Articles Tagged with: backpacking

Perhaps one of the most romantic, adventurous and exciting parts of growing up is taking a trip to Central America. The depth of experiences and the heights of excitement that this continent provides for young budget travelers and backpackers are simply awe-inspiring.

Costa Rica is one of the countries in Central America that attracts backpackers and enthusiastic travelers from all over the world. And it is hardly surprising, really, given the gamut of things to do and see here, from lying on the beaches to dancing in the cities. Costa Rica is defined by its beauty and its fun-loving attitude; traveling here is all about experiencing how life really should be lived.

Here, then, are some of the things that a budget traveler or a backpacker simply must experience while staying in Costa Rica.

The Beaches

With the Pacific Ocean to the West and the Caribbean to the East, Costa Rica is blessed with a huge number of absolutely breathtaking beaches.

You do have to find them, however: Costa Rica’s more frequented beaches (such as those around San Jose) are also its worst. Far better are the deserted and isolated idyllic spots tucked away along its coastlines. So be prepared to travel a bit in order to find your perfect beach in Costa Rica!

Rafting in Rica:

For the adventurous backpacker, intent on doing something wild, a rafting trip down the Chorro Section of the Naranjo River is one of the most adrenaline-pumping activities the country has to offer. Not for the feint hearted, this wild rafting trip is an experience to reckon with. 

If white water rapids are not your cup of tea, a rafting trip along the calm waters and beautiful surrounding scenery of the Penas Blancas river is probably a better bet.

Mountain biking:

Costa Rica is a mountainous place, which makes it great for mountain biking.

Experienced bikers particularly enjoy the country’s volcanic areas, as they provide fun – if at times testing – rides. The dirt road that lies between the Irazu Volcano and the Turrialba Volcano is a particular favorite.

Explore San Jose

A trip to Costa Rica is incomplete without experiencing the capital, San Jose. This is a city that has the classic Central American flavor – evocative and vibrant; it will catch you in its net of color and spin you around until you’re immersed in its web of fun. Life here isn’t always an easy ride though; by day San Jose is as big and noisy a city as you will find in these parts. Still, the nightlife makes it all worthwhile!

While spending time here, San Hose hostels are probably the best place to put up in. Clean, comfortable, fun and cheap, they make for a good base form which to explore the city.

Hostel 1110, for example, is a long standing favorite with the backpacking crowd. Located near the Avenida Central, this hostel offers a wide range of facilities at a very decent price. Costa Rica Backpackers is also an ideal hostel for budget travelers and students who are backpacking in Costa Rica (especially those on the lookout for a party).

Perhaps it is the sand and surf that brings younger people to Sydney or maybe it is the adventurous spirit of the region but something is attracting younger travelers to Sydney. Each year a good portion of area tourists are young adults and many come to Australia to experience a little more of life and Backpack through the region while taking in all the incredible wonders of the region. The following travel guide can help backpackers make the most of their stay in this fine region.

Accommodations are one of the first things that will need to be arranged but unlike other regions of the world Sydney offers many budget accommodations to backpackers and most are really incredible. There are hostels located in every major city of Australia and the strong competition helps to keep the standards high. There are also many options to camp in some of the areas national parks as well as some budget hotels and holiday rentals that can be very reasonable.

There are many incredible things to do not only within the city of Sydney but in the outlying areas as well. A great way to see more of the region without spending a fortune is to drive yourself to the outlying regions either by hiring a car or even by traveling in a camper. You will find that there are many wonderful things to see and traveling in this way won’t cost you very much money but will allow you to truly appreciate the wilderness beyond the city. Of course, if you are hesitant to drive yourself then you may wish to take the train or a local flight to one of the outlying regions.

Tours can provide a wonderful insiders look at Sydney and there are many tours available all around not only Sydney but all of Australia. You can take a tour to just about any attraction in Australia and many companies offer both student and hostel traveler discounts so you won’t have to pay much to enjoy a great Australian tour.

Traveling on a budget is easy when you are heading to Australia with many free adventures, incredible backpacker accommodations, and wonderful weather year round it is not difficult to see why so many young people are drawn to this region each year. It is a truly spectacular region that can offer you the holiday of your dreams on a budget. There are truly some amazing adventures that await you in and around the city of Sydney.

We have been nomadic by nature (read: humans). From the early man to even now, we always look for newer places, newer avenues, etc. The only difference is that we do not change settlements as frequent as the early man did. He did that to find a better place/a better shelter to lead his life and where the availability of food was abundant and unhindered.

A Change of Environment

These days, the problem of food availability has almost died down but finding a better alternative to the place we live is always an option, provided we have the money and resources for it. We also have been looking to do something, some activities that transcend the daily routine and the career we are involved in. Hiking is therefore acknowledged as one of the best outdoor activities ever. Very few are lucky enough to take it up as their career; and fewer still are lucky to have made a fortune out of it talking of celebrity hikers and backpackers.

This activitys exclusivity lies in the fact that not many take up this as an adventure activity or even a fun outdoor activity. The earth is a huge place where diversity can be found in nature almost everywhere. Man has built cities and made them look alike but the fact remains that the fun, peace and solace we find in hiking or outdoor activities is immense and immeasurable. It is not that everyone takes it up and that ups its mysterious, adventure quotient.

Advantages of Backpacking and Hiking

Starting off with backpacking it teaches you how to be ready at all times. It teaches you to be independent and adapt to environment fast. It makes you more disciplined than youd ever thought. It makes you strong like a mountain and disciplined like the Marines. If ever you loved to be a part of the men in uniform, you must know that they are excellent backpackers and hikers.

Hiking benefits you in more ways than anything else:

It instills a sense of confidence in you. Hiking makes you discover new places and discovery of nature is perhaps the best thing that man can do. It also brings you closer to nature of which unfortunately, we have drifted far apart.

It is a sense of achievement and self-satisfaction that no money can ever fulfill.

If youre on hiking expeditions, you will realize that in the end of the expedition, youre a changed person. Youre a winner of sorts and youll seem to have a better control on your life and activities. Not to mention, that your career graph will take an upward turn.

If you worry about your fitness levels, forget health problems because with hiking and backpacking, you will be at your best fitness and best mental health.

Each expedition is a journey of experience and learning. You shall be amazed to know that nature has so much to offer that cannot be ever compared to the academic education we receive

If you want a positive turn in your life for a change, for betterment and be inspired from something, hiking is an activity you should take up definitely.

Have some serious time off this summer and searching for ways to have fun with some intense exercise and good food? Try backpacking through some of the 800 hiking trails in Yosemite National Park. Established around 1890 as one of the first national parks of our nation, the park’s captured beauty and grandeur make it difficult to stay for just a couple of days. Granite peaks and lyrical streams provide the perfect background for the serious backpacker. Fee free weekends are happening July 18-19, as well as August 15-16 this summer. What a great time to take advantage of this scenic wonder!

Before going, preparation is essential. Amassing the right amount of food and also the right quality of food will mark backpacking a breeze. Keep in mind that practicing nutrition on the trail is just as easy as staying healthy at home. For novice backpackers, it is good to know that backpacking requires about 500 calories per hour and the high performance exercise will, without effort, use up most of the daily sodium requirement.

Exerting over 2500 calories per day, it is necessary to eat plenty of protein to feed the muscles along with the right amount of carbohydrates and the right kind of fat. It is also crucial to keep the blood sugar balanced.

Also, hydration while hiking on the trails is vital, so it is important to plan how much filtered water will be necessary. Most dehydrated or freeze dried food will require water, so it is important to plan that amount into the total amount of water needed to be filtered for the entire trip.

Here are some different food items available for the healthy backpacker:  
Dried soups and dried hummus – provide plenty of fiber and good carbohydrates.
Vacuum packed tofu – does not require refrigeration and an excellent quality protein.
Justin Nut Butters- conveniently packaged in one serving packets. Nut butters are perfect to spread on pita bread, whole wheat lavash bread or whole wheat crackers.
Packets of wild salmon - Sea Bear alaskan wild salmon packets require no refrigeration. They are fully cooked and very moist and flaky. This is a terrific way to obtain those essential fatty acids.
Mary Janes Farm outpost pouches - organic pouches of oatmeal, pancakes and other main entrees fit nicely into any backpack. The pouches are 7″by 8 5/8″and made without any foil. They have expandable bottoms so food can actually stand on its own while cooking. Other brands carrying organic food are Mountain House and Backpackers Pantry. Backpacker’s Pantry will provide a portion of every sale toward organizations dedicated to preserving the planet for future generations.
Trail mix – there are plenty of good brands of trail mix available. A quality trail mix will provide plenty of protein, carbohydrates and quality fats. Trail mix will stabilize the blood sugar between meals and it is very satisfying.

Don’t forget filtered water. Sipping every hour on water will keep hydration flowing through the body. Coffee or caffeinated beverages are not thirst quenching and also work as a diuretic, so it might be a good idea to leave the java behind for a few days.

Yosemite National Park has much to offer and is the perfect summer get away. The best part about backpacking is to allow letting go, breathe the fresh mountain air and realizing the beauty of nature should never be under estimated.

If you are going for a backpacking tour, the first thing you need to consider is that the luggage to be carried should be light. At the same time, you should not be compromising on the essential things that you need to carry. As you will have a single pack on your back, you will want to carry as many things as possible in the limited amount of space available. So, while preparing your backpacking checklist, make sure that you choose the items that are lightweight but serve the same purpose as their heavier counterparts.

While packing your backpack, you will find that one of the items that consumes a lot of space is a towel. However, you can easily avoid carrying bulky towels by switching to light load ones. Whether it is a beach towel or a hand towel, there are lightload towels available that are extremely small in size and can be converted into full size towels when they have to be used. These towels are not only light in weight but also save a lot of space in your suitcase, RV or backpack. You can keep them in your pockets and still have space for your money and keys.

This feature makes them an essential travel accessory for outdoor camping. These towels can also be used as wind scarves, fire starters, bug repellants, insulators, sun blocks, masks and strainers. To deal with emergency situations, people can also include them in their toilet kits, first aid kits, cars, boats, hunting gear, camping equipment or hiking gear. Since you will not need to buy a separate first aid cloth, wind scarf or fire starter when you use a light load towel, you also end up saving a lot of money, space and weight.

Lightload towels are an indispensable part of a backpacking checklist because of their numerous advantages. Some of the major advantages that these towels have over regular cotton towels are:

·                  Lightload towels are more absorbent when compared to cotton towels.

·                  These are the only full size beach towels that can fit easily into a person’s pocket.

·                  These towels can be used to serve more purposes than a traditional cotton towel.

·                  They are very easy to store and consume lesser space than cotton towels.

·                  They can sometimes be bigger than cotton towels.

Because these towels are extremely cost effective and cheap, they can easily be used and thrown away if you do not want to carry the extra burden of a towel once it has been soiled. If you do not want to waste them, you can wash them and reuse them for a number of times. At the end of the trip, you can discard them off so that you do not need to carry back the burden.

You also do not need to worry about drying light load towels because after washing, they dry up very easily and quickly. It is a product which is biodegradable and does break down in the environment rapidly. The towel can also be burned thus you do not need to worry about any after effects, once it is thrown off. All these reasons make light load towels one of the most favorable options that need to be ticked off as you prepare your backpacking checklist.