These past couple of posts I have mainly been talking about traveling abroad. I highly recommend traveling, however, traveling to all these wonderful places can be quite expensive. So, for this post I am going to be talking about how to travel rather than where to travel. 

Now there are many factors that make traveling expensive, such as transportation, accommodations, meals, spending money and more. Some of these costs are inevitable, such as airfare, however there are ways to reduce the other costs. One very popular way to reduce the costs of traveling that has been rising in popularity these days, especially among young college students, is backpacking. 

Many of us have probably heard the word being thrown around, but what exactly is backpacking? Well, backpacking is basically when one travels but everything that they take with them while traveling fits in a backpack. Now you might be thinking, how does carrying a backpack really help you save money and make traveling affordable? Well, backpacking emphasizes minimalism, since everything you take with you is carried on your back. This idea of minimalism is further applied to other aspects of traveling. 

An example of what’s in a travel backpack.

There are many ways backpackers will apply minimalism to their trips. For instance, when looking for accommodations, backpackers will look for the bare minimum and cheapest housing that balances comfort with affordability. This includes staying in hostels or staying in a homestay with families where it’s cheaper, and you also get to meet new people. Backpacking also emphasizes community and local culture, because they interact with locals more than traditional tourists. For example, backpackers will try to eat street food and local cuisine the most, since it is the cheapest. Local cuisine is relatively cheap compared to the common touristy restaurants you normally will see. So, you get to eat authentic food and help local businesses.  

A typical travel hostel.

Another and in my opinion the best part about backpacking is the emphasis on community. You get the opportunity to create a real connection with the locals because you are experiencing their culture, and you are interacting with them more. You also get to make so many friends, since backpackers seek accommodations in social areas, such as hostels. This builds a community, which I believe is a positive way to travel because not only is it affordable, but it makes traveling even more memorable. Backpacking also allows you to go to more remote places, since everything you need is carried on your back. This opens you up to millions of possibilities. It also removes the materialistic aspect of traveling so you can focus on making memories. 

All in all, I highly recommend backpacking, especially if you want to save money, meet new people, get out of your comfort zone and make amazing memories. In general traveling is wonderful, and if the cost of traveling is deterring you from traveling, then definitely think about backpacking your next adventure!