33 Things Only Backpackers Do

1. You actually like to sleep at the cheapest hostel in town – towels are NOT included and don’t even think about breakfast.

2. You’ve bought a pair of baggy elephant-print pants and have been wearing them every day. In fact, you’re wearing them now.

3. “Have you been to [insert the most obscure village/mountain/beach you can think of]?” is a question you always ask other travelers you meet, just so you can show off your local expertise.

4. “OMG, you HAVE to go there. it’s INCREDIBLE” is your go-to response when someone is skeptical or unaware about said village/mountain/beach.

5. You opt for the 11-hour bus/train/boat ride to get to your next destination instead of the one hour plane ride simply because the former is a fraction of the cost, and you’re broke as hell.

6. You have become a master in the art of bargaining.

7. You have become a professional in the practice of packing.

8. You have become a currency-converting connoisseur.

9. Your Instagram looks like a photography exhibition from National Geographic.

10. You’ve changed your profile picture four times in the past five days. You can’t help it — every photo you take seems more awesome than the last one.

11. You do everything you can to not only meet locals, but to become their best friend as well.

12. You know that any time is a good time for beer.

13. You’ve seriously considering working at the nearby café or bar just so you can stay in this particular place for longer.

14. You’re continuously reminded of how small this world really is. You’re in another continent, yet you’ve met people here who you have mutual friends with back home.

15. You’re quite tan from hiking and all your other outdoor excursions.

16. You’re currently wearing either a bandana or a hat.

17. You’re just as happy doing things alone as with a significant other or friend.

18. You’re running out of blank Visa stamp pages on your passport.

19. You have a pile of train tickets, museum brochures, and tour stubs accumulating in your bag or somewhere in your room.

20. You constantly see souvenirs you’d like to buy, but you have absolutely no room for any of them.

21. You go out of your way to find the best deal on every thing possible from tour packages to a bottle of water.

22. You have a plethora of hilarious stories from every destination.

23. You have volunteered somewhere at least once.

24. You get frustrated when places don’t have any budget accommodations.

25. You’re likely traveling as a rite of passage, although you would never say that out loud.

26. You have four (traveling related) browser windows open on your tablet at any given time, each one clustered with saved tabs from Trip Advisor, WikiTravel, Lonely Planet, and Rough Guides.

27. Everywhere you go, you find yourself in a large group of other backpackers.

28. You love talking about the “importance of traveling.” Sometimes you can’t shut up about it.

29. You prefer to explore areas “off the beaten path”.

30. … but touristy places are a certain guilty pleasure to which you will never actually admit.

31. You never dare complain about your accommodation. It’s not like your budget permits that many choices.

32. However, if your accommodation is truly awful, you make sure to write a scathing review online.

33. You’re carrying an enormous backpack. Obviously.