11 Lessons You Learn from Backpacking

Hitting the open trail with nothing but a backpack and your wits about you can teach you a lot about life. From how to manage resources to how to find your way when you’re lost, backpacking is a great way to learn some essential life skills. Let’s take a look at a few of the lessons that this great adventure can teach us.

How to Appreciate Nature

A fifth lesson you learn from backpacking is how to appreciate nature. When you are out in the wilderness, surrounded by beautiful scenery, you quickly realize how lucky we are to live on this planet. This lesson can be applied to other areas of your life, such as when you are feeling stressed or down.

How to Tolerate Others

It may take a bit of time and patience to get to know some of those hard-nut backpackers or get used to the garb of the oddly dressed guy in the corner of your dorm, but once you crack their shell you’ll often find you have a lot more in common than you think. The best part of backpacking is getting to know fellow travelers from different walks of life and forming that unique bond.

How to Be Self-Sufficient

Another lesson you learn from backpacking is how to be self-sufficient. When you are out in the wilderness, there is no one else to rely on but yourself. You learn how to set up your own camp, cook your own food, and navigate using a map and compass. This lesson can be applied to other areas of your life, such as when you are starting a new job or project.

How to Be Alone

For first-time backpackers, the idea of being alone can seem quite daunting, but it is important to notice the difference between being alone and being lonely. Sometimes we crave a bit of downtime to ourselves to explore new territories, but if you do find yourself feeling a bit lonely we backpackers know that there is always someone new to meet!

How to Take Risks

Whether it be as simple as not pre-booking any accommodation to as extreme as jumping off the side of a cliff, every backpacker knows that the greatest thrills come from taking risks. Backpacking involves doing things that get you out of your comfort zone and trust us on this one, all of these risk-taking adventures make for the best stories and memories!

How to Trust Your Instinct

You’re in a different country experiencing different cultures and customs and yes, while it is fun and exciting to throw caution to the wind, you also learn as a backpacker when it is time to draw the line. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it!

How to Save Money

You’ve saved a lot to get here and now you want to make every penny last so as a backpacker you learn how to be sensible with your loot and choose where to invest your money. You eat like the locals to save a buck, you sleep in hostels to cut down on accommodation costs and you buddy up with other travelers to make that taxi ride just that little bit cheaper. Although, even after all of this scrimping and saving we all know where that money inevitably goes…

How to Pack Light

Lugging a huge backpack around is never fun, nor recommended.

As a backpacker, you learn to live with the bare essentials and nothing more. Once you understand that memories are worth more than that new pair of shoes or designer watch you’ll find it easy to let go of material possessions and travel only with carry-on essentials!

How to Sightsee on a Hangover

This is particularly true if, like me, you enjoy a good chin wag over a bottle of wine (or two). You’re always meeting new people on the road and the best place to socialize is usually at a bar. That being said, you don’t want to miss out by not visiting the sights that you’ve been researching or hearing about. As a backpacker, you learn how to juggle the two, even if it means feeling a bit rough all day.

How to Pretend Like You Understand What’s Going on

Sometimes local customs and culture in a foreign country can seem wacky or downright insane with no apparent rhyme or reason. As a backpacker, you learn to embrace the crazy and act as if you know exactly what is going on even if you don’t!

How to Make the Most of It

As a backpacker, you understand that life is short and the world is large. You never take advantage of a single place you visit and try to experience as much as you can in a short amount of time. Backpackers never take anything for granted and as a result, are proven to be happier people in the long run. Even on a bad day or a sleepless journey on a night bus, a backpacker will always find a way to make it all worth it.