I decided to start my travels as most backpackers do by taking the subway to the airport. After years of business travel in which I traveled to the airport by taxi or car service this was a new experience. I left with considerable time and hour and a half later I arrived at the airport spending only $7 to get there. What a bargain! I spoke with friends and family along the way and joked about the start of my “backpacking” trip in which I lugged a tumi bag on the subway and checked into my business class seat (all those frequent flyer miles finally paid off).
Then I encountered my first fellow backpackers, except they were actually backpacking. They looked like they might have been on the road for a while and I gave thought to saying hello to them. Then I realized that they were not looking at me with the same comrade in arms method as I was them. I hadn’t quite achieved the “throw caution to the wind” traveler look. I was reading reading a copy of Traveler Magazine on top hotels around the world (none of which I’d be able to afford staying in but it is fun to look) and they were likely carrying a worn copy of Jack Keroauc’s On The Road.
While I’m not in my twenties and I’m not carrying a backpack on my back I hope to have some of the same experiences that a traditional backpacker has. I hope that I’ll indeed meet some of the interesting travelers, whether like those two on the subway or others traveling more luxuriously, who are ultimately seeking much the same…to see and experience new things.
