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![]() Tuesday, June 29, 1999 Published at 15:51 GMT 16:51 UK ![]() ![]() UK ![]() Backpacking without trashing the earth ![]() Bali water: The island is just one spot attracting travellers ![]() Packing your backpack and heading off to a little-known part of the world to "find yourself" is not, it seems, the fantasy many people imagine. In fact instead of finding yourself, it seems you are more likely instead to find other people just like yourself. And if a new critique of the lifestyle is to be believed, it's not a pretty sight.
It's an image enhanced by the big screen - Kate Winslet's Hideous Kinky set in Morocco, and the forthcoming film of Alex Garland's novel The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Think again But the reality is different, it seems. Backpackers don't want to commune with the "real people" on their travels - instead they want to hang out with other backpackers, getting stoned, eating pizza and drinking milkshake.
"And these are the same people that turn up their noses at 'uncool' package tour locations like Spain," she writes.
Grateful for comforts New Zealander Jenny Bridgen, 27, is one of the thousands to have backpacked in Thailand this year. Although the comforts of tourism are not quite what backpackers are after, they were nevertheless very welcome. "I'd just assumed before I went that it would be a deserted paradise, or a paradise at least. But when I got there, I was actually quite grateful for all the tourist infrastructure there was," she said. Backpackers have a defender in Tony Wheeler, founder of the Lonely Planet series, who has been dubbed "the patron saint of backpackers".
While admitting that a lot of backpackers are "sheep", he says some are more perceptive - even using Lonely Planet books to identify places they don't want to stay in. What's a traveller to do? It's a difficult question, but what can a truly concerned traveller do to avoid trashing his or her destination. Sarah Long, of Lonely Planet, says people should do their homework before they set off. "Go as informed about the country and culture as possible. Buy a guide book, read Websites, talk to other travellers who have been there, read the online local newspaper of the place you are going," she said. "Doing your homework before you go is one of the undoubted ways of helping to make a more positive impact on the environment you're travelling to."
Tony Wheeler says that while backpacking is the forerunner to mass tourism, it is not necessarily a bad thing. "It's like saying that electricity is the forerunner of TV. Travellers say that these places were nice when they were primitive, but not many local people would agree - they want progress. We should be cautious about imposing our Western perspective on how places should be developed," he says.
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