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The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

perceptivetravel.com

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Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#21

Post by ghaff »

notahacker wrote: post #18
coldtea wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Difference is these days you might actually be able to use an ATM and internet in towns, and you don't have to carry film for all the photos you want to take in your backpack.. Those two things already kill most of the adventure

I'm not sure lugging cash with you in a moneybelt is actually all that exciting really, and you're welcome to use the internet as little as you like and won't encounter it much when trekking in mountains or crossing desert in a broken-down 4x4 anyway. I'm reminded of the time I nearly lost my wallet and the guesthouse owner pointed out that when he'd done that in the seventies in a neighbouring southeast Asian countr…

Yes, and you also used to be much more dependent on "magic" bits of paper for tickets/reservations/etc. I get the nostalgia for a less computerized world but aspects of it weren't really all that great when something went wrong.

I probably don't disconnect as much as I probably should for certain types of travel. But not everything about completely disconnecting is wonderful.

Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#22

Post by ghaff »

golergka wrote: post #16
ghaff wrote: post #14

One of the biggest changes is that even in the 1990s in many places, you'd have minimal or no contact with anyone back home and probably even reasonably cut off from news. When I went on a few ~month long trips to Nepal around that time, you were just starting to see some terminals for email here and there towards the end of the decade. But you were pretty much cut off from most communications.

Must be nice to live in country stable enough for you to able not to follow the news.

Not sure about your point. Trekking in Nepal in the 1990s, there wasn't an option to get the New York Times delivered to my tent every morning regardless of the stability of the country I lived in. And, indeed, backpacking in many locations even in the US, I wouldn't expect Internet access today.

Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#23

Post by hans1729 »

golergka wrote: post #16
ghaff wrote: post #14

One of the biggest changes is that even in the 1990s in many places, you'd have minimal or no contact with anyone back home and probably even reasonably cut off from news. When I went on a few ~month long trips to Nepal around that time, you were just starting to see some terminals for email here and there towards the end of the decade. But you were pretty much cut off from most communications.

Must be nice to live in country stable enough for you to able not to follow the news.

Now I’m curious, where do you live? “News” are serving a very weird market, almost 100% about selling stories that satisfy the distorted attention span of demographic majorities who have no interest in going beyond the surface level of their groups model of consensus. It’s an omnidirectional intellectual wasteland, ignoring some pieces of economical (etc) analysis.

What do you have to be informed about a priori?

After years of dodging newspapers I got hooked on “news” in feb-mar 2020 due to Covid. Took about one month until I remembered that it’s a complete waste of time. I feel like the HN-audience has very little to gain from news directed at the general population.

Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#24

Post by gunfighthacksaw »

coldtea wrote: post #12
gunfighthacksaw wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine visiting Afghanistan! Just hopping in a bus and going over land!!! The reason? It’s more enlightened than the US, and you can smoke hash. How times have changed…

Well, you can still smoke hash in Afghanistan, I'd bet...

In the 70s it was arguably safer to do so in Afghanistan than the US.

Now it’s legal some places in the US and Afghanistan has a brutally repressive moralistic government.

Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#25

Post by windowsrookie »

golergka wrote: post #16
ghaff wrote: post #14

One of the biggest changes is that even in the 1990s in many places, you'd have minimal or no contact with anyone back home and probably even reasonably cut off from news. When I went on a few ~month long trips to Nepal around that time, you were just starting to see some terminals for email here and there towards the end of the decade. But you were pretty much cut off from most communications.

Must be nice to live in country stable enough for you to able not to follow the news.

That's a ridiculous comment. I don't follow the new here in the United States and do just fine. I don't watch TV, I don't visit news websites, I don't use twitter, reddit, or Facebook. But I still hear about important news thru everyday conversation. 99% of the "news" is useless unimportant filler.

Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#26

Post by humbleMouse »

IntFee588 wrote: post #20

Although I maintain that a persistent travel itch is a symptom of dissatisfaction in day-to-day life which should be addressed, I backpacked Europe and the Middle East the summer after university. I was an incredibly enriching experience and one of those things people should do if they can afford it. I plan on doing Cape Town to Cairo in a few years.

No post body was provided.

Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#27

Post by selimthegrim »

carabiner wrote: post #10

A memoir along the lines of OP article: How an Average Man Lived an Adventurous Life. He backpacked around the world as an American in the 70s and 80s. Hippie trail, you name it. At the end, he retired to his hometown with his wife in Illinois.

For a more close to home focus, I do have to point to A Walk Across America from the same time period (I think the author wrote a sequel about more international stuff)

Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#28

Post by JohnBooty » 

    Growing up in the 1960s in New Jersey was very parochial 

    [...]

    I knew nothing about Asia, or even travelling; I had never 
    even been out of New England.
I realize I'm nitpicking here with regards to a very enjoyable and wonderful article but... what? New Jersey is not in New England. Same quadrant of the country. But that's bizarro.

Re: The Life of a Backpacker in Asia in the 1970s (2018)

#29

Post by Karrot_Kream »

golergka wrote: post #16
ghaff wrote: post #14

One of the biggest changes is that even in the 1990s in many places, you'd have minimal or no contact with anyone back home and probably even reasonably cut off from news. When I went on a few ~month long trips to Nepal around that time, you were just starting to see some terminals for email here and there towards the end of the decade. But you were pretty much cut off from most communications.

Must be nice to live in country stable enough for you to able not to follow the news.

My parents come from a developing country which was underdeveloped in the '90s and we did not "follow" the news. Relevant bits of news were hawked by anyone and everyone (if there were any general strikes, curfews, etc) but otherwise we were just blissfully unaware. My family came from an urban area and it was probably a different situation in rural areas, but rural areas never had any of the events you needed to steer around from the news anyway, so I don't know if it was any different practically speaking.
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