Having a bit of time here at LAX, I decided I should let of some of the steam that has accumulated over the past weeks. Besides, I haven’t really ranted for such a long time, I guess I deserve a bit of fun….
Traveling a a so-called backpacker (which does not require actually having a backpack) means shabby shelters, overcrowded buses, and a lot of other travelers to meet. Now, all of these things are not too bad or should be actually fun. However, especially the fellow backpackers can turn out to be a huge pain in the neck…
Imagine this: A guy or gal, mid twenties, traveling New Zealand now for weeks. They have been to any conceivable corner on those two rather small Islands, have done all the must do and should do and even the maybe do things. Of course, they have figured out the country, so by the time you meet them, they will not only freely and wholeheartedly want to share all the fun and adventure stuff they have done, no, they will continue to lecture you, how things work around there!
There is a common denominator to all these young boys and girls (spoken like a real mid-thirty, balding guy….): They are all so full of themselves that just after talking for a few minutes to them I get terribly bored. In a sense it is amusing that someone really thinks that they know what a place is about without actually having lived there. However, there is a certain limit to that. I know that traveling through New Zealand requires a certain time, if you wanna not only see but also enjoy all the places in a relaxed manner. But after five, six, ten weeks, what have these kids seen or done? Jet boating, rafting, kajaking and bungy jumping. So, what do they have learned/experienced by going through all the adventure stuff? What do they possibly have to share about this particular country that you can’t read in any brochure?
Sure, just as package tourism is geared in a specific way, so is backpackerism. It is just another niche of the entertainment industry, it gives a certain type of traveler their desired experience: Instead of all inclusive beaches you get shared dorms and hop on/off buses. To make it short: It is mostly geared to be cheap (“budget” in the official language). The second important factor is individuality, at least the illusion of it. Let’s face it: Just because you end up booking a certain activity at your own leisure doesn’t make that particular venture any more individual than having it booked and organized by a third party in a package. Most of the things I did in NZ were shared by any type of tourist alike…
Darn, I shouldn’t have started listening to music, I feel my rant mood fading…. Well, guess I’ll just have to let go…. So, to summarize: I had a great time, met fun people, enjoyed my travels a lot. But equally I don’t romanticize or glorify the way I choose to travel. And I certainly don’t preach about life in New Zealand and their ways, though obviously I would be much more qualified than any of those kids….
Indeed!
