by Ben Groundwater
Like contact sports, all-night benders and using your indicator, there comes a time when you get too old to be a backpacker.
I've had a few people write in about this, and I figure it's true. After all, there's a fair bit of hassle involved in backpacking: you've got interminable waits in airports, train stations and bus shelters, the nightly hunt for cheap accommodation, the nightly chore of putting up with that cheap accommodation, the challenge of getting around a foreign land, constantly stomaching foods you're not used to ... the list goes on.
So at what point do you decide you've had enough, and either trade in the backpack for a family-sized suitcase and start booking hotels, or hang up the travelling shoes entirely? When do you know it's time?
I've got a few ideas.
But before we go on, let me point out that this isn't meant to be ageist in the slightest - some people get too old to be a backpacker when they're 19; others are still kicking around youth hostels in their 60s.
This blog topic could be a product of my own current age crisis - I just saw a photo of myself as a fresh-faced youngster about to board a train in India. I looked thin, sprightly and young. That was three years ago. Things have changed.
But the changes are not just appearance-wise. There's more. Transport delays seem to bug me much more than they used to. Where once I would have just shrugged my shoulders, whipped out the hacky sack and found someone to have a kick with, I now grumble under my breath, rail for a while against the shoddy transport system in *insert dodgy country here* and sit down and read a book.
These days, fancy hotels seem to impress me more. I get the odd freebie hotel stay from time to time, and I used to feel very uncomfortable there, and couldn't wait to get back to a smelly hostel. Now, I'm still happy to go back to slumming it, but I quite enjoy my little slice of luxury, no matter how small it might be.
I stayed at the infamous backpacker party haven The Milhouse in Buenos Aires a few months ago, but left after a couple of days. When someone at the next hostel asked why, I said: "Oh, they're all too young there."
Too young? Aargh!
But I think there are other signs that you're getting too old for the game. For one, you start dreading the act of travelling. If you just want to "get" to the destination and have the journey over with, you've lost one of the joys of travel.
You might also find that it's taking you longer and longer to get ready in the mornings. Where once you just threw a few essentials in a day pack and ran out the door, you now dither over whether you really need that poncho, and how much cash are we going to spend today?
Another sign is that you become obsessed with making sure there's a decent place to go to the toilet. Carefree backpackers couldn't give a toss - as long as there's a patch of grass and a tree, you'll be right. But after a while, you start to long for your creature comforts.
Then there's kids. I'll put my hand up here and say that I don't have any, so I don't really know what I'm talking about, but come on, how can you properly backpack with a few little tackers in tow? Kids don't like being dragged around from temple to temple all day long. Your hardcore travelling career has jumped the shark once the sprogs start to appear.
Also, you'll start to hate pubs. Granted, a good drinking constitution isn't a prerequisite for travel, but you meet so many great people over a couple of beers at the local boozer. When everyone in there just seems too young and rowdy, it might be time to book a flight home.
You'll notice your priorities changing, too. Where once you just needed a roof over your head (if that), you now need the comfort of air-conditioning to get a good night's sleep. Where once it didn't matter how you got there, just as long as you arrived, you now make sure you get a sleeper cabin, and a first-class one if possible.
Timeframes will vary, but I'm convinced that we'll all make this horrible descent from free-spirited backpack lugger to bumbling Trafalgar passenger eventually. I'm just trying to put it off for as long as I can.
Have you reached a point where you're getting too old to be a backpacker? What are the telltale signs? Let us know. Everyone that comments on our blog entries goes into the draw to win an Ocean and Earth 65 litre Travel Backpack valued at over $120. The more stories you comment on, the more chances you have in the draw. Please include your email address in your comment to go into the draw.
Ben is on loan to us from his real job at the Sydney Morning Herald. If you would like to contact him you can at bgroundwater@fairfax.com.au and you can check out his regular column at http://blogs.smh.com.au/travel/archives/the_backpackers/
