Nomadic Matt recently posted about how his travel style is changing, from backpacker to something more upscale:
When I first started traveling, I always went for the cheapest option. Big dorms. Eating in hostels. Buses. Hitching. Overnight trains. Constant haggling. Street food. Stealing extra breakfast rolls. Now, I go for smaller dorms, I don’t mind flying, and I don’t like traveling to countries in order to cook pasta in a hostel.
Slurping 5-kuai noodles in Changsha
This got me thinking about how to describe my travel style. Sure, I have certain backpacker characteristics, from a love for overnight trains to a well-worn pair of (bright purple!) fisherman’s pants. I adore eating street food — in fact, cheap eats comprise some of my most delicious traveling memories. And as my parents will attest, I will haggle with the best of them when I think I’m being ripped off.
But I’m with Matt on cooking pasta in hostels. My budget isn’t tight enough that I have to resort to that, and I think if it were, traveling wouldn’t be too satisfying for me. I’ll stay in cheap hostels so that I can spend more on food, but why would I scrimp on admission tickets and sightseeing?
Some of my suggestions on this website would probably outrage a true backpacker.
Why spend 1000 rupees on dinner at Trishna when you can find yummy thalis for 50 or 100 rupees? Because Trishna’s peppery, buttery crab is worth flying around the world for, and most restaurants of that caliber would cost hundreds of dollars, not twenty.
I don’t think I’m going to be winning an “Extreme Backpacker of the Year” award any time soon. But my travel style isn’t going to break the bank (there isn’t much of a bank to break). I hope I do a pretty good job ferreting out some truly unmissable experiences, even when they cost a few extra dollars.
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