13 Things Backpackers Know & Future Backpackers Definitely Should

Words of Wisdom after 3+ Years of Solo World Travel

I first published these thoughts in July 2015 from a small island in Indonesia with terrible WiFi. I put it up on my Buzzfeed community page and it got kicked around the internet until BuzzFeed gave me a little award. Here is the 2022 version (or 38-year-old me version) overhauled and expanded with new photos and new words. Basically, I wanted to update and share the first well-received travel blog I ever wrote with my new Medium audience—so, thanks for reading!

Let’s get right into the 13 things that backpackers already know & future backpackers definitely should!

1. You can get away with speaking English almost everywhere.

These camels even speak fluent English. Photo by Yeo Khee on Unsplash

It’s always appreciated and often helpful to learn the basics of the local language in the country where you are traveling, but, in most places around the world, especially where the backpacker trail is well-trodden, most people you interact with will speak a bit of English. Servers, people working at accommodations, cab drivers, and those who deal regularly with tourists usually speak some English—and many are perfectly fluent. It’s fun and always warmly welcomed to pick up the basics of the local language: Thank…