Since the invention of computers, and even more so since the invention of the internet, the way people do things has changed completely. If you need information about any topic at all, it's only a few clicks of the mouse away. Things have become even easier with laptop computers and more compact tablets. You can now do your travel research online and backpack in a new way.
Even as recently as five years ago, you could immediately identify backpackers by their scruffy looks and the way they would pass the time with some cards. They would sit in budget eateries writing postcards and then try and track down a post office. Today's backpackers still look scruffy but if they need to kill time, they take out their computers and Skype their loved ones back home.
In the past, few backpackers would start their journey without a guidebook. Nowadays, fewer and fewer travelers carry a guidebook in their backpack and those who do, use the books only for the maps. Some deliberately stay away from guide books so that they can avoid the crowded backpacker's trails. Besides, they have their trusty laptops or tablets to guide them.
Hostels had to make changes to keep up with the new trend in backpacking. Gone are the days when all they needed to worry about was providing clean and comfortable sleeping quarters and bathrooms. Now one of the first things backpackers ask when they arrive at a hostel is what the Wi-Fi password is and whether there are working electrical sockets in the dorm rooms.
The great thing about traveling with your computer and being able to go online almost anywhere is that it makes research about your destination so much easier. You can find and book a hostel, a flight and a bus ticket with only a few clicks. You can check the weather and look at pictures and satellite images of the place. You may even do background research on the destination's history or learn some phrases in the local language.
Backpacking used to be strictly the domain of people who had just finished college or were in between jobs. Now people take their jobs with them because they can simply use email and Skype to stay in touch with their colleagues. Working freelance online keeps the cash flow going during the journey.
The internet has some disadvantages for the traveler too. A major factor is that you can't take everything you read on a travel website at face value. Some business owners pay people to write fake reviews that will benefit their establishment. Others write glowing reviews under an assumed name or give a competitor a very negative review.
When you go backpacking, it's best to use a combination of resources. Guidebooks are perfect for maps because you can't consult the internet when you're standing on a busy street corner. To get the most reliable information about hostels and restaurants, talk to others who've been there. For the most up-to-date information about departure times, prices, weather and security conditions, however, your best option is to do your travel research online.
Even as recently as five years ago, you could immediately identify backpackers by their scruffy looks and the way they would pass the time with some cards. They would sit in budget eateries writing postcards and then try and track down a post office. Today's backpackers still look scruffy but if they need to kill time, they take out their computers and Skype their loved ones back home.
In the past, few backpackers would start their journey without a guidebook. Nowadays, fewer and fewer travelers carry a guidebook in their backpack and those who do, use the books only for the maps. Some deliberately stay away from guide books so that they can avoid the crowded backpacker's trails. Besides, they have their trusty laptops or tablets to guide them.
Hostels had to make changes to keep up with the new trend in backpacking. Gone are the days when all they needed to worry about was providing clean and comfortable sleeping quarters and bathrooms. Now one of the first things backpackers ask when they arrive at a hostel is what the Wi-Fi password is and whether there are working electrical sockets in the dorm rooms.
The great thing about traveling with your computer and being able to go online almost anywhere is that it makes research about your destination so much easier. You can find and book a hostel, a flight and a bus ticket with only a few clicks. You can check the weather and look at pictures and satellite images of the place. You may even do background research on the destination's history or learn some phrases in the local language.
Backpacking used to be strictly the domain of people who had just finished college or were in between jobs. Now people take their jobs with them because they can simply use email and Skype to stay in touch with their colleagues. Working freelance online keeps the cash flow going during the journey.
The internet has some disadvantages for the traveler too. A major factor is that you can't take everything you read on a travel website at face value. Some business owners pay people to write fake reviews that will benefit their establishment. Others write glowing reviews under an assumed name or give a competitor a very negative review.
When you go backpacking, it's best to use a combination of resources. Guidebooks are perfect for maps because you can't consult the internet when you're standing on a busy street corner. To get the most reliable information about hostels and restaurants, talk to others who've been there. For the most up-to-date information about departure times, prices, weather and security conditions, however, your best option is to do your travel research online.
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