Backpacking 101: Life lessons and new experiences

MANILA, Philippines – Years ago, it could get very expensive if you wanted to travel. These days though, that is no longer the case. With a lot of research and an adventurous frame of mind, you can explore a new city here or abroad, even on a tight budget. 

A successful backpacking trip can entail several factors coming together: scoring on a budget airline’s seat sale, researching do-it-yourself tours, praying for great weather, finding fun companions. But the fruits of all these efforts can be very much worth it.

 Here are some reasons why backpacking rocks. You get to:

Step out of your comfort zone. Travel, some say, can be the best teacher. Asking locals for directions can be a new experience for you if you’re usually shy. Afraid of heights? Water? You might have to learn to conquer that fear to maximize that theme park ticket or get to the next island in your itinerary.

Slow down. Life doesn’t always have to be fast-paced or revolve around work. Backpacking trips can be a welcome time out from your daily life. During this time, you go at your own pace. Souvenirs don’t come in the form of key chains, but mental snapshots of moments special for you. 

Be thankful. When you have nothing else but a backpack, you become unburdened by so many things, and free to explore with an open mind. You realize that people can be nice and helpful, and that a mountain trek can give you an amazing view. You become thankful you are safe and healthy. 

Grow up. Trips don’t always go as planned, but no matter what happens, you can choose to ultimately come home a stronger, wiser and more confident person.

Adventure seekers

All these things and more just might be the takeaways of three physics majors aged 21 to 23 from the University of the Philippines – Diliman this year. Esme Escoto, Floyd Patricio, and Gab Saplagio or Team Tuklas, as they call themselves, were able to explore 6 destinations in 9 days.

Tasked to do as many activities and complete challenges given a budget of approximately P40,000, they emerged the winners of the 2014 Juan for Backpacking Challenge which was held from June 24 to July 2. The challenge took Team Tuklas and four other student teams to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Bacolod, Cebu, Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro and Manila.

They were given complete freedom to manage their own budget on food and activities as well as their accommodations when the challenge continued on to the Philippines.

Floyd shared that they used their skills learned in school to their advantage. “As Physics majors, we were taught to apply logic and critical thinking in everything we do, and that was very helpful to us during the course of the challenge,” he said. “Before we took on a dare in any destination, we considered the budget, the amount of time needed to accomplish the task, and even the distance of the location from our starting point. We were very meticulous.”

But they made sure that they maximized the experience by trying as many activities and visiting as many landmarks as they could. “To be honest, before we joined the challenge, we hadn’t traveled that much. It was actually our first time in Malaysia, Camiguin and the other challenge destinations,” Floyd shared.

When they landed in Kuala Lumpur, they were tasked to find their own way from the airport to the Petronas Towers. “It was pretty daunting at first but luckily, the locals and airport staff were very helpful. While we weren’t the first team to reach the towers, it was still an awesome feeling to complete the challenge while connecting with the people of Malaysia.” 

For Gab, the most difficult leg was in Bacolod. “The people were friendly and the place was beautiful. There was a pass the message challenge though and it was in Hiligaynon. Because of the language barrier, we could just not get the words right.” They were pushed down to 4^th place after starting off in 2^nd place in that particular challenge.

“But challenges aside, the most important thing to remember while backpacking with friends is to not overthink. I admit that we did overthink at first but we told each other to relax and not make it so complicated. After that, we had fun with the whole experience,” he added.

Team Tuklas considered Camiguin as another highlight of the trip, and visited its sandbars, and hot and cold springs. They also tried the Sky Experience Adventure in Cebu, went wall climbing in Manila, and even rode a habal-habal in Cagayan de Oro.

With a little help along the way 

Each team was assigned to an adventure coach, who met them for a coaching session before the challenge, and gave travel tips via social media.

The coach of Team Tuklas was TV personality and sportsman Paolo Abrera. He has traveled to many places both in the Philippines and abroad and says that the best way to experience the Philippines and the world is through backpacking. “Travel is one of the most enriching things that you can do to educate yourself and make yourself a better person. It’s one of the best teachers we can have,” he says.

“The backpacking challenge is a great way to introduce people to the possibilities of travel. You don’t really need that much to have fun. I’m hoping that more people do travel, become better people, and enjoy more of the world,” Paolo adds.

In the end he only had one thing to say about his winning team, “They kicked ass.” – Rappler.com

The Juan For Fun Backpacking 2014 was held last June 24 to July 2. Stay updated for the next backpacking challenge on Cebu Pacific’s Facebook page.