Do’s and Don’ts of Backpacking Like a Boss

They say true travellers don’t depend on anyone. They carry their own gear, they make their own sleeping arrangements wherever they see fit, guide themselves and – to the best of their ability – cook for themselves.

This, obviously, requires a big bag. A backpack, to be precise.

(Yes, great introduction, right? Not.)

Welcome, fellow adventurers and armchair travellers, to the commandments of backpacking like a boss.

Packing

Do pack to suit your destination(s).

Do not pack irrelevant items. We know you love your leather jacket and it looks all snazzy in the night, but you don’t have a bike and you could fit three more rational items of clothing in its place.

Do pack adequately and make a checklist of all the things your backpack needs.

Do not pack overenthusiastically. You’ll have to carry all that weight around. Maybe leave the Bose speakers at home for this one.

Do carry emergency kits. Medical supplies, food rations, emergency communications devices, self-defence equipment are a must.

Do not be a hypochondriac. Yes, its backpacking and disease does hit at times, but that’s no reason to pack a box full of Crocin and enough tubes to fill a syrup factory.

Backpacking Etiquettes

Do be a true backpacker. Backpackers are like Fonzies – they’re cool.

Do not read up on Fonzie after reading that. That is not what I meant.

Do help other backpackers with your stuff. If they’re in need of assistance and your backpack can help, do so.

Do not lend things to others that you know you can’t do without. Giving a torch to Fabio in the middle of the night means you’re now literally in the dark.

Do be aware of your surroundings at all time and cautious about where you’re heading. Backpackers are supposed to have excellent navigation techniques – learn some.

Do not be reckless just because you think you’re sorted. Accidents often happen to backpackers. Just keep your common sense about you and you’ll do fine.

Do backpacking regardless of gender.

Do not be reckless. (yes, we covered that but it bears repetition.)

Do try to save money wherever possible.

Do not, however, believe in stereotypes. Just because you’re backpacking does not mean you deserve a nice meal at a fancy restaurant or a comfy bed at a plush hotel from time to time.  

Planning

Do plan. Only idiots don’t plan.

Do not – and this is more important for backpackers than anyone else – make rigid, inflexible plans. The whole point of being a backpacker is that you’re ready to move anywhere at a moment’s notice. That’s sort of the whole point.

Do make a list of the places you want to visit. Routing through maps is something all backpackers love to do.

Do not, however, be bummed if things don’t go according to plan. Spontaneity is where the Backpacker has breakfast.

Do benefit from other travellers’ experience. Languid conversations in coffee houses are usually the best way to fix a point from A to B and know where to go and what to avoid.

Do not be close-minded. About anything. You’re backpacking. Try new things, eat new cuisines, meet new people and see new sights.

In my humble opinion, backpacking is certainly not a hard-and-fast rule – such that if you haven’t backpacked, you’re not a real traveller – but it certainly is something to experience once in a lifetime. If it’s not for you, no problem, but the sense of spontaneity imbibed with responsibility that backpackers experience is a feeling you’ll remember for long.