Computers have the world and the advent of the internet brought on more far-reaching changes. For instance, students of today hardly ever consult a library book if they can simply type a keyword into a search engine and have all the information they want within seconds. Even that rite of passage, backpacking through foreign countries, has changed now that people can do their travel research online.
Even as recently as five years ago, you could immediately identify backpackers by their scruffy looks and the way they would pass the time with some cards. They would sit in budget eateries writing postcards and then try and track down a post office. Today's backpackers still look scruffy but if they need to kill time, they take out their computers and Skype their loved ones back home.
In the past, few backpackers would start their journey without a guidebook. Nowadays, fewer and fewer travelers carry a guidebook in their backpack and those who do, use the books only for the maps. Some deliberately stay away from guide books so that they can avoid the crowded backpacker's trails. Besides, they have their trusty laptops or tablets to guide them.
For a hostel to be successful these days, it needs more than comfortable beds and a clean bathroom. Many backpackers will happily sleep on lumpy mattresses as long as they can have free Wi-Fi and a fast internet connection. Having a computer hook-up in the corner doesn't cut it anymore either, since most backpackers are traveling with their own computers. Having somewhere to plug these in is more important to them.
If you travel with a computer and can find an internet connection, researching your next destination is a breeze. You can read up on its history, learn the local language, see what the place looks like and check the weather forecast. By reading some reviews you'll be able to pick a suitable hostel and even book your accommodation ahead of time. It's not even necessary anymore to stand in line for a bus or plane ticket if you can simply go onto the company's website and book.
Backpacking used to be strictly the domain of people who had just finished college or were in between jobs. Now people take their jobs with them because they can simply use email and Skype to stay in touch with their colleagues. Working freelance online keeps the cash flow going during the journey.
Of course using the internet for all your research on your journey has its drawbacks. Information may be more current than in a guidebook but it doesn't mean that it's up to date. In addition, businesses have caught on to the power of reviews and that glowing testimony about a hostel or a restaurant may very well be fake. Even the negative reviews are not always the real thing since any business will benefit if their competitors get bad ratings.
The best way of using the wealth of information out there to your advantage is to combine the different resources you can use. Keep a guidebook for easy access to maps any time, any place, because you can't consult Google Maps when you're standing by the side of a busy road. Ask fellow travelers about hostels and eateries they can recommend because they're likely to give honest opinions. For everything else you need to find out, do your travel research online for the most current information.
Even as recently as five years ago, you could immediately identify backpackers by their scruffy looks and the way they would pass the time with some cards. They would sit in budget eateries writing postcards and then try and track down a post office. Today's backpackers still look scruffy but if they need to kill time, they take out their computers and Skype their loved ones back home.
In the past, few backpackers would start their journey without a guidebook. Nowadays, fewer and fewer travelers carry a guidebook in their backpack and those who do, use the books only for the maps. Some deliberately stay away from guide books so that they can avoid the crowded backpacker's trails. Besides, they have their trusty laptops or tablets to guide them.
For a hostel to be successful these days, it needs more than comfortable beds and a clean bathroom. Many backpackers will happily sleep on lumpy mattresses as long as they can have free Wi-Fi and a fast internet connection. Having a computer hook-up in the corner doesn't cut it anymore either, since most backpackers are traveling with their own computers. Having somewhere to plug these in is more important to them.
If you travel with a computer and can find an internet connection, researching your next destination is a breeze. You can read up on its history, learn the local language, see what the place looks like and check the weather forecast. By reading some reviews you'll be able to pick a suitable hostel and even book your accommodation ahead of time. It's not even necessary anymore to stand in line for a bus or plane ticket if you can simply go onto the company's website and book.
Backpacking used to be strictly the domain of people who had just finished college or were in between jobs. Now people take their jobs with them because they can simply use email and Skype to stay in touch with their colleagues. Working freelance online keeps the cash flow going during the journey.
Of course using the internet for all your research on your journey has its drawbacks. Information may be more current than in a guidebook but it doesn't mean that it's up to date. In addition, businesses have caught on to the power of reviews and that glowing testimony about a hostel or a restaurant may very well be fake. Even the negative reviews are not always the real thing since any business will benefit if their competitors get bad ratings.
The best way of using the wealth of information out there to your advantage is to combine the different resources you can use. Keep a guidebook for easy access to maps any time, any place, because you can't consult Google Maps when you're standing by the side of a busy road. Ask fellow travelers about hostels and eateries they can recommend because they're likely to give honest opinions. For everything else you need to find out, do your travel research online for the most current information.
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