The harsh truth about backpacking. Here are 10 honest and funny truths about backpacking from a travel couple who have explored 50 countries together!
Backpacking is an amazing way to see the world for cheap, but life as a backpacker isn’t all sunshine and roses. It’s hard work! For one, you will spend a lot of time researching the cheapest places to visit and how to get there on a budget. Second, you need to be fit and healthy to backpack because it is tiring, and those backpacks can be heavy!
And if you want first-world standards then backpacking maybe isn’t for you as you will likely be staying in hostel dorms and eating from street food stalls to keep costs down.
Instagram hides the truth about backpacking…
If you’re an Instagram junkie like myself I’m sure you’re following a travel influencer or 10. Their photos are unbelievable, right?
But, the problem with Instagram is that most of the photos on there are filtered or photo-shopped to infinity. It’s not a real representation of what backpacking really entails.
That’s why, today, I’m here to give you the very honest truth about backpacking. Even though visiting 50 countries with my husband is one of the greatest things I’ve accomplished to date, it was also the hardest thing we’ve ever done. So here are 10 honest truths about backpacking, you will probably encounter them all on your own travels so be warned!
Related Read: How You Can Afford To Travel Long Term? We Did It & You Can Too
10 Truths About Backpacking
As I said, backpacking is often seen as a thrilling and liberating way to explore the world, and there’s definitely a lot of truth to that! The freedom to wander off the beaten path, soak in local cultures, and travel on a budget is incredibly appealing. Imagine stumbling upon hidden gems that most tourists miss or sharing stories with locals over a meal – it’s all part of the adventure!
But let’s not sugarcoat it; backpacking comes with its own set of challenges. You need to be resourceful and adaptable because things don’t always go as planned. Weather can be unpredictable, resources can be limited, and you may have to make snap decisions on the fly. Plus, packing light often means trading comfort for practicality, which can be tough (trust me).
Yet, despite these hurdles, many backpackers find that the experience is truly transformative. It’s a journey of self-discovery that builds resilience and will make you appreciate the world more!
1. You will have at least one bus journey from hell
If you’re travelling on a budget you will inevitably have to get local buses to get you from one town to the next. Depending on where you are, these local or ‘chicken buses’ as they are also called, can be anything from air-conditioned luxury like we had in Mexico to a pimp-my-ride-style school bus in Guatemala. Feat. blaring Latin music and live chickens squawking in bags at the back.
2. You will always be tired
Like always tired. Traveling is like an attack on all of your senses. Every day you’re seeing new things, eating exotic foods, listening to new languages, smelling not-so-nice things (open sewers, anyone?).
It does get tiring believe me. But it’s okay because you can sleep in the next day if you get too exhausted because you don’t have a job to get up for. It’s the best.
3. You won’t party as much as you think you will
Because you’re so tired from seeing new things but also because sitting on the beach watching the sunset with store-bought local beer is so much better. It is also a hell of a lot cheaper to buy beer at the store, so, if you’re on a budget you will find yourself less inclined to drop a load of cash at some tourist-filled nightclub.
4. You will learn to appreciate a hot (& strong) shower
Honestly, you will never enjoy a hot shower as much as you do when traveling. After sitting on a hot and stink bus for 10+ hours a warm shower will feel like heaven!
5. You will contemplate blowing your daily budget for some air-con
Those who have backpacked before will understand how much more expensive a room with some air-conditioning is. And even though you will consider splurging on air-con on an almost daily basis, you will eventually decide against it.
Instead, you will return to your hot room, have a cold shower, and jump straight into bed. You will eventually get used to sleeping without air-con.
6. You will meet people from all walks of life
Some will be really really cool, others will be some of the most annoying people you’ve ever met. But ultimately you will learn that the best people to hang with are the locals.
7. You will curse yourself for packing so many clothes
Because now your backpack weighs about the same as you and is starting to literally weigh you down. But alas, five minutes later you’ll be complaining that you’ve nothing to wear.
Placing all your needed belongings into a backpack will teach you what’s necessary and what’s not. It teaches you that you don’t need things as much as you think you do.
8. You will get sick of eating out for every single meal, every single day
This is probably the most surprising truth about backpacking. As crazy as it sounds, but, on your travels, you will be dying for a home-cooked meal. Hence, why a lot of travelers book an Airbnb when they get to a large city or town to have access to a kitchen and a laundry room for a few days.
Having access to home comforts like an oven and TV tends to make you feel normal again.
Can I also add that if you’re traveling as a couple or as part of a group you will spend at least an hour of every day trying to decide where to eat.
9. Some days the weather will go against you
It is inevitable that weather will hinder your travel plans at least once on your backpacking journey. Whether it’s a cloudy day preventing your plans to sunbathe at the beach. Or a serious storm causing road closures, preventing you from getting to your next destination.
We had an overnight Halong Bay Cruise canceled on us due to a huge storm, which sucked but was understandable!
10. You will become an expert at embracing change
Every single truth about backpacking I’ve mentioned above is a teeny-tiny inconvenience when you think of how lucky you are to be exploring our beautiful world. Most people don’t have the same opportunities as you do. You will never be as young and as fearless as you are now. This world is big and scary, sure, but, it’s also incredibly beautiful and begging to be explored.
Please – if you have even the tiniest desire to travel don’t suppress it, embrace it, not everyone has the same wonder for the world as you. Traveling is awesome, I promise once you start you will never want to stop!
Pros of backpacking:
- You broaden your perspective on the world and life
- You make lifelong friends
- You learn to enjoy your own company
- You become more grateful and live fully in the present moment
- You see that there are more good than bad people in the world
Thanks for Reading!
Tell me – what did you think about our 10 truths about backpacking? Is there anything else you would add to the list?
Why not read next –
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The negative effects of social media
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Working abroad (expat travel) – how to travel like us
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Last Updated on March 19, 2025 by snaphappytravel
One thought on “The Honest Truth About Backpacking”
Great post! You’re right- people get so obsessed with the “travel blogger” image that they don’t think about what the travel is like behind the scenes.