The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Being a Backpacker

In mid- September, I started my travels up north on the East Coast. I am here to give you the full rundown of all my struggles, as well as the positives.

I bought open dated vouchers for my East Coast tour as well as a 6 month Premier bus pass. This was somewhat of a mistake on my part. Firstly, nobody decided to tell me that everything needed to be booked a month in advance, MINIMUM. The travel company I used to buy the vouchers knew I would be starting my journey within the next week and did not make that clear enough.

Secondly, the Premier bus pass is rank. Why do I say this? Well, they do not have nearly as many buses as Greyhound. Additionally, they do not run as often as Greyhound; they also do not have USB plugs or wifi. So while you think you're saving 300 AUD on the Premier bus pass, you end up having to book extra nights in hostels along the way while waiting for the next bus. Hopefully they are enough seats on it as well. The third issue with the vouchers is that the hostels chosen in the vouchers are not always the best hostels to stay at in each location. This is another thing I should have done research on.

One personal mistake I made when coming here was packing too much. I am a worry packer, a "what if" packer, and tried to bring as much as I could so that I wouldn't need to buy anything when getting here. This did not work in my favor because hauling the amount of stuff I have from bus to bus, hostel to hostel, and public transportation, is the most gruesome experience. Imagine me with a large checked back, one carry on backpack on my back, and one on my front, trudging through torrential rain on a 15 minute walk in Sydney. It was embarrassing and painful to say the least.

This all being said, I have absolutely made the most of it and am growing from each negative and positive lesson I learn.

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The Good

Being a solo backpacker really pushes you out of your comfort zone and social limits. I am already a very easy-going and social person, so meeting new people can be easy for me. I am so blessed to be social because I have met so many amazing people. My trick? Say yes. Your new hostel roommates are going out in an hour? GO! You're sitting alone in the kitchen and someone invites you to go on a beach walk? Say yes! This is the most effective way I have made friends at every place I have been. Another method I use is the "Hey I'm travelling solo from the US and I don't know anyone. Wanna hang out?" This one has helped me meet a lot of locals, which you definitely want to meet because they know where all the fun stuff is! I also like to use compliments as a great conversation starter with strangers. This allows them to know you're kind and open to chatting. Sometimes it doesn't work, but everyone deserves a compliment from time to time! While going to places or events alone can be overwhelming and seem almost awkward or embarrassing, it is another amazing way to meet new people. People may notice you're by yourself and try to talk to you, but it also can be a good way to meet a whole group of new friends and "crash" their group. Additionally, sometimes it is nice to just have fun on your own and not put pressure on yourself to meet anyone if you don't want to.

I have had the opportunity to do a lot of fun things with new friends that I had just met. It is nice to know that I have friends from all over the country to visit in the future as well as to get travel recommendations from since most of the people I meet have similar travel plans to me. Another great thing about backpacking is that you never run out of things to do. Good hostels will have 3-5 events per week for residents, as well as bar/activity deals for residents that make things easier and cheaper. Some hostels even will help you book trips and adventures, which means you could meet some friends on those trips who happen to also stay in your hostel.

Feeling lonely while backpacking solo can happen, but having built in friends at each hostel is a bonus. There will always be someone who will sit with you at dinner, go for a walk with you, or rant and share your backpacking struggles plus help you gain new perspectives on your experience. All of us are the same but we come from so many different cultures and backgrounds, so it is really interesting to talk to others and learn more about their lives and how they differ.

You also may have lots of short term crushes on your ventures. These are good and bad. I cannot decide. There are so many cute people to meet that may seem like (or be) your type. But unfortunately you're not in your home country so that makes things not helpful for anything serious or long term. My advice is to just enjoy the time you have with the person but do not put pressure on anything.

Another great thing about backpacking is letting go of things that do not matter. Materialism? Not necessary. Buying that new top because it's really cute? You don't have space or a need for it. Getting your $6 oat milk shaken espresso everyday? Waste of money. Getting hammered every single night for no reason? Don't have time OR money because hopefully you have something awesome planned the next day. I like to set little goals or reminders in my head for myself when I am thinking about these first-world materialistic issues. I remind myself that I came here to meet new people, have new experiences, and learn more about myself. In order to do these things, I want to save money for adventures and experiences like sailing, hiking, or skydiving. All backpackers are here with a limited amount of belonging, so nobody is judgemental when I wear the same exact shirt and short combo three times a week. They probably are too.

All in all, I personally think the positives do outweigh the negatives of backpacking. I'll let you decide for yourself though.

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The Bad and the Ugly

My East Coast trip started in Sydney and I got on the bus to Byron Bay. This is about a 14 hour bus ride, but it ended up being around 15 due to the 50 stops the bus made along the way. As a tall person, sprawling on a 2 seater on the coach bus isn't ideal. This being said, I try to be flexible and patient so I powered through.

I got to Byron Bay around 10 am. The super annoying but also understandable thing about staying in hostels is that checking in usually won't start until about 1 pm. So after my 15 hour bus ride and 10 minute walk with all my gear, I could not go lay in a bed and rest. I had to store my gear in their storage closet and took out anything I needed from then until check in. All the amenities in the hostel were available other than my room, so I was able to shower. While waiting for my room to be ready, I did my grocery shopping and laundry. While this was obviously not ideal, I obviously made the most of it. Another hostel struggle is that most hostel kitchens are either small, gross, not enough cooking amenities, or all of the above. Be prepared to not have an oven or freezer, and limited fridge and pantry space. The kitchen I had in Byron Bay happened to be the best, however it was also double the price per night of the average hostel I stayed at. I personally find it worth it, however when you are on a tight backpacker budget sometimes you have to suffer a little.

The positives of staying in hostels is obviously that it is extremely cheap compared to a hotel. You also meet a lot of people. Usually hostels are people ages 18-35, and a lot of hostels have this age restriction. Due to Covid, a lot of hostels have opened up their age limit, meaning there is potential to have a 60 year old man as a roommate. During my hostel stays, I have mostly been in 4 bedroom or 6 bedroom options. Sometimes even 8, but personally I do not know if I could handle more than that. Bunk beds suck, and my back is definitely taking a toll for it. It's a daily prayer that I do not end up on a top bunk bed, have rowdy roommates, early alarm risers, or sleeping twitchers. Again, this is all common at every hostel and something every hostel stayer has to deal with, so it is something you do get used to.

Another issue I have been dealing with is how insanely busy hostels have been. As a backpacker, it can be very hard to plan in advance for travels and destinations. Unfortunately, from now until January, hostels are extremely packed. Spring break in Australia also has been from September 24- October 9th, which has made things a lot worse. This is another thing I wish I had known to prepare for. I am thankfully in Brisbane and have locked in a hostel for my whole time here, or I'd be on facebook groups begging to sleep on someone's couch.

The second hardest part about this whole experience is not having a routine, but when you're moving around and doing so many different activities of different ranges everyday, it is hard to get into a routine or schedule. I thankfully enjoy having everyday be different, but not knowing what to prepare for can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to making sure I am eating and drinking properly. I have spent so much money eating out due to always being on the go, as well as just eating thousands of calories in carbs a day since they are the easiest to make quick meals with. This is something I continue to struggle with but am working on fixing it to the best of my ability with the little kitchen resources I have (my hostel does not even have bowls, forks, or spoons).

Lastly, the absolute hardest part of traveling solo as a backpacker is meeting people and having to say goodbye to them so shortly after meeting them. I chose to backpack solo because I love having the freedom to do what I want, and I love walking around these towns and cities listening to my music and being an independent boss lady. However, I have met the most genuine, kind, and amazing people at each city I've been in. I don't know if I could even name them all, but I will try to later. I love spending one-three days with my new friends and making strong memories with them that I know will always be in my heart. This being said, every single person has a different motive or travel schedule. Saying goodbye to these people and having to go find new ones to spend time with sucks, but I always keep up with everyone I meet just in case we can ever cross paths again.