Backpacking: Who Is Doing It? How Are They Doing It?

Vladislav Shevchenko via Unsplash

By Jack Daly

For years on end young people have looked to spread their wings and embrace their newfound freedom as they cross the bridge between adolescence and adulthood. One of the most popular ways that people have been doing this is backpacking. Travelling far from home, country to country, living only out of a backpack. 

However, picture this, you are a young person fresh out of school, university or college and your main source of income is your part time job at some sort of fast-food chain on a zero-hour contract. You wish to go travelling to gain new experiences and see more of the world before you are swallowed up by the adult world. 

Well, this is going to cost. Flights, accommodation and basic food and water. Let’s say that to go travelling you're going to need between £1000-5000. So once you have that, where are you going? 

Many notable influencers such as Tik Tok’s ‘@mashtag_brady’ and ‘@explorewithmairy’  have found much value in South-East Asia where countries such as Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka can see your money go a lot further than you might think. 

Why is this? You may ask. Well it’s simple. Exchange rates. For example, the Thai Baht only gets you 0.024 of a pound. The Sri Lankan Rupee will only get you 0.0027 of a pound and the Cambodian Riel will only get you as little as 0.00020 of a pound. Countries like this offer a great opportunity to backpackers looking to spend as little as possible and still have a great time. 

Tik Tok travel influencer ‘@Kyra-Mae’ made a video explaining to us how much she spent in a day in Thailand. Her three meals a day, transport, excursions, accommodation and additional drinks during the day cost her only £34.55. However, one of the most expensive things she did during the day was her boat excursion which cost her £10 which compared to other European destinations is a bargain. She also goes on to mention all the activities that were free such as: Hiking, beach days and swimming to name a few. 

When you take into consideration that it costs on average £40 a day to live in the UK, you can see why so many young people and influencers choose to broaden their horizons abroad.

So the question really is, with the cheap prices, the relaxed vibe and the adventure of a lifetime, why haven’t you booked up sooner?