Way to go

Neha Sharma and her husband have just left for Prague. From there, they plan to go to Austria, see the sights in Edelweiss country and then take off for Italy. Over their 25-day stay, they want to explore each country extensively — visit remote places that few have heard of, follow little-known trails on a fellow travellers’ recommendation, sample the local delicacies — and this is the reason they’re limiting their trip to just three countries.

So what’s the best way for them to pack in all this on little more than a wing and a prayer? Backpacking, of course. But wait — isn’t backpacking all about staying at down-at-heel dumps with cold or no water for showers, eating in grubby canteens, mixing with a crowd that’s definitely not top drawer and being generally uncomfortable? Surely the Indian mind recoils at the very idea? Well, backpacking now is not about those things and maybe never has been, says Yogesh Shah, CEO of The Backpacker Company, India’s first travel resource that assists independent travellers across Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the US.

Shah says Indians with an adventurous streak are recognising backpacking as a great way to travel cheaply. Yet, the budget is not the only consideration for people like 30-year-old Antara Nag. While she’d always wanted to go to Europe, she couldn’t muster the courage to take off on her own. Checking out the conventional package tour companies that promise to usher you through as many as seven European countries in a fortnight, she realised these were not for her either. “I didn’t want Indian food everywhere we went, I didn’t want to travel with families and children and people whose only interest was shopping and I definitely didn’t want to rush through each country, barely taking in anything,” says Nag.

Doing some research, she came across The Backpacker Company’s website and they helped her plan her itinerary, fix her budget and book hostels and flights. Nag is leaving in a few days’ time for an 11-day holiday in Italy, a country she’s always wanted to explore fully. But being a first-time backpacker, she wanted a little more hand-holding and was put through to Contiki Holidays, a tour organiser that specialises in arranging trips for 18 to 35-year-olds.

Neha Sharma and her husband, on the other hand, wanted more independence than Nag, so Shah made arrangements for them to travel on Busabout — a unique bus service that covers most European countries (as well as Egypt and Morocco) and that gives independent travellers plenty of choice over where they want to go.

Busabout also runs backpacker hostels across Europe and they’re a great way to shack up for under 20 euros a night. That’s what the Sharmas plan to do, though they’ve taken the trouble of booking rooms in the hostels. “This ensures we’ll get a room and not have to stay in a dorm,” says Neha. For this couple, the advantages of staying at a hostel is meeting like-minded fellow tourists and getting tips on local areas to explore.

Europe seems to be the one of the most favoured destinations for backpackers. One reason is that the backpacking infrastructure is already in place on the Continent, Shah reasons.

“Also, in one trip you get to experience so many cultures, cuisines, sights and sounds,” he says. Samhita Seth, who spent part of her honeymoon backpacking in Scotland with her husband, feels Europe is an otherwise expensive destination.

“For people with reasonable budgets, the only way to really see Europe is by backpacking,” she says. Shah agrees. According to him you should budget for at least 60 euros a day per person — 20 euros for accommodation, 20 for food and 20 for travel. Sightseeing expenses, such as museum entry fees, are usually extra. Still, one can plan a 15-day trip for about 1,000 euros.

Is interest in backpacking on the rise? “Just the fact we exist proves it,” says Shah. He has been an avid backpacker for 15 years and started his company along with his wife Suchna when they realised more and more people were coming to them for tips. Initially, though some people had no idea what they were doing and even thought they sold bags! “But thanks to the Internet, travel channels with shows on backpacking, travel magazines and guide books, more people are discovering backpacking,” he says.
In recent years, Southeast Asia has also developed as a backpackers’ paradise, especially for Indians who find it closer to home and cheaper. Air fares to and from Southeast Asian countries are lower and there are offers aplenty.

Ask veteran backpacker Soham Pablo Banerjee, an IT consultant with Wipro in Bangalore, who’s scoured the region from Thailand and Cambodia to Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia on a shoestring budget. Some would say this is ‘real’ backpacking — no planning, no hand-holding, no touristy stuff. Banerjee decides on his itinerary himself and it changes from day to day. He stays at budget hotels, relies on public transport almost all the time and depends on the tourist infrastructure.

“The most backpacker-friendly country has got to be Thailand, mainly because of the large number of tourists it gets,” says Banerjee. A budget of around 1,000 Thai baht (almost equal in value to the Indian rupee) should see one through the day here, he feels.

Vietnam and Cambodia are cheaper, but maybe not as easy to traverse as Thailand. Yet, Cambodia has hired cars and motorbikes whose drivers are willing to take you into the interiors for as little as $50 per day. “No tourist books mention the villages but it’s here that you see the real country,” says Banerjee.

And what about India? The land which is considered a backpacking haven among the British and Israelis finds few takers among its own citizens. But there are a growing number bold enough to venture into its heart without the kind of meticulous planning that typifies the middle-class Indian tourist.

Take Ivan Pinto, for instance. This Mumbai-based BPO executive is fanatical about backpacking, doesn’t believe in any other mode of traveling, has backpacked his way through most of southern India and is now planning a Grand Indian Tour — stretching all the way to Tibet.

Pinto, who also writes a blog on backpacking, recalls his first trip to Goa when he was 18: “I still remember being crushed like a sardine in a can in the general compartment of a train and feeling like I was going to spill out. In a moment of desperation, I followed a stranger to the top of the train at the next halt.”

Even with the rough moments, that trip changed Pinto’s life. Now he takes off every few months, travelling sleeper class, eating at roadside stalls, finding the most basic accommodation for the night and sticking to a budget of less than Rs 500 a day. According to him, this is the only authentic way to journey because “you travel to local places rather than just tourist destinations. You travel for the experience of travelling and not to break the monotony of your daily life.”

Ask him what the backpacking essentials are and he replies, “The material things are not important. What you really need are an open mind, patience, a wandering soul, a questioning attitude, love and acceptance for the unknown, humility, thirst for knowledge and an addiction to new experiences.”

A tall list, no doubt, but it appears more Indian explorers are finding it in themselves to take up the challenge.

Backpacking Essentials

• The backpack: If you plan on taking only the bare essentials you could get away with a 35-litre backpack but on an average a 50-litre one might be a better choice.

• Sleeping bag: The modern ones that roll up very small are the best. At many hostels you will be charged for sheets/blankets and their state of cleanliness may be dubious.

• Swiss-army knife: The travellers’ best friend! Just make sure you don’t fly with it in your hand-luggage.

• First-aid kit: A good first-aid kit. Also for less developed countries, it’s worth taking syringes with you to avoid contracting diseases from contaminated needles that local first-aiders may use.

• Towels: It’s best to take the quick-drying variety or get used to carrying a wet towel in your bag.

• Walking shoes

• Socks and underwear: Carry a few extra — it might not be easy to do laundry.

• Spy wallet: It’s a good idea to divide your money up.

• Day pack: Many backpacks come with a detachable daypack. If yours doesn’t, it might be a good idea to get one.

• Wet wipes

• Lots of extra plastic bags for carrying wet clothes and to separate essentials in the backpack.


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