Critically examine the notion that modern-day backpackers to the third world countries, the new ‘barbarians’
Amicably, ‘’backpacking emphasizes culture that contains many of the characteristics that scholars regard as being post-modern as high mobility, the valuating of the visual and abrupt social relationships. In one assumption, several scholars regard the post-modern individual, as rootless and “disembedded” individual, an individual with a strong urge to justify his own existence by constantly exerting self-reflexion and practising meaning and identity making social phenomenons’’ (Cited from, 1995 ; 1994 ; in 2000 . ; 1996 ; 1997 ). Thus, believing that for backpacking to be meaningful for most tourists practising it, it has to be ideal that such value to the backpacker culture need have to be structured exclusively in precise manner which makes backpacking as a sense of identity by making exercise as in turn, there will be no enough reason for such modern tourists to practice and be dedicated to the backpacking process.
Moreover, bbackpacking does combine hiking and camping in trips as the backpacker hikes into the backcountry to spend days or nights there and carries supplies and equipment in order to satisfy sleeping and eating needs. Thus, several backpacking trips lasts for weekend but, long-distance expeditions can go for months as being aided by planned food and supply drops. In some places, backpackers have access to lodging that is more substantial than tent. Most backpackers purposely try to avoid impacting on the land through which they travel. This will include such functions of better established trails as much as possible, not removing anything and not leaving residue in the backcountry and for other people, backpacking is necessary and integral part of their job. For instance, soldiers who serve in the militaries of most nation-states usually receive at least some rudimentary backpacking training while infantrymen are often trained to a more advanced backpacking skill level and that there is sharing of several common attributes with amateur backpackers as being self-contained as well as use of land navigation skills and actively minimizing the environmental foot prints.
Furthermore, the core motivation of backpacking can be that, people are drawn to backpacking primarily for recreation, to explore places that they consider beautiful and fascinating, many of which cannot be accessed in any other way. A backpacker can travel deeper into remote areas, away from people and their effects. However, backpacking presents advantages besides distance of travel as such weekend trips cover routes that could be hiked in a single day, but people choose to backpack them anyway, for the experience of staying overnight (Cited from, 1995 ; 1994 ; in 2000 ; , 1997 ). Backpackers face many risks, including adverse weather, difficult terrain, treacherous river crossings and unpredictable animals and the remoteness of backpacking locations exacerbates any mishap. Consequently, these hazards do not deter backpackers who are properly prepared. Some simply accept danger as risk that they must endure if they want to backpack; for others, the potential dangers actually enhance the allure of the wilderness. The traditional backpackers avoid canned food, except for meats or small delicacies and as of today, modern backpackers also as they believe that metal cans and their contents are usually heavy and the empties must be carried back out (Ibid., Cited from, 1995 ; 1994 ; in 2000 ; , 1997 ).
Thus, despite the growing studies regarding backpacker tourism, little is known about the evolutionary patterns of the places that cater to such travelers and when fuelled by an increasing number of arrivals and growing demand for comforts, what were once drifter-dominated peripheral places may evolve gradually into well established locations that satisfy contemporary backpackers’ demands for infrastructure, natural settings and ambience. Developer-tourists with an affinity to backpacker culture are likely to become key actors as they come to gain control over land use and local economic development. The term backpacking is said to have originated during the earlier part of the 70th century with the advent of low-cost jet airplane fares. During this era it became common for young Westerners, to follow the hippie trail into India and Southeast Asia. More recently, backpacking has become something of rite of passage in the popular culture of some countries, where countries where the majority of their citizens can afford overseas travel.
Traditionally, backpackers do not travel with expensive electronic equipment such as laptop computers due to concerns about theft, damage, and additional luggage weight. However, the desire to stay connected coupled with trends in lightweight electronics have given rise to the flash packing trend. The majority of backpackers are in their late teens and 20s. Patrons at most youth hostels are over 18 while guests over 30 are quite rare. The ‘stereotypical’ backpacker is often envisioned as college student or recent graduate in their mid-twenties with no dependents or permanent employment at home, therefore making it easier to put typical daily responsibilities on temporary hiatus to go traveling for months at a time. Many backpackers express disdain towards packaged travel experiences including cruise ships and guided or bus tours which typically consist of a large number of tourists led by guide. There are travelers who have the resources for pampered-class but choose to strap on a backpack and see the world via the seat-of-their-pants, because they know it’s the best way to experience cultures and interact with local people.
In addition, if backpacker does not like place, she can move on. If she likes it, she is free to stay and kick back for while. Travel directions may change when backpacker meets other independent travelers and learns about destinations she had not considered before or joins up with new friends as such semblance of gypsy lifestyle has its ideal touch of romantic presence and allure. Ideally, modern backpackers also view this as positive: as it is such a challenge and adventure and the sometimes intense problem-solving in unfamiliar surroundings helps to hone their life skills. Backpackers are sometimes blamed for commercialization of destinations they travel to. This can often lead to the overuse of certain natural and cultural resources of local people, vice backpacking shares with forms of tourism. This is sometimes said to actually pervert the backpacking culture itself: while backpackers seek genuineness and cultural interactions, thus looking for places with few foreigners as possible as they often tend to meet in backpacker paradise – place where backpackers meet and that end-up to be modern-day hippie-resorts.
For some form of defense, some of the backpackers say that budget travel pumps money into the economies of Third World countries, increasing their standard of living and creating jobs, and doing this in a way that is inherently more egalitarian than mainstream tour companies, who often operate with minimal contact with third party vendors or average citizens. Backpacking in comparison, makes use of local food vendors, merchants and accommodations, and thus does more to benefit the local economy. Thus, Western Europe is common backpacker destination because of availability of public transport and budget accommodation. Many backpackers avoid countries where there is perceived danger, political instability, or lack of sanitation. Some countries have tried to address these issues to attract tourism. Other factors affecting backpackers’ choice of destinations are cost of living and travel costs, the presence of infrastructure, visa availability, health facilities and language barriers.
Generally, many backpackers decide to supplement gap travel by getting paid work overseas in order to earn some extra cash. Working overseas, aside from obvious benefit of giving extra money, is excellent way to meet people and experience culture on gap travel. The gap travel allows backpacker to circle the globe in one continuous direction, taking determined stops along the way while, some of them choose to make voluntary work the main focus of gap travel, while others might choose to spend few weeks getting involved in project as part of stopovers. There are volunteer projects such as helping people, wildlife and environment in ample way to give ‘something back’ to some of the countries they visit as such aspect of gap travel involves two way process and most volunteers gain real sense of personal achievement from the experience. Moreover, travel behavior isbeing influenced significantly by self-congruityand functional congruity and several tourists tend to focus attention on choice of destination. Recent developments in travel choice and decision-making behavior indicated that travel decisions follow dynamic as well as organized decision process. However, these are tangible, measurable reasons for travel as the human behavior and psychological motivators play essential part as the economic psychology and how humans react to economic conditions as they perceive them, can be vital for backpackers to understand the diverse motivators that drive tourists to go on travel. Thus, as guided by preferences as well as values and norms, modern tourists know that there is not just single type of trip that is finest as they seek wonderful experience and unforgettable learning.
For many years, tourism experts have sought to develop viable alternatives to tourism in order to mitigate the negative impacts on society and the environment in destinations. Aside, backpacking/hitchhiking as form of transport running between towns in Bhutan is infrequent, hitching is common way to get around as thumb in air symbol but however, is not recognized in the country and the tourist will need to flag down passing vehicle as a means to get one to stop. Note, some drivers pick up passengers as an income, it is normal to offer payment when getting out of vehicle depending on distance. Then, entrance to Bhutan is typically for organized groups as every backpacker should travel on certain guided package tour as independent travel is not permitted in the country although individual travelers can have reservations directly to Bhutan Tourism Corporation Limited respectively.
Accordingly, ‘’ noted that more than 80 percent of youth travelers of today carry mobile phone, as eight six percent travel with digital camera and surprising of twenty one percent even bring in them laptop computer for their trips. Thus, recognizing that the modern day backpackers are ahead of the curve when it comes to technology advances and now it is not unusual to see backpackers traveling with laptops as a form of high end technology advancement’’ (Cited from, and , 2004 ). Then, it can be that, ‘’motivation is the need that drives an individual to act in a certain way to achieve the desired satisfaction as many different reasons and motives compel people to travel’’ (., Cited from, and , 2004 ). Aside, the motivation for adopting certain form of behavior is determined by the value and by the expectation for each benefit. The tendency to adopt certain behavior depends on expectations and the consequent value of these attitudes for the individual and backpackers used modern trait to extreme as constructed the backpacker culture’s values that the modern individuals practicing backpacking construct narratives and find meaning and identity.
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