One day, I thought about ‘why are we so in love with backpackers?’. At least I am.
Honestly, raise your hand if you ever had a crush on a fellow backpacker.
….
See? I see millions of hands up in the air. I knew it! Yes, it happens a lot. So, why?
And one day during my backpacking, I thought ‘Backpacking is sexy.’
Totally.
Combine those two thoughts.. We are so in love with backpackers because backpacking is sexy. I’m not saying because I travel as a backpacker (well, some part??). There’s just something about backpack, straps, buckles, shorts and tan lines. That’s something. We build some sort of brotherhood through backpacks.
Meet great friends, and sometimes love, that is not the main reason why we put the backpack on our back, but it happens quiet often. Not only just romance, but also very long lasting friendship.
So, why are we constantly falling in love with backpackers and why backpacking is so darn sexy?
Here’s my thought.
Self centered
It doesn’t mean that the person is selfish or rude. Backpackers know how to take care of themselves. It’s inevitable because they are on the road alone in a complete strange place. ‘Believe in yourself’ was the first thing I learn from my backpacking. Backpackers are confident. They know what they want, what they like, and what they have to do. This is a very good quality that people could have, in my opinion. Knowing and loving yourself are important as much as find the love of your life.
Self-oriented people are reliable on the road, and you have to be that way for your own good. That’s why we bond so well with friends we met during traveling. Because we have this belief that we are going to be okay individually no matter what happens.
And to be honest, a man who knows what he wants, that is sexy, and vise versa I believe.
Problem solving
I have a thing for the person who concentrates to read something out of a guidebook and scribbles on a dingy piece of paper. It’s quite weird thing to have a thing but it’s true.
Things are not going the way exactly what we’ve expected. That is one of the fun parts of travel for sure, but we have to power through the situations. Travel has its ups and downs, and it gives you something to solve in either way. Decisions about where to go, when we got lost, figuring out the next move for next few days, and some more severe situations are possible.
The problem solving process is another opportunity to get to know people. The ability, thought process, creativity and beyond. And a lot of times I got very impressive from that.
Solid philosophy
Backpackers have a solid philosophy to overview the world. It is highly flexible and very ground solid at the same time. We encounter strange situations over and over every single day. The experiences became one small pieces of what makes who you are. Just like tetris. From all the bits and pieces, backpackers are building their own world that is open to everyone. I admire the effort.
Quality conversation is highly toxicated. It’s a brainteaser and I’m easily hooked by that. It’s truly amazing that how two or more people who had totally different lives for over two decades, yet have so many things in common and understand each other so well. It happens more on the road than back home, for me at least. As much as I understand how rare that to happen, it is easier to fall deeply to the situation.
Appearance
Appearance is clearly one of the key points of attraction. Sometimes we deny it, but that is true. On that note, backpackers are usually very fit. If you didn’t notice, it’s easy to guess after put a 20kg backpack on your back. It’s the ultimate workout.
Backpackers are not lazy. There’s always a possibility but it’s different laziness than when we are at home. As a flexible and not tight itinerary traveler, having some time off is important when I’m on the road and I think of it as a lifestyle. Why rush? However, because they have to-no they choose to move around, do something every day, eat healthy food, and whatever the other reasons are, I found backpackers are in good shape. This is a very good point to argue with why we are so in love with them.
Enough said.
Most importantly, because you are who you are
You know how people say travel is about finding yourself. I’m a believer. Once I said why friends I met on the road is much more intense than my face-to-face friends and that was because I was being totally who I am with them. It applies for any relationship and especially for love. Every single point I mentioned above could be nothing if it happens at home. It’s sad to say but I am not completely being who I am when I’m at home and I believe a lot of fellow travelers are as well. When we are on the road, we became a self-oriented, troubleshooter, believer – a sexy backpacker. That is what makes us irresistible.
Well, do you agree? A penny for your thoughts?
