Backpacking

Backpacking 

Welcome to the specialist backpacking section dedicated to travel agents wanting to offer information and experiences to backpackers who are planning a trip to the South Pacific.

Backpacking is defined as a form of low-cost, independent travel and is closely associated with ‘gap year travel’ where school leavers and university students, or people taking a break from their career, travel for extended periods often working on voluntary environmental and community projects.

Of importance in backpacking is a sense of authenticity and the South Pacific has a wealth of such experiences to offer the market such as local cultural activities including village tours and festivals, a range of volunteering opportunities in ‘off the beaten track’ locations as well as adventurous sporting activities to appeal to the youth traveller such as swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, rafting, sand boarding and trekking.

To make it easier for you to navigate this section, we have divided the information into the following sections:

1. Backpacker Profiles:

• What defines a backpacker and where they come from.

2. Backpacking Experiences:

• The specifics of backpacking in the global arena.
• Backpacking accommodation, transport and activities.
• Volunteering in the South Pacific.
• The opportunities and/or issues surrounding their promotion and sale.

3. Backpacking in the South Pacific:

• Where the best places are in the South Pacific to backpack.
• What is particularly special about each destination.

4. The Backpacking Quiz:

• The chapter ends with a set of 20 multiple choice questions of which 10 need to be answered correctly to qualify as a South Pacific Backpacking Specialist.