Computers have the world and the advent of the internet brought on more far-reaching changes. For instance, students of today hardly ever consult a library book if they can simply type a keyword into a search engine and have all the information they want within seconds. Even that rite of passage, backpacking through foreign countries, has changed now that people can do their travel research online.
It used to be that backpackers were the easiest people to spot in a budget restaurant in some exotic location. They would be the scruffy-looking, slightly smelly individuals playing solitaire with a deck of cards, writing postcards to their mom or making notes in a tattered travel diary. Now they're the scruffy-looking, slightly smelly people surfing the internet, Skyping their mom or updating their Facebook status.
Along with the deck of cards, another item that seems to be dying out in backpacking land is the guidebook. It used to be the backpacker's survival kit and was usually filled with notes and highlights. These days guidebooks tend to look pristine except for the pages with the maps. Backpackers find the information they need by logging on and surfing the internet.
For a hostel to be successful these days, it needs more than comfortable beds and a clean bathroom. Many backpackers will happily sleep on lumpy mattresses as long as they can have free Wi-Fi and a fast internet connection. Having a computer hook-up in the corner doesn't cut it anymore either, since most backpackers are traveling with their own computers. Having somewhere to plug these in is more important to them.
Of course using the internet makes traveling much easier than it used to be. It can tell you about the destination's background and what the weather is like at the moment. You can instantly look up some useful phrases in the language spoken there and even find out how to pronounce them correctly. It's even possible to book your accommodation and transport with a few clicks of the mouse.
Computers have also made it possible to work while on the road. You don't have to get a job as a bartender when you money runs out. Simply replenish your funds with online work. With so much information available on the internet, more and more people are now even getting paid to write travel articles about places they've never been to.
Of course using the internet for all your research on your journey has its drawbacks. Information may be more current than in a guidebook but it doesn't mean that it's up to date. In addition, businesses have caught on to the power of reviews and that glowing testimony about a hostel or a restaurant may very well be fake. Even the negative reviews are not always the real thing since any business will benefit if their competitors get bad ratings.
The best way of using the wealth of information out there to your advantage is to combine the different resources you can use. Keep a guidebook for easy access to maps any time, any place, because you can't consult Google Maps when you're standing by the side of a busy road. Ask fellow travelers about hostels and eateries they can recommend because they're likely to give honest opinions. For everything else you need to find out, do your travel research online for the most current information.
It used to be that backpackers were the easiest people to spot in a budget restaurant in some exotic location. They would be the scruffy-looking, slightly smelly individuals playing solitaire with a deck of cards, writing postcards to their mom or making notes in a tattered travel diary. Now they're the scruffy-looking, slightly smelly people surfing the internet, Skyping their mom or updating their Facebook status.
Along with the deck of cards, another item that seems to be dying out in backpacking land is the guidebook. It used to be the backpacker's survival kit and was usually filled with notes and highlights. These days guidebooks tend to look pristine except for the pages with the maps. Backpackers find the information they need by logging on and surfing the internet.
For a hostel to be successful these days, it needs more than comfortable beds and a clean bathroom. Many backpackers will happily sleep on lumpy mattresses as long as they can have free Wi-Fi and a fast internet connection. Having a computer hook-up in the corner doesn't cut it anymore either, since most backpackers are traveling with their own computers. Having somewhere to plug these in is more important to them.
Of course using the internet makes traveling much easier than it used to be. It can tell you about the destination's background and what the weather is like at the moment. You can instantly look up some useful phrases in the language spoken there and even find out how to pronounce them correctly. It's even possible to book your accommodation and transport with a few clicks of the mouse.
Computers have also made it possible to work while on the road. You don't have to get a job as a bartender when you money runs out. Simply replenish your funds with online work. With so much information available on the internet, more and more people are now even getting paid to write travel articles about places they've never been to.
Of course using the internet for all your research on your journey has its drawbacks. Information may be more current than in a guidebook but it doesn't mean that it's up to date. In addition, businesses have caught on to the power of reviews and that glowing testimony about a hostel or a restaurant may very well be fake. Even the negative reviews are not always the real thing since any business will benefit if their competitors get bad ratings.
The best way of using the wealth of information out there to your advantage is to combine the different resources you can use. Keep a guidebook for easy access to maps any time, any place, because you can't consult Google Maps when you're standing by the side of a busy road. Ask fellow travelers about hostels and eateries they can recommend because they're likely to give honest opinions. For everything else you need to find out, do your travel research online for the most current information.
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