You know you’re a backpacker when…

Something that all backpackers have in common is obviously that we all travel with… a backpack! But that’s far from the only experience that unites us.

This article offers a few others, and many of them should speak to you. Let’s get started!

You know you’re a backpacker when:

Long bus rides no longer scare you.

8 hours in a bus? No problem!

You travel by night bus to save on accommodation.

Honestly the seats in a bus are sometimes more comfortable than mattresses at hostels anyway.

You’ve lost count of the number of hostels that you’ve stayed at.

Twenty, two hundred, two thousand… who knows?

You’ve waited hours on a road trying to hitchhike.

And you’ve learned that the weather can be your worst enemy.

You are the biggest fan of free campsites.

And you know that you have to get there early to secure a spot.

And if the free campsite has bathrooms, that’s a 5 star experience.

If there are toilets and showers, what more can you ask for?

You’ve slept underneath the Milky Way

And learned to recognize the constellations.

You’re a pro at packing efficiently.

If there’s a competition for packing your sleeping bag blindfolded and with one hand, you are the champion.

You’ve stopped over-planning.

You might know where you’ll be for the next two days, but beyond that, you have no idea.

You’ve met other travellers from all over the world.

And you know how to say “cheers” in at least ten languages.

You’ve gone several days before without a proper shower.

Thank heavens for wet wipes.

You have a name for your car or van.

She’s almost like a member of the family.

You know the tastiest brands of instant noodles and granola bars.

If it’s a fancier evening, to-go pizza!

You know the ins and outs of farmwork.

After telling your parents for years that you don’t want to help with gardening.

You know to shop for groceries in the evening

Because there are discounts on produce.

You’ve squatted at McDonald’s for free wifi.

Perfect opportunity to download a few movies!

You know how to do your laundry by hand in the sink.

Washing machines are overrated.

You’ve accepted that the inside of your van will never look like your Pinterest board.

You don’t need the bells and whistles anyway.

backpackers pvtistes

You never know what address to put when filling out forms.

So you keep giving the address of that random hostel you stayed at a while back.

Fashion is low on your list of priorities.

Let’s be real, we can’t expect to look like superstars when our whole life is packed into one bag.

Sometimes you have insects and critters as roommates.

When you’re on the road as a backpacker, sometimes the line between inside and outside is not so clear.

You’ve become an expert in avoiding mosquito bites.

Itchy bumps and crazy rashes? Ain’t nobody got time for that!

You can fall asleep literally anywhere.

In a bus, at an airport terminal, in a packed dormitory, under the night sky… REM cycles can’t stop and won’t stop.

Wherever you are, you know when happy hour starts.

Never late for a good time.

You’re not scared of foreign administrative hurdles anymore.

For the most part anyway…

You hang a bunch of stuff on the outside of your bag to make space.

MacGyver in action!

You never know what day of the week it is.

What’s the difference anyway?