What is backpacking? The dictionary defines the verb Backpack: to travel about or go hiking with a backpack.

Ok, so in this day and age backpacking has become a little more glamorous, and travelling to and from each hostel with a suitcase is still considered a respectful form of backpacking. These days countries have opened to tourism and made it a lot easier to get about with the luxury of a suitcase. Regardless of what mode of 'carry' we choose, there are many reasons why everyone should go travelling - life lessons and life long friends! In fact, here's why we believe hostel life is better than real life.

But be warned, once you've had a taste of the backpacking bug, your life will never be the same. So we've prepared a list of 71 ways that backpacking will change your life - for the worse! As they say... once bitten, always bitten.

  1. You will become a target for Instagram envy
  2. You will make too many friends
  3. Your outlook on life will become annoyingly positive
  4. You will develop an inability to contain routine
  5. Your hard drive will become full
  6. Your idea of "happiness" will change
  7. For the men - you will grow a magnificent beard
  8. You will engage in public nudity
  9. "Boring" will cease to exist in your vocabulary
  10. "Dignity" will cease to exist in your vocabulary
  11. Your parents will begin to worry about your life decisions
  12. You will never find satisfaction again and upon your return home will conquer marathons, watch the travel channel and learn a new language. This will never be enough. You will want more.
  13. Your definition of "success" will change
  14. Your taste buds will change
  15. Public Sex will become acceptable
  16. Don't forget to factor in the cost of a new passport after filling in your current one with stamps
  17. You will develop an endless list of hobbies that will leave you with little time to watch TV
  18. Your Candy Crush status will reach an all time low
  19. Your online farm animals will die
  20. You will lose an appreciation for material items 
  21. Your beer drinking skills will attract disgust when you get back home
  22. Your career goals will change to pursue your passion and may result in less income
  23. Your google maps will become lonely
  24. You will attract Facebook Envy
  25. You will learn to swear in another language
  26. You will feel like you can no longer relate to people at home
  27. Your Facebook news feed will be difficult to understand due to an influx of different languages
  28. You will become detached from your iphone
  29. You may lose some friends due to jealousy
  30. Your dance skills will be compared to the majestic moves of Michael Jackson
  31. Your definition of "home" will change
  32. You will fall in love with a new person each week
  33. You will never EVER be able to live alone again
  34. You will become sexier
  35. Your goal to buy a house will either be postponed by 5 years or will become non existent
  36. You will find it hard to not be surrounded by large groups of people
  37. You will start to collect "things"
  38. You may contract a STI
  39. You will have a broader understanding of the world
  40. Your ability to adapt to new surroundings will make you more employable which will result in an influx of job offers
  41. You will make friends with every single person you meet
  42. You will develop a new found sense of creativity that will need to be fulfilled
  43. You will become one of those annoying people that can play an instrument
  44. Upon your return you will realise that your accent can no longer be used to pull the opposite sex
  45. You will find yourself taking more afternoon naps than usual
  46. You will care too much for people and current affairs - after all, ignorance is bliss
  47. You will care too much about nature and will have to begin recycling
  48. Your new need to break comfort zones will result in a life filled with crazy adventures
  49. You will never experience the luxury of a hotel again as you will have a couch to sleep on all over the world
  50. You'll find yourself in situations you never dreamed imaginable
  51. You will become ridiculously good at beer pong which will result in more drunken nights than anticipated
  52. You will forever have a ticklish urge burning at the back of your brain
  53. Your sense of time will change and getting home at sunrise will seem 'normal' to you
  54. You will have a sudden urge to explore your own country or continent
  55. The meaning of life will change
  56. You will be the centre of attention at every party
  57. When you return home to a 9 to 5 job you will question your very existence
  58. You will be extremely good at cooking on a budget
  59. You will become accustomed to wearing odd socks
  60. You will be less influenced by other people's thoughts  
  61. Upon your return your friends will be overwhelmed by your sudden urge to try new things
  62. Your definition of "distance" will change
  63. Your style will become a little more individual
  64. You might be called 'weird' upon your return home
  65. You will develop a new appreciation for books
  66. You will develop the ability to instantly assess whether or not a new person is worth getting to know
  67. You will become more patient
  68. You will become really good at living without the stresses of money and this will worry your parents
  69. Your ability to solve problems and overcome barriers will reach an all time high and friends will begin to rely on you in sticky situations
  70. When you get home you will struggle to come to terms with the idea that day drinking is unacceptable
  71. You might actually find yourself living your life

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