What's wrong with backpackers?

[cacruden]

Nothing wrong with backpackers.... in fact Thais have a name for backpackers that shows how much they respect them too.... ฝรั่งขี้นก (Farang khi nok) which translates into bird-sh*t farang.....

[nikthekiwi]

They've all read the Beach and sit around with a bottle of water all day long. They bargain with street food vendors.

But what I *^*%%*%*% hate the most is they are always bumping you with their stupid backpacks.

What I hate is their cultural ignorance of Thailand, the propensity for some of the female backpackers to get all judgemental about western men hanging out with Thai women, giving disapproving stares etc and their propensity to think that they can smoke cigarettes whereever they like despite it being illegal inside any building in Thailand and then they get all bitchy when you challenge them on it because the Thai proprietor of the business is too polite to do it...ignorant arrogant fuckin morons.

[nikthekiwi]

Nothing wrong with backpackers.... in fact Thais have a name for backpackers that shows how much they respect them too.... ฝรั่งขี้นก (Farang khi nok) which translates into bird-sh*t farang.....

Hahahahahaha...thanks for that...made my day

[sipi]

Nothing wrong with backpackers.... in fact Thais have a name for backpackers that shows how much they respect them too.... ฝรั่งขี้นก (Farang khi nok) which translates into bird-sh*t farang.....

Hahahahahaha...thanks for that...made my day

In the North they are called "Farang Khi Neow", or "Farang Tight Sh*t", Same thing.

[agrippinamaior]

I don't have problem unless they start leaving their rubbish everywhere without thought. That's my bugbear when at home they probably conciously put everything in a rubbish bin and recycle their stuff. I still stay in hostels in most countries so consider myself a backpacker pretty much. So pretty much no problem with them.

[dagobert]

Farang tight shit/Farang bird shit ?

Because they are tight with their cash ?

Says a lot for the northern Thais doesent it.

[sipi]

Farang tight shit/Farang bird shit ?

Because they are tight with their cash ?

Says a lot for the northern Thais doesent it.

All Thais, not just Northern..

[sipi]

Farang tight shit/Farang bird shit ?

Because they are tight with their cash ?

Says a lot for the northern Thais doesent it.

All Thais, not just Northern..

Of course not failing to mention the times you see locals disembarking a bus, boat..holding their nose and exclaiming "Farang men mar'... "Falang smells a lot", Seriously, how hard is it to take a morning shower?

[Suradit69]

I used to think backpackers in Thailand are scum.

I don't think of them at all, but if forced to, I imagine some are nice, some are not nice and some are sometimes nice and sometimes not nice.

You used to think they were scum so you started this thread to chastise everyone else for what you were thinking? Classical psychological projection.

You're projecting! Stop it! And it's not nice to point your finger.

Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against unpleasant impulses by denying their existence in themselves, while attributing them to others.^[1] For example, a person who is rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Suradit69

[Maroon Watcher]

Nothin - I used to be one too...

If they stay for Uni holidays/ summer they spend as much as "quality" tourists do in 2 weeks -

they also use smaller hotes run by families or acorn businesses.

I took my wife to Khao san to see some foreigners - No trouble, just fun

easy going

I love to watch the girls arriving, who seem to have no trouble with back packs - front and back!

(funny how that changes, when they are older... Ha, ha)

[melcoe]

I don't have anything against 'backpackers' per se... but definitely hold a severe dislike of a certain breed of youngsters now coming through, mainly from Western countries. Some use backpacks, some use wheelie bags... whatever... I've seen them coming in all shapes and sizes... but they all seem to have the same moronic train of thought.

They will fight over the price of the guesthouse, refuse to pay 50B more, then go and spend 1000B a night at the stupid crazy bars drinking spiked buckets of crap. They party all night, then sleep all day, eat and drink from 7/11 until they head back to the same same crazy bars the following night. They don't go on tours, don't go diving, don't visit local restaurants, don't go for massages and so on.

They get pissed all night, every night, screw whoever they can wherever they can (they especially like to trespass on private property, going at it on the roof of my house, in my restaurant after it's closed, on my pool table, you name it, we've seen it), and seemingly couldn't give a shit about any of the local people or Thai culture or anything other than themselves. They will even stand outside your restaurant to use your free wifi instead of spending 20B on a drink inside.

Who is at fault here? I blame the parents... society... these 'kids' are filled with overindulgence, a sense of entitlement, lack of discipline, lack of manners...they expect too much, treat others with disrespect, are often rude and careless, and I shudder and wonder what the word will be like for my child.

Jealous of these types? I don't think so! I've got far more respect for myself and others than to ever have acted like they do.

Thank the Buddha there are still some lovely backpackers and wheelie bag holders, who want to chat and learn and see and do. They're watching their pennies too, but they save it for real experiences, not the fake version of Ibiza. Give me these penny pinchers any day...

[Frank James]

I have a soft spot in my aged heart for the backpackers. These are tomorrow's leaders, and to see them out and about in the world, being exposed to other cultures, is all to the good. The pack designs have certainly improved since my ex-wife and I packed around the world in the 70's. How great it would have been to have a wondrous thing like a notebook computer, and Skype. We dropped into American Express offices and picked up our mail at Post Restante. Is there such a thing today? Oh yes, and traded well-worn paperback books with each other.

Sitting at the Thapae Gate in Chiang Mai, one sees the backpackers, and the Chinese groups, and the frazzled young parents dragging their kids around. It's the passing parade of life. I envy the "kids" their health, their fresh eyes, their enthusiasm, and their trust funds, some of them. I see some of these young, fit guys, and wish I could exchange bodies with one for just a weekend. We would both learn something!

Don't knock the backpackers. They're all right!

[Kathiejs]

How do people define "backpackers" anyway. We're travelling around Asia for 18 months. We use backpacks because they are an ergonomically efficient way of transporting a load, and we don't want to be reliant on trollies, porters etc as these might not always be available. We are on a budget, so use cheap guesthouses etc (but always private bathrooms and definitely no dorms. We wash our clothes and shower regularly (3 times so far today). We drink a little, don't smoke, don't do drugs, don't work illegally, don't overstay visas.

So are we "backpackers"?

Oh, and we're retired.

[cacruden]

Farang tight shit/Farang bird shit ?

Because they are tight with their cash ?

Says a lot for the northern Thais doesent it.

All Thais, not just Northern..

Of course not failing to mention the times you see locals disembarking a bus, boat..holding their nose and exclaiming "Farang men mar'... "Falang smells a lot", Seriously, how hard is it to take a morning shower?

Yes, I am always amazed when people go out smelling like shit - when Thais have some of the most sensitive noses that I have run into. Shower in the morning, and before you go out at night, and also before going to bed and you will make the Thais you meet much happier....

[khunPer]

I think backpackers have changed from what (we) older people seem to remember.

I stay at a typical backpacker destination, Koh Samui. A group of 3 asked me about accommodation, where to stay by the beach…? I wished to show them one of the few remaining typical backpacker places – the ones with small bamboo huts or tiny rooms you shall back into to get out, fan only, and no hot water. On the way we passed a little up-end resort with a nice pool area. »Oh. It’s here…?« No, not really… »Can we take a look…?« They looked and checked price – not cheap at all – and… »That’s the kind of place we wish to stay…!«

Hmm, yeah – in Chaweng all backpacker huts have gone, but Chaweng is more full of young “backpackers” than ever before – one of the remaining once typical backpackers places is now expanded to a huge and very nice beach resort with fairly high-class comfortable rooms, pool area and up-priced restaurants – and of course beach party crowded with the youngsters of today; really cool atmosphere.

A group of young – typical backpacker – folks asked me one night in a disco where I stayed…? I told them and… »Great beach, we stay there too at Santibury.« And that’s a 5-star resort where a bungalow for one night is priced same as we normal people pay for modest one for a whole year – that’s what wrong with backpackers of today…

And I realized the guests I see in the typical few remaining backpacker huts around the island mainly are people in their 40’ies and up, seems like backpackers from the past that never moved on…

Edited August 8, 2014 by khunPer

[theguyfromanotherforum]

They've all read the Beach and sit around with a bottle of water all day long. They bargain with street food vendors.

But what I *^*%%*%*% hate the most is they are always bumping you with their stupid backpacks.

What I hate is their cultural ignorance of Thailand, the propensity for some of the female backpackers to get all judgemental about western men hanging out with Thai women, giving disapproving stares etc and their propensity to think that they can smoke cigarettes whereever they like despite it being illegal inside any building in Thailand and then they get all bitchy when you challenge them on it because the Thai proprietor of the business is too polite to do it...ignorant arrogant fuckin morons.

Nothing wrong with backpackers.... in fact Thais have a name for backpackers that shows how much they respect them too.... ฝรั่งขี้นก (Farang khi nok) which translates into bird-sh*t farang.....

I actually knew this was going to come up, so it's time for a reality check. I used to date a well off Thai girl that I actually met in Canada while she was studying. She taught me a lot about Thailand. I can tell you that this is NOT the name for farang backpacker at all, but I'll let you fill in the blanks....

[canuckistaner]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Backpackers or any other group of tourists unless you generalize and tar and feather an entire group based upon the behaviour of a minority. I started my travels as a backpacker. So, what exactly is a backpacker? Simply carrying a backpack does not make you one; certainly not in spirit. So, I'll tell you what a backpacker was, at least back in the 60s and 70s, when the phenomena of young, usually late teen to early and mid twenties baby boomers went on their search or quest for meaning in life, and to get away from 12 plus years of insitutionalized learning and preparing for the job market. We were mostly idealistic and wanted to explore the world, which we had viewed through television and the daily news of Vietnam etc. We were not beatniks, that was another past generation with different vibes. One thing we all had in common was the desire to see as much of the world as possible but not through the eyes of a package tourist. We never stayed in 5 star hotels or bought Frommers Europe on $5 a day.

We only got Lonely Planet in 1972 when the first yellow guide on S.E Asia came out. However, most of us travelled blind and relied upon each other for information. Backpackers then were a friendly and sociable crowd. We followed a certain path from the UK through Europe, Middle East, South Asia, etc all the way to Oz or Japan or Indonesia etc. We constantly ran into each other and shared travel tips and places to visit. The places we visited had no packaged tourists. I still remember Koh Samui so vividly back in the 70s when I was one of only 6 foreigners on the whole island. Wow, it sure has changed. Kind of like paradise lost, but then you cannot stop change or progress as they call it.

We wanted to see the world though the eyes of the locals, hence the desire to visit out of the way places and meet and communicate with the locals. Some of us even wanted to live as the locals. Our travels were both educational and often a life changer. I know, that after I left Canada for 5 years, and lived and worked in various places, that I was a changed person when I returned home. You could say that I grew up and matured during my 5 year trip. I realized how our entire world was interconnected and most peoples, no matter who they were or where they lived, desired the same things in life. Sure, we all had different languages and ideas and ways of doing things but there was a basic commonality.

Backpackers travelled on a budget because obviously most of us hadn't been in the work force for long. I had worked about a year as a taxi driver to save up money for my trip. I travelled on 1080 dollars which lasted me a little over 12 months, until I landed in Perth, W.A and got a job. All young people should see the world....in fact not just young but any age. However, back in the day, the way the world was set up......most working people had 2 weeks holiday a year, so most backpackers were youngsters getting a first taste of real freedom before joining the workforce or starting a career. More than a few of us dropped out totally and never returned home........witness hippie colonies in Goa..... However, most of us eventually returned home, settled down and married.

One thing us backpackers had was a sense of adventure and the desire to go anywhere despite any dangers or inconveniences. Sometimes we slept in open fields, bus and train stations, on the streets, hitchhiked, befriended by locals and stayed in their homes. Yes, we were poor financially but we lived on 2 - 3 bucks a day and stayed in cheap youth hostels which used to cost 50 cents a night. All I can say is these were the best times of our lives and most of us have no regrets about our days of wanderlust.

There is a new kind of backpacker today but the desire is basically the same, the only thing is.....unfortunately everyone is so absorbed in their high tech devices, that I doubt that the same degree of camaraderies exists as it did in the days before all of these gadgets were invented. Why chat with your fellow travellers when you have all of the info in your laptop or library of Lonely Planets? You now only need companions for partying at Full Moon gatherings.....and engaging in hedonistic pleasures..not that I'm saying that there is anything wrong with that.

[agrippinamaior]

Wow I never knew it was illegal to smoke inside buildings in Thailand ... and I've spent a fair bit of time there. Huh! It is not widely advertised I don't think.

They've all read the Beach and sit around with a bottle of water all day long. They bargain with street food vendors.

But what I *^*%%*%*% hate the most is they are always bumping you with their stupid backpacks.

What I hate is their cultural ignorance of Thailand, the propensity for some of the female backpackers to get all judgemental about western men hanging out with Thai women, giving disapproving stares etc and their propensity to think that they can smoke cigarettes whereever they like despite it being illegal inside any building in Thailand and then they get all bitchy when you challenge them on it because the Thai proprietor of the business is too polite to do it...ignorant arrogant fuckin morons.

[agrippinamaior]

I use a backback because I generally stay on a beach with no roads ... or road access. But ... Most 'backpackers' on Koh Phangan have wheely suitcases. They trip you and hold you up on the Haad Rin Queen as you gleefully make more progress with your backpack. Then they try to come to beaches where the only access is by boat and try to bring their wheely suitcases with them and complain because they have to carry them up the sand. It's interesting to see. Different types of backpackers these days. I don't mind those wheely backpacks but as mine is only 10kg I normally don't need one

Nothing - and you're right, it is just jealousy that they are acting out what we would have loved to have done if given the same time again.

Nothing, I used to be one.

Still am....use a backpack whenever I travel.....

Keeps your hands free and you don't look like an idiot pulling a leash with a tiny suitcase on wheels. I toured Thailand with a backpack and laptop for one year straight. Easily done.....and had 90,000 baht per month to spend as I wished.

Who wants to tour Thailand, walk through the towns and villages, pulling a suitcase? Backpackers are in good shape. Free to walk anywhere while keeping all your things together. Rather smart.

Wheeled luggage versus backpacks? I have back pack with wheels:

[Neeranam]

Love my back pack and always will.

Been doing the hiking thing for 40 years, and I do run into the occasional dork who thinks I am scum by appearance.. Just because of the BackPack..

Sure , I walk around with $1.000 + in cash in my pocket, and have a professional job, credit cards, bank account and all I need.,

BUT when I want to travel, and get away from the hotel, resort, tourist scene, I just go. Easy.

Dragging a suitcase can be a Drag. example : Dealing with Taxi drivers infront of an expensive hotel when I can just walk a block or two and get a driver that does not want to gouge me on price is great.

I spend my $ on what I want & need, not frivolous with cash just because I have it.

I can travel to Thailand with a carry on, avoid baggage claim, and just walk into my destination. Buy clothes and necessities and leave them as I like. It is just stuff. In Thailand it is usually inexpensive as well.

I learned, watch the pennies and the Dollars look after themselves.

Travel to exotic destinations to stay in 4 star and experience nothing of the local life is a waste of time.

Try a Bedouin tent on the beach in Bahrain. Amazing !!!! a Cabin in a Date plantation in Lampang, exquisite. Koh Chang 25 years ago in a bungalow on the beach for 300 Baht, AWESOME.

And the beauty is there are no superficial , uppity , holier than thou judges to been seen.

Keep the backpackers coming, and Never judge a book by its cover, One of my buddies I travel with at times , by backpack, owns one of the largest glass companies in the USA.

We were refused entrance to a 5 Star in Chiang Mai , until the security checked our reservations , a private bungalow 3 room suite, It was to funny.

Blend in, fit in and enjoy, OR look like some Rich idiot looking to give their $ away to the first taxi that pulls up and asks 1,000 Baht for the 2 Km trip.

Pave the planet for those roller bags , and sidewalks to keep your shoes clean, sterilize the planet for the Prestigious Traveler and you see how Thailand alone has changed , and not for the better in my opinion.

Just my opinion.

Newer is not necessarily better. Try Windows 8 for example , But that is another Rant.

300 baht a month? In Koh Chang?

60 baht a night on the sand in Koh Pa Ngan when the first full moons started re 1991

Windows 8 is wonderful.

[dapsolapsalai]

***overheard on khao saan every day***

Zack : "Thailand is AMAZING, I have just come from [iNSERT NAME OF ANOTHER COUNTRY]. It was AMAZING, where did you travel from?"

Tarquin : "I spent 2 weeks in [iNSERT NAME OF A DIFFERENT COUNTRY]. It was AMAZING."

Gideon : "I'm going to [ANOTHER COUNTRY] after this, it is supposed to be AMAZING".

[harrry]

They've all read the Beach and sit around with a bottle of water all day long. They bargain with street food vendors.

But what I *^*%%*%*% hate the most is they are always bumping you with their stupid backpacks.

Many years ago, in Australia, there was a guy called Ivan Milat. He liked backpackers, he use to drive around and pick them up & take them for a drive.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Milat_(serial_killer)

I still think this photo from Wikipaedia is in bad taste.

Of course there was an equivalent here. I am pretty sure one of the girls who stayed in the next room at the Malasia fell into his hands.

Edited August 8, 2014 by harrry

[indyuk]

I was an enthusiastic backpacker all my life. Started out by holidaying in Youth Hostels back in the UK. Later making long trips of several months duration as sabbaticals from my research projects.

I am pleased that many of you were backpackers too though rather surprised that there were many negative remarks. Travelling independently was an amazing experience every time I did it. The first time that I followed the hippy trail during my circumnavigation, my understanding of my life and myself became a force that propels me to this day.

At 74 years I am severely handicapped; now being confined to my wheelchair when not in bed. I am very happy and spend my life watching travel movies on remote tribes that are little known to most people.

[Neeranam]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Backpackers or any other group of tourists unless you generalize and tar and feather an entire group based upon the behaviour of a minority. I started my travels as a backpacker. So, what exactly is a backpacker? Simply carrying a backpack does not make you one; certainly not in spirit. So, I'll tell you what a backpacker was, at least back in the 60s and 70s, when the phenomena of young, usually late teen to early and mid twenties baby boomers went on their search or quest for meaning in life, and to get away from 12 plus years of insitutionalized learning and preparing for the job market. We were mostly idealistic and wanted to explore the world, which we had viewed through television and the daily news of Vietnam etc. We were not beatniks, that was another past generation with different vibes. One thing we all had in common was the desire to see as much of the world as possible but not through the eyes of a package tourist. We never stayed in 5 star hotels or bought Frommers Europe on $5 a day.

We only got Lonely Planet in 1972 when the first yellow guide on S.E Asia came out. However, most of us travelled blind and relied upon each other for information. Backpackers then were a friendly and sociable crowd. We followed a certain path from the UK through Europe, Middle East, South Asia, etc all the way to Oz or Japan or Indonesia etc. We constantly ran into each other and shared travel tips and places to visit. The places we visited had no packaged tourists. I still remember Koh Samui so vividly back in the 70s when I was one of only 6 foreigners on the whole island. Wow, it sure has changed. Kind of like paradise lost, but then you cannot stop change or progress as they call it.

We wanted to see the world though the eyes of the locals, hence the desire to visit out of the way places and meet and communicate with the locals. Some of us even wanted to live as the locals. Our travels were both educational and often a life changer. I know, that after I left Canada for 5 years, and lived and worked in various places, that I was a changed person when I returned home. You could say that I grew up and matured during my 5 year trip. I realized how our entire world was interconnected and most peoples, no matter who they were or where they lived, desired the same things in life. Sure, we all had different languages and ideas and ways of doing things but there was a basic commonality.

Backpackers travelled on a budget because obviously most of us hadn't been in the work force for long. I had worked about a year as a taxi driver to save up money for my trip. I travelled on 1080 dollars which lasted me a little over 12 months, until I landed in Perth, W.A and got a job. All young people should see the world....in fact not just young but any age. However, back in the day, the way the world was set up......most working people had 2 weeks holiday a year, so most backpackers were youngsters getting a first taste of real freedom before joining the workforce or starting a career. More than a few of us dropped out totally and never returned home........witness hippie colonies in Goa..... However, most of us eventually returned home, settled down and married.

One thing us backpackers had was a sense of adventure and the desire to go anywhere despite any dangers or inconveniences. Sometimes we slept in open fields, bus and train stations, on the streets, hitchhiked, befriended by locals and stayed in their homes. Yes, we were poor financially but we lived on 2 - 3 bucks a day and stayed in cheap youth hostels which used to cost 50 cents a night. All I can say is these were the best times of our lives and most of us have no regrets about our days of wanderlust.

There is a new kind of backpacker today but the desire is basically the same, the only thing is.....unfortunately everyone is so absorbed in their high tech devices, that I doubt that the same degree of camaraderies exists as it did in the days before all of these gadgets were invented. Why chat with your fellow travellers when you have all of the info in your laptop or library of Lonely Planets? You now only need companions for partying at Full Moon gatherings.....and engaging in hedonistic pleasures..not that I'm saying that there is anything wrong with that.

Nice post ,it brought back memories of how we kept bumping into each other. I lost my Lonely Planet for India on the bus from Scotland to London and it was the best thing to happen. Arriving in Goa in 1991, I felt that I had missed the best days as the manchester, tecno 'e; crowd were getting interested and the real hippies had moved on to Thailand and Vietnam. I remember walking up near Calingute beach for 3 hours each way and seeing one person! it was at the end of the monsoon and only.

Meeting the rasta guy from Equador who was a DJ in Goa, in a guest house in Bombay that sold bang lassis! Ray the writer from Dumbarton was met in the retreat in Darmasala then later south of Calcutta in Poona, Orissa where alcohol was banned but we could buy ganja and opium in the government bang shop. He had to carry me home once after too much opium. The favor was returned when he tried to match my vodka drinking on Khao San Road, where we met accidentally. No internet, just postcards and letters.

Yeah, I remember sleeping in some strange places - Calcutta railway station where I covered myself with a blanket and was woken up with two soldiers sitting on me. In a little corrugated iron shack in a building site near Pat Pong.

I doubt my kids will ever do what I did. Not sure if I'd want them to mind you. They're more interested in their stupid Cookie Crush and Line games, facebook etc.

No need to converse with anyone just look up tripadvisor or youtube.

[harrry]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Backpackers or any other group of tourists unless you generalize and tar and feather an entire group based upon the behaviour of a minority. I started my travels as a backpacker. So, what exactly is a backpacker? Simply carrying a backpack does not make you one; certainly not in spirit. So, I'll tell you what a backpacker was, at least back in the 60s and 70s, when the phenomena of young, usually late teen to early and mid twenties baby boomers went on their search or quest for meaning in life, and to get away from 12 plus years of insitutionalized learning and preparing for the job market. We were mostly idealistic and wanted to explore the world, which we had viewed through television and the daily news of Vietnam etc. We were not beatniks, that was another past generation with different vibes. One thing we all had in common was the desire to see as much of the world as possible but not through the eyes of a package tourist. We never stayed in 5 star hotels or bought Frommers Europe on $5 a day.

We only got Lonely Planet in 1972 when the first yellow guide on S.E Asia came out. However, most of us travelled blind and relied upon each other for information. Backpackers then were a friendly and sociable crowd. We followed a certain path from the UK through Europe, Middle East, South Asia, etc all the way to Oz or Japan or Indonesia etc. We constantly ran into each other and shared travel tips and places to visit. The places we visited had no packaged tourists. I still remember Koh Samui so vividly back in the 70s when I was one of only 6 foreigners on the whole island. Wow, it sure has changed. Kind of like paradise lost, but then you cannot stop change or progress as they call it.

We wanted to see the world though the eyes of the locals, hence the desire to visit out of the way places and meet and communicate with the locals. Some of us even wanted to live as the locals. Our travels were both educational and often a life changer. I know, that after I left Canada for 5 years, and lived and worked in various places, that I was a changed person when I returned home. You could say that I grew up and matured during my 5 year trip. I realized how our entire world was interconnected and most peoples, no matter who they were or where they lived, desired the same things in life. Sure, we all had different languages and ideas and ways of doing things but there was a basic commonality.

Backpackers travelled on a budget because obviously most of us hadn't been in the work force for long. I had worked about a year as a taxi driver to save up money for my trip. I travelled on 1080 dollars which lasted me a little over 12 months, until I landed in Perth, W.A and got a job. All young people should see the world....in fact not just young but any age. However, back in the day, the way the world was set up......most working people had 2 weeks holiday a year, so most backpackers were youngsters getting a first taste of real freedom before joining the workforce or starting a career. More than a few of us dropped out totally and never returned home........witness hippie colonies in Goa..... However, most of us eventually returned home, settled down and married.

One thing us backpackers had was a sense of adventure and the desire to go anywhere despite any dangers or inconveniences. Sometimes we slept in open fields, bus and train stations, on the streets, hitchhiked, befriended by locals and stayed in their homes. Yes, we were poor financially but we lived on 2 - 3 bucks a day and stayed in cheap youth hostels which used to cost 50 cents a night. All I can say is these were the best times of our lives and most of us have no regrets about our days of wanderlust.

There is a new kind of backpacker today but the desire is basically the same, the only thing is.....unfortunately everyone is so absorbed in their high tech devices, that I doubt that the same degree of camaraderies exists as it did in the days before all of these gadgets were invented. Why chat with your fellow travellers when you have all of the info in your laptop or library of Lonely Planets? You now only need companions for partying at Full Moon gatherings.....and engaging in hedonistic pleasures..not that I'm saying that there is anything wrong with that.

Nice post ,it brought back memories of how we kept bumping into each other. I lost my Lonely Planet for India on the bus from Scotland to London and it was the best thing to happen. Arriving in Goa in 1991, I felt that I had missed the best days as the manchester, tecno 'e; crowd were getting interested and the real hippies had moved on to Thailand and Vietnam. I remember walking up near Calingute beach for 3 hours each way and seeing one person! it was at the end of the monsoon and only.

Meeting the rasta guy from Equador who was a DJ in Goa, in a guest house in Bombay that sold bang lassis! Ray the writer from Dumbarton was met in the retreat in Darmasala then later south of Calcutta in Poona, Orissa where alcohol was banned but we could buy ganja and opium in the government bang shop. He had to carry me home once after too much opium. The favor was returned when he tried to match my vodka drinking on Khao San Road, where we met accidentally. No internet, just postcards and letters.

Yeah, I remember sleeping in some strange places - Calcutta railway station where I covered myself with a blanket and was woken up with two soldiers sitting on me. In a little corrugated iron shack in a building site near Pat Pong.

I doubt my kids will ever do what I did. Not sure if I'd want them to mind you. They're more interested in their stupid Cookie Crush and Line games, facebook etc.

No need to converse with anyone just look up tripadvisor or youtube.

Sadly I think you are right about technology stealing the way we used to talk to each other in person to find out something.....well I guess we can always use Thai Visa.

[cbluck58]

I agree with the guy who gets pissed off being smacked in the back by their negligent attitude to the weights on their back.

Secondly most of them sweat and smell too much.

Thirdly - invent your own culture - hippy back packing belongs to the 70s when we used to bus it from Earl's court to Katmandu and then walk / bus /hitch into SE Asia. Same with the outfits people - do something new !

Lastly , you don't need a back pack out here - do a Jack Reacher and only carry a toothbrush ; chuck dirty stuff away, get a bath and buy new - it is so cheap , you can travel the whole region with a 7/11 plastic bag !!

[Neeranam]

I agree with the guy who gets pissed off being smacked in the back by their negligent attitude to the weights on their back.

Secondly most of them sweat and smell too much.

Thirdly - invent your own culture - hippy back packing belongs to the 70s when we used to bus it from Earl's court to Katmandu and then walk / bus /hitch into SE Asia. Same with the outfits people - do something new !

Lastly , you don't need a back pack out here - do a Jack Reacher and only carry a toothbrush ; chuck dirty stuff away, get a bath and buy new - it is so cheap , you can travel the whole region with a 7/11 plastic bag !!

Just not true. Backpackers wash as often as other tourists. Once, I never had a shower for a week in Nepal as there was no hot water but in Thailand it's a myth that backpackers don't wash.

[finy]

Walking about with bare feet is my biggest pet peeve.

And telling me all about their monumental journey, which would be great if I didn't hear the same thing from every other backpacker I speak to.

But I like backpackers as they're free-spirited and the birds usually have sexy tanned bodies which might be something to do with the lack of food they've been eating over the last X months.

I would consider myself a backpacker as I live out of a 30ltr backpack, but I hate going around looking at things so I don't know if that counts.

[John1thru10]

Really nothing straight up....but some are on shoestring and small spenders.....some comsidered unhygenic...unwashed...other as rastas or druggies seeing/financing the world through a slightly different perspective....any group that is viewed in a bad light usually

has earned it over time....their dressing habits don't help......the truth is somewhere in the middle... I've kind of envied their packing skills since I always seem to over pack....we actually use backpacks for our trips around Thailand...much easier to manage

than wheeled luggage for some of the resorts...our last trip was two + weeks

Haha - 'Nothing, except that they're 'druggies', unclean, deserving of negative judgements, don't dress well...'

[beechguy]

Yes, they certainly don't mind inconveniencing their fellow passengers on the MRT and BTS because their too freaking cheap to get a taxi.

Is that... "They certainly don't mind inconveniencing the other passengers on the MRT and BTS who are also too freaking cheap to take a taxi"?

When I'm in Bangkok I always take the BTS or MRT, unless it's late at night when they don't run and there's no traffic. The reason is not because I'm cheap, there really isn't that much cost difference, but because they are quicker than taxis during traffic time. The backpackers are smart enough to know this. Besides there are usually more than one backpacker traveling and in that case taxis could be cheaper.

My real issue isn't the backpackers, it's the backpacks they carry when it's crowded. I've never seen a Thai carry a huge load on the BTS or MRT, even they spring for a taxi or tuktuk to get where they're going.