After the postings of William Sutcliffe's generalisation of backpackers. I thing it is necessary to inform everybody that there is many kinds of Backpackers. Here is a few exemplars

Party-travellers ( also called beach-travellers):the main reason to travel for party-travellers is to party, and meeting like mind people of the opposite sex, girls can be recognised on, having packed high-heeled shoes in their backpack.
Age: 17-25
Preferred guidebook: lets go
Favourite destinations: Greek islands, southern Thailand, east-coast Australia

Real-travellers: look like they have been travelling for years, even if they only have travelled for 2 weeks.
Age: all ages
Preferred guidebook: do not use guidebooks, hate them, except when then they are borrowing yours
Favourite destinations: to boldly go where no travellers have gone before, to such places as Bali and Thailand

Working-travellers: the people you meet, who have spend 98% of the trip in the same town.
Age: 18-27
Preferred guidebook: work your way around the world
Favourite destinations: London, Sydney

He-man travellers: you can find him near a war-zone or bicycling across Australia without water (he is the guy you meet drinking tap water in India)
Age: all ages but always male
Preferred guidebook: Fielding's The World's Most Dangerous Places
Favourite destinations: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Johannesburg by night

posted in the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree years ago