International Mankini Challenge

Can you be too old to be a backpacker?

by malph on Nov.24, 2009, under Other Mankini News

At 28 years old I set out on my first extended backpacking adventure taking in South Africa, South East Asia and California (USA) in a little under five months. At 32 I decided to travel for longer still undertaking the International Mankini Challenge and being an STA Travel Explorer in Latin America and beyond. As I come towards the end of this trip I wonder if this will be my last as a backpacker or if I have any more travelling in me given my age.

In 2006 I left the UK for what turned out to be a great adventure. Compared to a lot of friends my trip was overdue by 6-10 years as they had travelled either side of university. Despite having 6 months free after university before I started on a graduate programme however, I decided to work in the university bar to extend my student life rather than check out STA Travel to see what was on offer overseas. Why you may ask? Because I didn’t have a latent desire to travel at the time and, to be honest, the thought of backpacking around the world scared me.

Nine years on and I wonder if my second trip will be my last as a ‘proper’ backpacker. During my first trip I noticed in hostels, on tours and on the buses in between that I was either the oldest or one of the oldest travellers in my group. This didn’t worry me unduly as I often get aged four years younger than I am and I was still below the magic 30 barrier. Also, aside from the occasional friendly jibe, I was accepted without question by my fellow explorers. Second time around and it’s rare that I’m not the oldest out of the travellers in my posse. While Latin America, especially Central America, attracts a generally older crowd than SE Asia and South Africa, there are still a small number of people in their 30’s travelling.

As I mentioned in my earlier post The changing face of backpacking – travelling in 2009, on this trip I’ve noticed a trend of second time backpackers, like myself, and generally a much larger percentage of older travellers i.e. early 30’s and above. But I wonder if this trend will continue in line with my ageing or if it will soon reach a plateau and I will be considered to old to backpack in the traditional ways?

Now I’m sure there are people out there who will say that you’re never too old to backpack and you can do anything you want no matter how old you are. Others will say mid to late 30’s nowadays isn’t even old. And to those people I would say I largely agree. However for me backpacking is about travelling around the world by staying in hostels (or camping, couchsurfing etc), using public transport (or ridesharing on craig’s list) to get from A to B, not denying yourself any new experiences or opportunities to submerge yourself in a country’s culture (whether that be going to the Carnival in Brazil or Volcano boarding in Nicaragua) and meeting people from all over the world. While using public transport generally isn’t too much of an issue whatever your age, though some journeys I’ve experienced definitely suit the younger and fitter person, there are certain challenges to staying in a hostel and meeting new people and not denying yourself the opportunity to undertake new experiences when you are older.

Whether you’re 18 and just left home, or 21/2 and just finished university, you revel in being away and not having your parents looking over your shoulder. There is a lot that goes on while travelling that never makes its way on to Facebook statuses and twitter feeds for fear of others deeming it not appropriate. From my perspective as a 32 year old, it matters not how old you are, but what you’re like as a person as to whether I want to hang out with you or not when I’m backpacking. But as a younger person the perceived age of someone undoubtedly plays a part in whether you’re invited to the bar or asked if you want to join them on a tour or excursion.

You only have to people watch while in a hostel to see how lone older travellers are treated with a sense of trepidation, and I’m no different from from an 18 year old in this. They are spoken to initially in the same way that a friend of your parents may be. While this is polite, it generally lacks rapour or results in an invite to your current backpacker social group. You’ll often see the older traveller eating on their own, being the one who speaks to the travel guide more than anyone else as they seek some sort of companionship (the guide has to talk to them as it’s their job) and the one who goes to bed early.

Rarely is this treatment malicious, but hostels are seen as a reserve of the young. Questions are asked as to why older backpackers are staying in hostels and not hotels. Unfair stereotypes can also be applied as people shy away from any social interaction or try to limit the amount of time they spend with the more mature traveller. A lot of times this is because younger travellers feel they can’t relax and say and do as they please.

Apart from the opportunity to socialise with fellow younger backpackers in a way that is genuine and not awkward, I wonder whether a lot of the activities I’ve undertaken in Latin America I’d still physically be able to do over a sustained period, or even want to do, in 5 years time. Trekking to the Lost City in Colombia, cycling the World’s Most Dangerous Road in Bolivia and climbing up Volcano Villarrica in Chile to name a few (and all wearing the Mankini may I add), is not for the faint hearted. Experiences like this have been a key part of why I love to travel and why I have had such an amazing trip. Like a professional athlete, the idea of undertaking lesser challenges doesn’t hold the same appeal.

And so as I sit here in San Francisco 11.5 months into my trip and after what has been a great two weeks in the United States so far, I’m left to wonder if my first Thanksgiving will be my last as a proper backpacker and if the International Mankini Challenge will have started and ended with this trip or if as a future lone older traveller I’ll be able to find other backpackers to take the pictures without thinking I’m a weird old pervert!

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7 Comments for this entry

  • pinoy boy
    December 11th, 2009 on 11:38

    you’re definitely not too old to go backpacking, i started backpacking around 2 years ago, i was 24. besides, i think the reason why backpackers now are younger is because travelling now is much less complicated as it was before, young people can travel easily without fearing for the unknown. back when we were 18-20, it would take really courage to go to the other side of the world and experience the journey ahead of us.

    Reply
  • kiwitravelwriter
    November 26th, 2009 on 04:31

    you are never to old to be a backpacker – its about a state of mind not age. some of the most adventerous backpackers i know are 50+

    Reply
    • malph
      December 3rd, 2009 on 09:22

      Tbird – thanks for your support ;) I know you look at all the pics though!

      Priester – Fair play! Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!

      Megan – I think you’re spot on here. I didn’t travel first until I was 28 and definitely wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as when I was 18. However I do think starting to travel at 18 would have helped me mature quicker and given me a lot of attributes and skills I didn’t learn until later in life. Also it wouldn’t have left me with so much of the world still to see!

      Deb – I agree that you can still definitely get a lot out of a trip and can be more level headed in a lot of situations. It’s more the things that you can’t control when you get older that makes me think e.g. people’s perceptions of you and how inclusive they are in other aspects of travelling.

      kiwitravelwriter – spot on! It’s definitely a state of mind!

      Thanks for all your comments everyone!

      Reply
  • Deb
    November 24th, 2009 on 23:41

    Funny you mention the Death Road in Bolivia – I cycled it earlier this year at the age of 37 with a group made up mostly of guys in their early twenties. I got down in one piece, was one of the fastest and didn’t get altitude sickness, cry when I got cold, break any bones or crash into anyone else (unlike the others on the trip).

    After the trip, one of my fellow cyclists politely asked how old I was as I ’seemed quite fit for my age’… f*cking cheek! Interestingly this guy fell off his bike twice…

    I think the main point I want to make here is that I got an awful lot out of my 6 month trip to South America. I’m fairly fit and up for most things, but perhaps had my head screwed on a bit tighter than some of the other people I met!

    I should also mention one of the craziest party animals I met while travelling – a very sweet 55 year old Swedish man who displayed an awesome talent for pulling ladies, dancing all night and tackling some high altitude treks in the snow.

    ‘Youth is wasted on the young’, as they say…

    Reply
  • Megan
    November 24th, 2009 on 11:13

    Malph,

    that was a fantastic post and very interesting to read. Now I understand why you befriended me in Honduras.. what with me being over the 30 barrier and sitting / eating by myself!!

    While I do agree with your comments quite alot… perhaps you should ask this question…. do you get as much out of traveling at the age of 18, even 26 as you have now… even though my recent trip to central america was extremely brief I found this trip alot more enjoyable then when I did south america several years ago.

    Perhaps it is was the head space I was in at the time, but I found that I was able to truly relax and not worry soooo much… when I was younger i was always looking to the next thing, the constant partying etc, etc… but as I have gotten older I have finally come to understand that you don’t need to party hard to have a good time, you don’t need to be off your mind on drugs… and that you don’t need to be constantly surrounded by other people to enjoy yourself….

    Reply
  • Priester
    November 24th, 2009 on 09:32

    You are only too old to be a backpacker when your false teeth and zimmer frame get nicked and even then it may only be a warning only!

    Reply
  • Tbird
    November 24th, 2009 on 04:49

    But, Malph, you already *are* a weird old pervert…

    Reply

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