I've backpacked Australia, South East Asia, Nepal, China, India for a year and a half, Mediterranean Europe and Mexico (P.S. I must plug Mexico for being an awesome country and wonderful people, Estoy lleno de amor por México!!! Hasta Pronto!). It wasn't until India when I accidentally mixed backpacking and motorcycling together. I wouldn't go back and change anything, and I had a really good time -especially in India, but my next big trip to South America is going to be a mix of volunteering and touring by motorcycle. The plus side of this is that it gives me a good excuse to return to SE-Asia, Australia to see it again on two-wheels!!

As other people said, being stuck in tourists bus with a bunch of gap yah's and getting shuttled to one overpriced hostel, to the next attraction, and eating pizzas in expensive, restaurants aimed solely at tourists, is absolutely no ones fault but your own. Though I admit, sometimes, especially in parts of S-E Asia, Eastern Australia, and parts of central America, the tourist trail is well established and in your face, but use some imagination, and it is not difficult to avoid.

If anyone ever said backpacking is boring, I would suggest they go to India, Nepal and Bangladesh for six months! I've hired and bought Enfields in India and it's a great way to travel and get yourself in the thick of it, but that said, not exposing yourself to local buses, trains, rickshaws or walking, would be missing a very essential part of that country, especially the trains! An overnight train journey in India in sleeper class will be unforgettable, and Indian train stations are absolutely fascinating in themselves.

It was similar in Central America, although I spent a fair amount of time wishing I had a bike, getting chicken buses from Panama to Mexico, and then coaches throughout Mexico to Austin Texas, was a fantastic experience. Although they are uncomfortable, you really see a lot life whilst riding in those Chicken Buses, they are a great experience. Only once did I take a tourist shuttle, from Antigua to the big lake in Guatemala, and it was just me and five super sexy Canadian girls fromQuebec who invited me to party with them

The best travellers I met were the ones who could go trekking in remote pats of the Himalayas, and then next week go crazy in some cheesy surf swimming pool hostel and have fun. The latter isn't for me, and getting drunk to cheesy music trying to shout pickup lines down girls ears never really has been, but when I look back and see myself sitting at the bar, chain smoking, being a bit aloof and miserable, whilst everyone around me was partying and having fun, I think I finally learnt that sometimes you ought to just let go of yourself and your prejudice. After all, isn't that what dedicated travelling is about?