If you are new around here, this is a great place to get you acquainted with our content. From insightful articles to intense travel experiences, Best of Backpack ME helps you get started!
We started traveling 6 years ago and we have been to over 50 countries – here’s a post with one carefully selected photo from each country we’ve been to. What initially was a year off to travel around Latin America became a lifestyle. Now, we work and travel at the same time, no matter where in the world we are. People who work location independently using a computer are called digital nomads these days. Read this article where Ashray explains how he became a digital nomad, the hardships involved, but also the rewards that come with it!
Travel is not just about moving geographically. We have come to love our way of life, especially because we now understand how, in a way, travel can make you younger! And no, we’re not talking about some miraculous elixir of youth. But simply about the fact that travel and being surrounded by new things give you the perception that your days are longer. Change of place and mindfulness come hand in hand for us. Have you ever thought of travel as a form of meditation? Here’s what we think about that…
Even though a life of constant travel might sound amazing at first (and, of course, it sure is for the most part!) it doesn’t mean that there aren’t downsides to it. We don’t like to write exclusively about the highs of travel and rose tint our experiences. We don’t think it’d be fair to showcase this lifestyle in such an unrealistic way. That’s why we have also written about the hard things of long-term travel.
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Our blog turns seven today. When Zara and I started this site, we never imagined that we would make it to seven years. Our plan was to travel for up to one year and write about our adventures during that year. This was the dumb post that started it all. … more »
Identity is an abstract idea that people use to categorize each other. We look at a face and immediately a thousand neurons fire to tell us more about this person based on our preconceived ideas. Being open minded is about identifying these preconceived notions and challenging them with our rational … more »
Penang is the most food-obsessed place we have ever been to! Folks eat out all the time. Food is ubiquitous, quick, convenient and affordable. Most of the meals served around Penang are prepared by street vendors in so-called “hawker stalls”. Like Ashray would say comparing street food with graffiti “these … more »
We traveled to Iceland during winter, and we didn’t get to go all over the island. As I know even people from tiny countries (I’m from Portugal!) get pretty specific about the things that apply to one region but may not apply to another, allow me to clarify that the … more »
I was recently talking with a foreign friend here in Portugal and she mentioned something that I had never actually thought about. In Portugal, people tend to be proud of their job. It doesn’t really matter what they do for a living, folks tend to do it with dignity and … more »
Nowadays, almost anything can be turned into a touristic experience. Traveling around the world, I’ve come across some pretty silly examples of this. Folks from rich countries paying to ride a bullock cart in the Cambodian countryside comes to mind, for example. But on the other end of the spectrum, … more »
When I was in China working as an English teacher, I decided to cycle around Iran. I finished my contract at the end of November, so I thought I might as well travel to Iran by land. The problem was, I’d be traveling in winter. I’m Portuguese so I knew … more »
Visiting the Demilitarized Zone (aka DMZ) between North and South Korea was quite a bizarre experience. Yet it was one of those bizarre experiences that I would certainly recommend to anyone traveling to Seoul and at all interested in local affairs. The so-called demilitarized zone happens to have more than … more »
As the year draws to an end, we like looking back at what were the articles that you found more inspiring and useful here on Backpack ME. We did the same last year, back in 2015 or even before that. This is a nice little way of also reliving travel … more »
We like using Instagram to share snippets from our travels as they happen. This year, we’ve embraced the platform even further and started sharing Insta Stories. If you’re not following Backpack ME on Instagram yet, please come join us and we’ll make sure to keep feeding your wanderlust! On our … more »