Did you backpack, late teens/20s?

[Miljah]

Watching the irritating Levison Wood doing 'the Nile' on catch up! 😊

Then got to thinking about those year/s, backpacking.

I went Interrailing at 18, in 1979, Western Europe.

I then did a trip to Australia in 1987, aged 24, via India etc. I was away 2 years. I travelled some more. Inc Egypt, as backpackers, with 3 mates in 1988? When you could.

It hasn't made me a better person, etc, but, god, at 56, I'm so glad I did it.

I have always worked in a staid, settled, naice MC gal HCP profession, where the vast majority want a mortgage, not Montana, and who can blame them?

But I am so grateful for my own 'hinterland', bearing in mind, partner and mortgage were madly unaffordable when I was 24, ( tho, yes, in Morden, in 1986, hence it was easier to walk away!)

I spent nearly a year wandering around Australia in my early 20s. Had plans to do more, especially interrailing Europe but life got in the way. I try to make up for it with city breaks now but loved that freedom of staying somewhere then just randomly packing up and getting on a bus to somewhere else.

Spent most of my twenties travelling about, working a bit, travelling again. Like you, I’m so GLAD I did it. Great time. I plan to use my fifties to do much the same thing.

You did well, op.

I only sort of 'back packed' in this country, which was called 'running away from home'. Well I was only fifteen. Had some good times though.

I didn't back pack but I did a lot of travelling in my teens and lived abroad from 18-24. I'm so happy I did, those years were fabulous. I don't do much travelling now but I do get away from time to time, dh and I have plans to travel in retirement.

I would have loved to but we were poor as fuck when I was a kid and it just never seemed achievable.

We'll probably have to wait until we retire (35 years and counting ) before we consider something like that now.

I financed my Interrailing trip via 10 months working in a small family run hotel in the Bavarian Alps. With no German 😂 at least initially! I was 17 when I arrived there.

After the initial homesickness, I had a ball!

Such jobs used to come up in the ads in a magazine called 'The Lady'.

I didn't know it was possible to travel across India til a workmate in London told me about how you did it (Lonely Planet, back when it catered solely for backpackers).

DH, a bloke I met in Oz, has also travelled extensively. We are well into our 50s and had planned a villa in Spain as our retirement, or motorhoming around Europe, but increasingly poor health and Brexit is scuppering those plans, sadly.

I did backpack round America for a few weeks when in my twenties. But DH did do long term backpacking between his degrees for almost two years and I think that’s more what your asking. We have never added up properly but he visited over 100 countries. He has no regrets and looks back fondly at those times. At least you admit to it not making you a better person I find people that think they are suddenly enlightened by travelling irritating, we can never experience a country like a local.

My only regret is not making it past the iron curtain when it was still there.

Nope, was married and a mother.

To be honest I've never had the desire to go backpacking. I like to travel and hope to do more of it but I prefer doing group tours with an itinerary. I don't like the unknown!

No, it was never something that I even was aware I could do. I’m definitely going to be telling my kids that it’s something they can do.

I spent 3 weeks backpacking Europe when I was 21. When I came back I told everyone I had a great time but wouldn't do anything like it again. Two years later I went backpacking in south america for 4 months. Whatever my reason was for not wanting to go backpacking after my European experience it was long forgotten and I enjoyed it so much coming back to Europe was a struggle. I only came bacck because I was offered a job in Spain and the thrill of starting afresh in a new country is what attracted me.

Is it really backpacking if you just go for a few weeks? Surely that's just going on holiday.

No, I was training as a nurse at 19 we didn't get long holidays that other students got ,is inter railing still a thing? A lot of people I know did this in the early 90,,s I also know quite a,few people who did the obligatory 6-12 months in Australia late 90,s

Interailed during summer break from university at 19 then back packed around Oz for 3 months at 30 during a work sabbatical, worked abroad for a few months during 20s. Really glad I did it much easier when it was just me I had to think about and could do as I pleased. Recently met up with a friend who had worked for 30 years in same organisation who regrets not taking up opportunities to live and work abroad when younger.

I went backpacking alone at 28 to Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Nepal and India. I'm 53 now and glad I did it then before kids and no money!

My now-dh and I travelled together in the 90s in SE Asia. We stayed in nice hotels and used drivers. ‘‘Twas great.

Four children and a rather lower income later we decided to revisit the place (yes, we are that pretentious middle class family ). This time we stayed in okay apartments and used local transport options. It was far better.

Ina few years time we’ll have got rid of the children. And we’ll be off again.

I travelled extensively over the course of 18 months in a route trip I took in my early twenties. Many friends called me 'brave' for jacking my job in; family members suggested I wait till I could afford to do it 'in style' in my fifties, I guess. Others told me they thought I was taking life-threatening risks.

It was the best thing I ever did. I am now firmly settled and will likely never even move house, let alone spend extended time abroad. The thought makes me sad, but also so, so glad I did it in the first place.

I would have loved to but we were poor as fuck when I was a kid and it just never seemed achievable.

Same here, and I regret it. In my case the college offered generous travel bursaries of 50% of the cost of a study trip to Italy. I would have had to raise about £250 myself, which sounds like nothing now, but crap student jobs then paid about £2.50 per hour. Plus we weren't allowed to work in termtime or holidays, though my parents made me do it anyway. I don't know how I could have earned extra without them noticing and docking it from the £30 p/w in term time they eventually agreed to give me for food and books. Plus I wasn't sure if my tutor would think I was being a CF asking for a subsidized trip, or if he'd be happy I was showing initiative: there was really no way of knowing how one was supposed to behave and it was easier to keep a low profile. So the closest I came to Italy was picking up the form from the Home Bursar's office then shamefacedly binning it in my room.

There is hope, though: my best friend went through similar self-doubt and brokeness, and she's finally on her Italy trip right now, aged 42. And I lay in the bath last night mentally sketching out the plot of a picaresque novel concerning the Italian adventures of my fictional alter ego, 20+ years ago!

No and I wish I had - it would have helped me to grow up a bit faster, I think. I went away for about five months in my late 20s and it was a massive turning point in my life. Since then I’ve done a couple of five-week trips and plenty of shorter trips but that’s about as long as I can manage away from work unfortunately.
On bad days my default fantasy is chucking it all in and hitting the road again!

I would say, whatever age you are, if you’re considering doing it then DO IT! You will get a lot out of it at any age.

No, backpacking is my idea of hell.

I spent six months in Southern Africa between school and uni. I volunteered for a while and then travelled with a friend to so many amazing places ( I mean, not many people have visited Lesotho). We are hoping to take the kids back to Namibia next year.

My parents weren't keen. They are very 'safe' people. Told me I should go straight to uni and could always do it later if I still wanted to. By my second year of uni I was very poorly with Chrons disease, so that wouldn't have been possible. Then I trained, worked, had kids.

I'm so glad I didn't follow their advice! I'll be encouraging my kids to travel widely And enjoy the adventures of youth.

I would say, whatever age you are, if you’re considering doing it then DO IT! You will get a lot out of it at any age.

Easier said than done though. We only just managed to pay for a week in lanzarote in november. I will encourage my children to do it and after our rather pedestrian beach holiday this year we will be saving to go somewhere far more interesting (maybe japan) in a few years time.

I interrailed twice, in 92 and 94. I loved it and saw so much.

I didn't but most of my University friends did either during holidays or afterwards. I worked during every holiday to pay for accommodation and food as my parents split up as soon as I finished school, moved away in different directions and I had nowhere and no one to call home. I totally envied my friends, settled down fairly early for stability rather than love, had my own family who I now encourage to travel and explore and to have adventures knowing they will always have a place to come home to.