going backpacking and relying on public transport again?

Id rather stick red hot knitting needles in my eyes

Overlanding on your own wheels gives you so much freedom Id NEVER go backpacking again, if I cant take my own motorbike/bicycle or 4x4 id rent or buy something locally.

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Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

I tried backpacking in South East Asia for three months last winter.

It was truly an awful, claustrophobic, touristic experience.

I ended up coming home a month early and paying for a EXTRA flight just to do it.

Never never never never never never never again.

I don't think anyone can go from freedom of motorcycle/4x4 travel back to buses and trains and gringo trails..

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

It's fine if you hitchhike I think.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

er....I have.

Backpacking has its place in my psyche; not often, but definitely there. It's a different kind of travel, for sure, but I still enjoy aspects of it, just as I enjoy many aspects of solo motorcycle travel.....and car.....

Probably just South East Asia.....


uggggggghhhhhhhhhhh

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

It's easy to get of the gringo trail there.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Wow, strong ANTI-backpacking sentiments!
Is it the smell?

Did lots of backpacking style travel ... back to the early 70's. Criss crossed Mexico, Cent. & South America several times on buses trains, private vehicles and a few motorbikes.

I was lucky enough to be able to mix it up with occasional travel on a bike, haven't really done full back pack travel since early 1980's. All bikes! Like others, I've flown places as a back packer, got there and rented a bike.
Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam. (only short visits)

Rode a Jawa 350 a bit in Mexixo, onto Guatemala and El Salvador. Another trip had a Honda 50 along mostly for Mexico. (attached to friend's camper). Did more of this in S. America.

But since late 80's all bike trips for me. I could go back to backpacking but it would be tough now ... I'm too accustom to all the advantages on being on the bike ... and too soft and too old to tough out backpacking. (like hiking around La Paz, Bolivia for two hours looking for a Hotel! all at 4000 meters)

Everything everyone says about the "freedom" with the bike is true ... and it feels GOOD to get back on a bike after riding in buses 12 hours a day. But it's amazing where you can get to on a bus if you inquire on routes.

Probably biggest PLUS to back packing was local contact and improved language skills. You had to learn ... or get your seat mate to TEACH YOU. (That's what I did)

I'd see groups of kids who never reach out, stay as a group, rarely talk or attempt to interact with locals unless forced to. But they have a ball anyway and they do what they do. So what. No law says you have to become a multi-cultural warrior. (although you'll be smarter and wiser if you are!)

The Ozzies and Brits were often poor with language in Latin America. I bailed several out of trouble (and jail) due to simple misunderstandings. So some pay off there I guess.

But often buses DO suck. Trains a bit better. I traveled thousands of miles in Peru' by train. The trip from Lima up to Huancayo was memorable, highest train ride in the world, passing over 17K ft. Took ages. A long tough ride on a bike back in those days.

Getting back on the bus was disheartening after riding, so I get what guys are whinging about. Also, older I get the harder the backpacking scene is to take. So I agree with those sentiments to some extent.

But backpacking also has it's "freedom's". No responsibility to maintain and repair a motorcycle. Some of the younger generation are woefully ignorant of even most basic maintenance/mechanical skills and some have no interest in learning. (my step son for example)

In USA most high schools don't offer Auto Shop like the old days. I learned so much there.

Backpacking also means no border hassles with TVIP's, insurance and dealing with whacked out crazy local traffic. No accidents, no hospitals and no ***** transito trying to impound your bike. (been there, done that)

That said, I've been in TWO pretty good bus accidents. One in Guatemala, another in Bolivia. Fist fight broke out at one of them.

Far as Gringo trail stuff goes ... many bikers follow the same path and end up in the same places along the ever widening Gringo Trail. Difference is, once you learn of better, less exploited places, you can jump on your bike and be there quick. Not always so easy juggling bus schedules and once you've paid your room, hard to get a refund. But a good backpacker will think and plan outside the box and OFF the Gringo trail. These skills transfer well to travel by bike.

Backpackers used to not be welcomed everywhere in S. America ... the unfounded fear of dirty, broke Hippies "invading" communities was strong, supported by right wing, US backed reactionary press and govts. ... moderated now I'm sure.

And even then, I was approached several times by very serious father's offering good money to marry their daughter and take her back to "Los Estados". This still goes on I hear.

Drugs were a BIG DEAL in the 70's ... many died from Cocaine abuse ... no wonder as it was SO CHEAP and plentiful.
I witnessed a lot of this. Backpackers were always targeted as suspects.
Now? I've no idea ... but would not surprise me. Funny, since back then it was nearly always local military or govt. officials doing the serious smuggling. (That is a FACT)

On my bike I never felt targeted or suspected despite a thousand military stops and searches.

But now, in Mexico, it's Speed that's killing kids ... and Speed users are often young Cartel killers by age 13. So ugly. Stay clear of that. Ruthless little bastards. Backpackers may be more likely to run into these scenes at bus stations where bikers may avoid it.

Most people associate backpacking with going from one destination in the LP to another destination in the LP by way of the transport options listed in the LP. If that's the case you're not very creative. Similar to the people on 1200GS traveling Europe on the motorway. Which are often criticized for it.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

There is a poll on here some where biker or traveller or something like that.

I love travel, I prefer it by bike. but for the last couple of years bike = domestic, and "backpacking" = elsewhere. This has simply come down to money. (and time but if i had the money then i would have the time.. one way or the other.)

For me though the travel aspect is not too different.. I still land in a place with out a clue or a plan and just wing it.. No bookings not tours not party hostles..


Sure the backpack means organising transport but we will get to the out there places, by what ever mean we have to local bus, ferry cab, rent a bike rent an electric bike (burma..sSOOOO fUNNNN!!)... what ever it takes..

The bike is better no question in my mind... but I'll travel anyway I can, and it. We always even on a bike move slow, stay in places for a while and explore.. we have never been the blast though a place just for a "ride" kinda travelers. so we often get to a town/village/city bunch of ruins and walk for days on end.. then get the bike and move on.. so public t-port (A PITA) only changes that part slightly...

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2000 Africa Twin
http://two-up-ona-twin.blogspot.com

just travel on no matter how.

may I just throw in a different aspect....

Question is "what if you can't ride a bike any more, but don't want to give up travelling"

the thing is for instant, that I my self have been quite active in the HU community for years, attending to HU-meetings, holding presentations and workshops, helping out and hosting other HU members, writing posts and so... in short enjoyed it a lot.... but what if some thing happened that does not allow you to ride a bike any more... like having a very nasty bike accident for instant... yep that can happened in an instant to every single one of us HUBBer and it happened frequently, some even deadly.... but not always.

As it did happened to me, about 2-1/2 year ago with spine and talus injury, with month and month of heavy pain and a good set of titanium bolts and rods stuck in my spine as new companions, certainly no good deal at all, and on top of that my beloved bike a wreck too, but I have been lucky... I still can walk again well rather limp... but so what, at lest upright

Well I'm well aware that the HU is all about two wheel travelling, or mainly at least, which is grate anyway.
Coming to my point... and may I'm not the only one who used to ride along this endless country roads and beautiful countrysides far away from home... and than this thoughts pop up as you ride along... and I'm sure many of my fellow HU members experienced this thoughts too...

"What would it be like, be here right now without a bike, with much more time and less money to spare, or at least dive in to it.. more intense than riding a bike, like walking freely all this endless roads and tiny small path you cover in no time riding along right now, what would it be like to stretch this fast moment without riding a bike with just even less equipment... just walking, walking along a path even no longer accessible for riding a bike... like travelling by foot, may with a donkey in tow, with all the burden it takes, like the way the locals do.. or have to do... like what travelling used to be hundreds of years ago.. and so on.."

So... what if... you are unable to ride a bike any more but still like to see parts of this world you haven't seen yet, and didn't end up being depressive about your circumstances and haven't give up on live staying at home all the time hidden from the world... solution... you do rather walk ... or very slow hiking with just the few essential items you may just capable to carry on your back as far your physical strength does allow you to do so again.

So yes travelling does not stop after the bike is gone, it's only a way of getting around the world but not the only mean at all, just a temporally very convenient way of travelling.
In the 70th I was hitch-hiking around Europe with a big and heavy Rucksack, in the 80th I was travelling with just a shoulder bag and lots of Zombies in my head, in the 90th a old ex-military Land Rover 4x4 was my home to get around and about, the 1st Millennium century on Bike and enjoyed it a lot... and now... well.. a small backpack with no more than 7kg in total with everything needed to carry on exploring the world ones more...
Yep hitting the roads again in tree days again, hiking for a change as far as my broken spine bolted in to place and limping foot will carry me... not a big trip, not a trip around the Globe, but out and away to places less seen, breathing it all in ones more, happy to be alive enjoying the little things by the side of the path, meeting strange people and time....

see you soon

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The trouble is that he was talking in philosophy, but they were listening in gibberish.