Aren’t we backpackers supposed to be green travelers too? We share one common interest, which is to travel around the world. This world never lacks in beauty, it is just that whether you know how to appreciate or not. At the time of travel, we may have engaged in activities which can cause substantial damage to our natural environment. One example of such activities is air travel. Thus it is important for us backpackers to take a responsible attitude in minimizing the impacts on the natural environment while traveling.

Beautiful African sky

Inspired by Green Traveler Guide, here is my guide to sustainable travel and tourism as a backpacker. I shall call it Green Backpacker Guide.

1. Pack less. Follow your airline’s excess baggage policy. The less you bring, the fewer burdens you will put on your plane and the less carbon emission by your plane. According to Tourism Concern again, if the rapid growth in aviation industry continues at present rate, it will become a major contributor to global warming by 2030.

2. Fly less. Try to use land or sea transports particularly for shorter journeys. Land transports such as buses and trains as well as sea transports such as cruises and ships produce less carbon footprint than planes.

Fly less!

3. Do not take home hotel amenities. Some guesthouses and hostels do provide matches box, shower gel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, etc to the guests. Leave them alone if you do not use them. This is to ensure that less resources being exploited to replace the items.

4. Do not buy if it is not necessary. To me, shopping is never a part of backpacking. Do not also buy souvenirs made from endangered species, hard woods or ancient artifacts such as carvings made from elephant tusk.

Last but not least, be a responsible backpacker and shows love to our Mother Nature. Do not litter in the scenic spot. Do not waste energy and water. Think green all the times. Remember, this might be your holidays, but it is their home!

We backpackers should adhere to staying in the modest accommodation. I used to stay in youth hostels. And most probably I will keep on staying in youth hostels wherever I go traveling in the future. This post determines to bring you the differences in between youth hostels and traditional hotels as well as convinces you to stay in one in your upcoming trip.

So, what a hostel is? Hostels are budget orientated accommodation providing overnight lodging to backpackers. The concept of youth hostel was first created in 1912 by Alex Schirrmann under German Youth Movement which encouraged young people back then to concentrate on outdoor activities. Alex Schirrmann then set up the first youth Hostel in the world in the name of Altena Castle in Germany. His idea has spread rapidly worldwide and resulted in the founding of the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) in 1932 in Amsterdam. It later changed its name to Hostelling International. Today, Hostelling International has more than 90 different national youth hostel associations as members. The organization also runs over 4,500 youth hostels worldwide.

Hostelling International

What are the differences in between a youth hostel and a traditional hotel, you may ask. Youth hostels run by Hostelling International promote cultural exchange, conservation of the environment, love and care of the nature and simple but quality living, among others. They are not hotels because hostels tend to be more budget orientated and do not have the same level of formality as hotels. Many hostels also have programs to share books, DVDs and other items. Unlike hotels, youth hostels encourage guests to socialize with each other. One evidence is the dormitory room commonly found in any youth hostel.

Stay tuned for I will share with you next the 2 biggest portals providing online bookings for hostels and budget accommodations worldwide!

Backpack is always associated with backpackers. In fact, we backpackers use backpack as our luggage. What is a backpack? A backpack is a cloth sack carried on one’s back with 2 straps that go over the shoulders. Backpack comes with many names. A backpack is also known as rucksack, knapsack, packsack, or simply pack.

Backpacks for traveling purpose come in 4 categories, namely frameless, external frame, internal frame and bodypack.

Frameless Backpack. This is the simplest backpack design which is a lightweight bag with a set of shoulder straps. Frameless backpack is inexpensive and widely available. This type of bag is only suitable for light loads of not more than 5 kilograms. It consists of 1 main pocket while more sophisticated models do have extra pockets.

Frameless backpack

External frame backpack. This is a traditional type of frame backpack which uses a rigid external frame. The pack frames are made from wood, plastic and most recently light weight metals such as aluminum, titanium and other alloys. External frame backpack has large capacity and is used to carry bulky items such as tents and sleeping bags. The external frame provides more support to the backpackers and offers better weight distribution than a frameless backpack. It can carry loads up to 20 kilograms or more.

External frame backpack

Internal frame backpack. This backpack is a recent innovation. It has an internal frame of either metal or plastic which is integrated in the main pocket. With the pack frame integrated inside, this backpack proves to be more comfortable fit in activities that involve upper body movement such as hiking on rocky surfaces. The tight fit reduces ventilation though, so the internal frame backpack tends to be sweatier than the external frame backpack.

Internal frame backpack

Bodypack. A bodypack is a backpack with 2 main pockets, one on the wearer’s front side (chest) and another at the back. With balanced weight in the front and at the back, this relaxes the body, reduces effort and makes carrying of things as comfortable as possible.

Bodypack

Which backpack to use is very much depending on travel destination and preference. For example, if you plan for hiking or long distance trekking, you should bring along an external or internal frame backpack. Likewise, if your travel preference is of solely entertainment and relaxation, a frameless backpack will do the purpose.

Backpacking is budget travel and/or cheap travel. Backpacking has increasingly become a popular way to travel. Giovanni Francesco Gemelli Careri, a 17th century Italian adventurer and traveler, is widely believed to be one of the world’s first backpackers. Are you a backpacker, read on to find out?

Backpacking

There are a few types of backpacking. Flashpacking is backpacking with a bigger budget. These travelers eat and stay modestly while spending more for activities at their chosen destination. Then there is gap year backpacking. Gap year backpacking refers to taking a year out to travel before one reaches university or in between university and your first job. Gap year backpacking is extremely popular among the European youths. There are of course many other types of backpacking such as the spiritual traveler, the couple and the partier, just to name a few.

One of the primary characteristics used to denote backpacking is low cost and independent travel. Backpackers do not travel with travel agencies. We stay in guesthouses and youth hostels rather than traditional 3 to 5-star hotels. As backpackers, our main mode of travel is public transport.

As the name suggests, every backpacker must be slinging a backpack over your shoulder. Your back pack must be as lightly as possible, only bringing with you minimum clothing and some essentials such as sleeping bag and toiletries. Since you only bring minimum clothing, you have to do laundry every now and then. Better still if you can wear the same shirt and jeans for more than a week!

Backpacking is not tourism. It is more than a vacation. Backpacking is a lifestyle. It is an experience meeting the locals and seeing the sights at the destination we travel to. So now, do you consider yourself a backpacker?

I would like to travel around the world. But I do not have millions to travel to every corner in this world. Besides, I also have other commitments in life. In another word, I can only travel on shoestring. If you are looking for advice, information, hints and tips on budget traveling, the Backpackers Place is the right place for you!

When I first started to travel, I used to join a tour group whether it is inbound or outbound. Back then, I lack of self dependency and tend to rely on travel agencies for everything from flight booking, transport and accommodation to tour package. Some of these experiences of joining tour group are memorable while others are misery. I remember there was a time I joined a tour group to Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Everyday we spent 4 to 5 hours on tour bus traveling from one place to another. I know China is a big country but I did not go there to travel on the bus everyday! Besides, there were a lot of hidden costs back then such as tips to local Chinese tour guide and porters, tickets to see certain show and so on. To make things worse, we had problem communicating with the locals!

Giant Panda in Sichuan, China

You see, budget travel is not cheap anymore if you are joining the travel group. Backpacking should be your choice for cheap travel. You certainly would not want to spend all but put aside some for your upcoming trip, right? I have a dream, which is to travel around the world on shoestring. Read on to find out how I work toward achieving my dream!

Do you like to travel? I have made traveling my hobby ever since I earned my first dollar. In fact for some of you, travel is no longer a hobby, but a lifestyle.

I define travel as the change of location and it happens when people undertake a journey or trip. One may travel for recreation or business purpose. Travel may also be local, regional, national or international. The Backpackers Place focuses mainly on leisure travel, and we are talking about budget travel here with backpacking as our main theme.

The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

I travel quite a lot each year. Most of them are backpacking, while a number of them are joining tour group. I only travel once yearly to the overseas. I have only been to Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Republic of China, Singapore and Thailand. Others are regional places of interest in Sarawak, Sabah and Peninsula Malaysia.

Why I like to travel? I once read that traveling brings us sweet memories in life. Absolutely right, don’t you agree? If one stays at home 365 days all year round and does not make any trip, how can you possibly experience the beauty of this planet? This world never lacks in beauty, but you have to travel in order to see it. I have a dream, which is to travel to every corner of this world while I can still move freely. And gosh, there are just too many beautiful places in this world to tour to! Read on if you share the same dream as me!