10 unique ways to seek your traveller’s vibe while backpacking

Travelling takes us to new places, cultures and situations. It gets us out of our comfort zone, giving us a glimpse into the lives of communities, with whom we share our space and resources. For most of us, the takeaway from travel involves us getting out of our self-absorbed lives, and just seeing the world out there. But there’s definitely more to ‘travelling’, than what meets the eye.

Travelling, especially ‘backpacking’ brings us closer to ourselves. It serves the purpose of giving us a unique experience that we take back as travellers, and not just ‘tourists’. Our 9-to-5 lifestyles often make us forget who we are, and travelling gives us this small window of opportunity to shut off from the world, connect with ourselves, and seek our ‘vibe’.

Here is a list of 10 ways to look for this traveller’s vibe within oneself while backpacking:

1 Step out

One of the most crucial steps, stepping/venturing/getting out of your lives, routines and comfort zones to make time for travelling, is what ultimately makes all the difference. Prioritising this ‘time for oneself’, and making relevant plans leads us to new places and to learn more about the land out there; probably ending up with an experience of a lifetime when we head back home.

2. Backpacking is about going cheap

Ditching the luxurious ‘vacation mode’ to travelling, and settling for the wallet-friendly backpacking approach leads us to get a zest of the rural, basic and non-frivolous lifestyle of the locals. It may also make for some interesting stories and interactions.

3. Travel local

The perks of travelling local may include bumpy rides, hairpin bend roads, decorative vehicles, loud jarring music and generally an over-stuffing of passengers beyond limits (sort of like how livestock are transported). But at the end of the roller-coaster ride, you’ll be left with a mental experience that you’d remember for a long time.

4. Relish local food

One of the best perks of travelling includes indulging in gastronomical adventures of hogging on local food. Most places serve a unique blend of flavours and ingredients, based on the region you are visiting. And if you somehow manage to find restaurants who serve the ethnic cuisine of the locals, then you’re in luck. The only precaution would be to take only as many risks with food as much as your gut is accustomed to.

5. Interact

Backpacking, either solitary or in groups, will lead you to meet a lot of people. You will get to personally know about your co-backpackers (including aspects of siblings and old friends that you may not have witnessed before); and it is also likely that you will meet some genuinely nice people with common interests, with whom you may share deep and interesting conversations.

6. Take risks

By risks, it does not necessarily mean the ones that threaten lives of ourselves or of ones around us, but in specific about the person who we think we are. During backpacking, you can forget about being judged, and try things that you may consider not doing otherwise. These risks might let you grow as a person or can help you discover a new aspect within you that you’re good at.

7. Switch off

Backpacking gives you a valid reason to cut off from the world (thanks to varying cellular network strengths), and sometimes it is also a relief to not get buzzed by notifications from multiple inboxes and social media platforms. You need not worry about responding to anyone urgently and can let go of your technological handcuffs.  And you may finally get that ‘peace of mind’ that you’ve been looking for.

8. Explore

Exploring not just the places that you’re visiting (which you anyway will), but also the thoughts within your head. Travelling gives us a good time to de-clutter, be it while staring at amazing natural landscapes, or just having a quiet moment stargazing in the open skies. You are on your own, along with your thoughts, and a cuppa of whatever that gets you high (Pun not necessarily intended).

9. Do nothing

The true virtue of travelling lies in spending moments doing nothing at all. At the end of the day, how good is travelling, if it doesn’t help you relax (Mentally and/or physically)?

10. Let go

For many, travelling acts as an escape gateway from reality, trying to find respite from our day-to-day problems, seeking for some time away from mundane tasks and chores in hand. The easiest way to fasten this process will be by accepting ‘what is’ and looking forward to an adventurous present and future (that is probably filled with lots of travel stories worth sharing). And at one point you will have to let go off these thoughts and be you, if you really want to travel for the essence of it (And not just for a quick check-in or a photo upload of a new destination that you’re at).

The more you travel, the sooner you’re bound to find this traveller’s vibe within you. Thankfully, there is never a shortage of landscapes on earth worth discovering and exploring.

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