored easily. Story telling is another game that can be played while you are out for camping. Someone can start a story by speaking one line and the next person will have to add another line in a story. Slowly you will find that you are able to form a very creative story. Everyone can mould the story as per their wish. It will be a terrific experience and you will thoroughly enjoy this game.

Going fishing is another very famous activity is you are camping near a river or a lake. It is a difficult thing to learn but once you get a hang of it you are ought to enjoy. Fishing with all your friends will be thoroughly enjoyable as well.

A backpacker’s fantasy is to become at one with the earth. They prefer to pack their bags and head out to a land where they will find similar minded people. They prefer not to converse with the real people but rather want to have an adventure with other backpackers while relaxing and eating in on pizzas and milkshakes. It is a form of “institutionalized tourism”, says Heba Aziz in the Focus magazine. She goes onto say that backpackers live in a bubble with shared values and behaviour patterns of other backpackers. They are not what the common understanding is of them, of being avoidant to encounters with tourists but they share a similar mindset.

Tony Wheeler, who is the founder of the Lonely Planet series, has been known as “the patron of backpackers”. He says that many backpackers are like sheep and more aware and perceptive in nature. He goes on to say that backpacking brings money closer to a ground level, whereas tourism with the international tour operators makes money go back to the sending country. It is a forerunner to tourism but is not a bad thing.

Sarah Long of the Lonely Planet advises backpackers on doing a thorough research before setting out on the adventure, to purchase guides, read up on the net, converse with other travellers and go completely informed of the place. Be sure to know what to pack as well; something like Snugpak the Sleeping Bag and a tent could be essential if you ever travel to a place without proper accommodation. “Doing your homework before you go is one of the undoubted ways of helping to make a more positive impact on the environment you’re travelling to” says Sarah long.

In some cultures of the countries like USA, Canada etc, backpacking tours a right of passage for youth who are in the process of staking out their own. Backpacking is very common in Israel and they start it right from the school beyond it. In school days they go for trips with backpacking.

People go not only to the places like Galilee and Golan heights which has several waterfalls with practically 2 to 3 climates for every 3 hours; they also go to even more remote locations like Moscow travel where you need plenty of heavy backpacking equipment in tow and should know the terrain lay out as well.

In Australia, Israel and many other European countries there are youth hostels which offer warm places to live during the nights. If you go for excursions like the Appalachian Trail, then having sleeping bags is a must.

No matter which destination you go for trekking, it’s important to have a pair of hiking boots along with a good backpack. You can take nuts, canned or dried fruits, vegetables and protein snacks for meals. Even meat can be cooked over propane grills like the Coleman Unleaded Feather Stove Spirit camping burner. Novice backpackers are best suited for trekking someplace simple and unchallenging, like the Appalachian Trail. In Israel Novice backpackers can make use of field schools and these are available through out the country.

Backpacking is the best way to see any country with beautiful terrain and you will be sure to have a blast.

We have been in the African continent for a quite some time now. You know which countries to visit there for backpacking, right. You have that idea now but we don’t really know where to go specifically, right. Don’t worry, that issue will also be taken care of here right now.

This beautiful continent is so big and wide and wild that there is no end to backpacking destinations. Which to include and which to leave is not at all an easy job. Ok, what we’ll do is that we’ll start with the most popular ones now and keep you informed about the rest in future.

Starting with Morocco, Rif Mountains are the most famous hunting ground for backpackers. There are quite a few places there that you can explore but the one not to be missed is Chefchaouen with its beautiful blue buildings. The place is cheap and beauty priceless.

Moving on to Egypt, the place is right on the sea coast, Dahab. It’s very affordable, has lots of places for diving and offers my personal favourite activity, snorkelling. It might be wise to bring along your own snorkelling kit, like the Cressi Pluma Bag kit, although you should still be able to find places to rent the equipment without too much trouble. The town has plenty of cheap places to stay as well.

Ghana is another country you can explore for backpacking. It has some outstanding beaches. I am surprised why they are not more popular. The place you can plan to visit here is Korhobite. It’s a Mecca for music and dance lovers.

One of the most popular places in the whole of Africa is the spectacularly beautiful Lake Malawi. Its beach is so beautiful that you are left breathless. When you include the cheap prices, it’s complete heaven. I didn’t feel like leaving this place.

Talking of Africa and don’t mention South Africa, that can’t be. Go to the Eastern Cape area where you’ll be face to face with the incredible coastline, Wild Coast. Backpackers usually visit places like Port St John’s and Coffee Bay. There are plenty of options of diving, surfing and hiking as well.

This list in very small or I would say infinitesimally small if you consider the opportunities African continent offers to backpackers. But we have made a start, right. You keep coming back and we’ll serve you with more and more information.

There are countless backpacking destinations in the world and they are all good. I have been to some and heard a lot about others. My experience tells me that they all have their own specialities and own attraction points. Still, we can also not deny that there can be a little bit of extra craving to visit some places more often than others.

I at times find myself getting pulled towards African Continent more than I am towards other places. It could be the sheer size of it that offers so many options or it could be the craving to visit the birth place of humans, but this one continent does hold a special place in my heart.

So I thought, why not I share some of those places with you that I think would be great backpacking destinations for you also to enjoy. And what I’ll do is I’ll tell you about some of those now and the details as to why they are the ones to visit, I’ll keep that for a later date.

Let’s begin from the Western end of Africa and then move East, and then eventually South. I guess in that way you can simultaneously also get the feel of where you are actually going to be, right.

The first and perhaps the best destination is Morocco. On the North-West of continent, Morocco is one country you should not miss. Moving to the East, you thought Egypt was only about pyramids, right. We’ll change your opinion on that.

Then as you move to South, the options only get bigger and better. Cameroon and Ghana (a little to west of Centre) are just outstanding destinations. In the Centre of Africa are the naturally endowed neighbours Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Their natural beauty can only be believed once you have been there.

And in the South lies the famous backpacking heaven of South Africa. And mind you, my mentioning it in the end doesn’t take away anything from this paradise. It’s as good as it can be. You should be sure to read as much as you can about these destinations before going and check into places to stay, health precautions, visas, safety, etc. You could also even get a taste of Africa with computer games like Wild Earth - Africa before setting off the wild continent. As to where exactly to go in these countries and for many more places out side these that are worth visiting, keep visiting us.

Sometimes you wakeup in the morning, turn around and look at the person waking up next to you and wonder, ‘Do I really know this person anymore?’ You wonder how come the person you once loved more than the world itself doesn’t even look like an active part of your world. With the excessively busy lives we have, everyone seems to have drifted apart, right?

Well, in case you are having that kind of trouble in your life, you need to cheer up. Backpacking is the ideal way to reignite that long lost passion in your life. It will ensure you get to get away from the mundane routine of your day today life and can also enjoy the exclusive company of one another only.

Which do you think is the most romantic place to hang out? Something usual like some placid lake, or let’s think out of the box here, a secluded top of an isolated hill, a small and cosy open space in the middle of a dense forest, or something that only you can think of, just let your imagination run wild. My suggestion is, pick a bunch of options and be flexible so that when you disclose this idea of a romantic exclusive backpacking trip to your partner, you can zero in on something collectively.

Moreover, try to chalk out the whole plan in advance, including how you’ll go, what you’ll take along, tent, fishing gear, Swiss knife, medicines, etc. Make some extra effort for the trip so that when you disclose the idea to your partner, the whole thing would be organised. But again, be flexible to the ideas of your spouse and try to incorporate them too. Because remember the whole idea behind backpacking was to come closer again, so we’ll need to keep it that way. So forget about flowers, chocolates, diamonds or bath and beauty gift sets like the Elemis Divine Beauty set; nothing says romance like an intimate backpacking trip with your partner. If you are somewhat confused or worried as to how you’ll go ahead with your backpacking planning and execution, leave that to us. We have already placed enough information here to help you out. A tad more time spent on our pages and you’ll be an expert on backpacking.

Many times you want to go backpacking and have some fun but what holds you back is that you don’t want to go alone. Sometimes you want to backpack alone only but you are not sure if that’s a good idea. And then at times you have no such preferences and all you want is a nice backpacking trip but can’t decide as to what would be better, going alone or in a group.

Confusion, confusion and more confusion.

We obviously don’t want to judge your preferences or lack of them but what we can sure do is try to objectify the scenario of going all alone and going in groups. For your part, for the time being, keep your likes and dislikes aside and just read along. You can keep the decision making for the end.

When you are going alone the most significant aspect is the independence and that starts from the very beginning. You get to decide where you want to go, when you want to go and how you plan to go. You can pick and choose, all by yourself. But what you must also realise is that you need to be extra cautious.

Once you are out alone you won’t have any one to fall back upon. Whether it’s the travel essentials that you need to carry along, like passports, money or the work you may need to do there, it’s all going to be you alone. Make a list before hand, avoid last minutes and if someone you know who has been there, then it won’t be a bad idea to ask him to cross check everything.

Going out in a group has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. All your responsibilities are shared. That’s always a relief. There are certain things everyone must have with oneself individually, for the rest you can decide who gets to bring what. For example,  only one person needs to carry a large tent, like the Coleman Canyon 8 person tent, which saves everyone else the burden of carrying their own tent. Moreover, if your destination involves using a car, that’s better as you can carpool and save on money as well. Not to forget, if anything goes wrong you’ll have good support system around.

On the flip side, you may not get to go to the place of your choice. And if you are going with people you already know, some of them may carry old issues along. If people are new, you may be up for surprises.

If you are a loner, go alone. If you are gregarious, go in a group. For the undecided rest, you have read the pros and cons of both, and now would be the time to take the call.

Did it ever occur to you that there could be more to backpacking than just the fun part? Or better, besides the fun part. Here I am not talking about what more you can get out of it, sorry. But don’t you think there could be things you were doing or not doing that are required of you as a responsible human being?

Still clueless, right? Without tormenting you any more let me get down to the point. I am trying to bring to your attention certain issues and activities that you must always bear in mind when you are out on that backpacking trip.

Any natural place has a balance of its own, a kind of natural carrying capacity that at no time can be adversely affected. Not that you shouldn’t visit those places, don’t get me wrong here. All I am suggesting is, go there, have a blast but don’t disturb the serenity of that environment. Become a part of it and not try to change it to your liking.

If your idea of backpacking also involves enjoying bio-diversity, that is great. But be careful out there. Remember you are visiting the home of that flora and fauna and it’s civilised to behave as a guest, right.

The places you may choose can be backyards of some other people. They have their own life and culture. One of the best ways to engross yourself into their culture is to try learning some of their language. You are never supposed to disturb them or their place. Let them not get the feeling that you are invading their space. Better still, become a part of it, try to learn about them and their culture. It’ll only add to your experience and fun. Just because everyone doesn’t have a flat screen TV, laptop, or Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade, does not mean you have nothing to learn their lifestyle, rather the opposite is true. Embracing the local customs, culture and people can often be one of the most unique and pleasurable parts of your backpacking sojourn.

In case you are going to a different state or country, follow their rules. You need to be extra careful if you are backpacking in some national park or wildlife sanctuary. Get beforehand knowledge of related laws to avoid unnecessary hassles.

The basic idea of backpacking is to unwind and have some great time, so be alert and responsible and you’ll only have happy memories to cherish.

More often than not it becomes very irritating when the male counterparts try to impose their ideas on the women even on how to take a break from the monotonous life. I mean give them a break. As if their meddling in women’s life is already not enough, they want to dictate terms on how to unwind also.

In case you are a woman thinking of a girls’ only time out, there can’t be a better option than backpacking to a place of your choice, away from the hustle bustle of daily life. What better way can there be than to do so in the company of others like you?

Now the question is how to go about the whole business of backpacking. But don’t you worry, you are about to acquire all the knowledge and information you need.

Begin by looking for like minded women to give you company on your sojourn. Take it as an opportunity to get to know new people and make new friends by looking up for potential group mates on Internet. And there are more women than you can imagine looking for similar experiences that you will meet on the web.

Next task would be to zero in on a suitable place for your adventure. You can choose some natural place close by like some hill top, serene lake, or maybe some historical fort or something. Better still you can go to some popular hiking or camping place may be at some far off place.

There are some issues that you need to take care of before hand. Be very meticulous in ensuring your safety and comfort needs. And just click around and you’ll find more information you need on backpacking on this very site. The equipment for this type of trip is essentially the same as ever, and should include a reliable hiking rucksack, like the Karrimor Skye 25, a tent, mattress, food and drink, general supplies, and a map and compass, as far as basics are concerned.

So women, just make up your mind, choose your options and have a great time backpacking.

Backpacking is meant to be fun, but when you have children accompanying you, you need to take the necessary precautions, or else the trip may end up in a real mess and you wouldn’t even realize when the fun element will fizzle out. And yes, backpacking with kids is a real challenge and does put a lot of strain on your shoulders.

Nevertheless despite being a nuisance at times, you can help them inculcate certain qualities and habits that may create just the right environment to go backpacking with children in tow. You should especially encourage them to get acquainted about the outdoors and see to it that they become independent and responsible. Here are a few tips that shall get the ball rolling-

Help them take interest in the whole terminology that is called backpacking, especially because there is nothing more dangerous than forcing kids to go backpacking when they are mentally adverse to it. Get some movies that have characters that are your child’s age and are on a trip. Understand that it is a gradual process and will take some time.

While planning the trip let your kids join you. This way they will feel more involved, and consequently with an increased sense of belongingness they will become more responsible. Let them suggest you ideas, and also teach them how to read a map, and how to measure the distance traversed during the day.

Then you should entrust them with responsibilities, which you should decide depending on your tot’s age and sex, like setting up a tent, making a fire, collecting sticks to burn, et al.

When embarking on a trip you will frequently find that the tots are in front, trying to lead you. Don’t discourage them from doing so as they enjoy this bit, but do ensure that you a minimum distance so that you can keep an eye on them. Also, make it a point that the elder ones keep a tab on the younger ones.

You would also do well to bring some fun items to the site so that the little ones can keep themselves engaged. This way you also get some free time for yourself as well and get involved in some interesting adult activities. Moreover, fun items like a portable DVD player, such as the Philips PET831, or a pair of binoculars can be a real asset irrespective of the age. Bringing your child’s favourite toy can also serve a good distraction, but you do of course risk losing it.