Has Backpacking Across North America Increased in Popularity?
Backpacking is a formative form of travel, and a unique way to experience the world from a humbling perspective. It is almost a rite of passage for those of student age, whether taking a gap year to explore the world or closing out your chapter of study with an international romp with friends.
Europe is the first place that comes to mind when thinking about backpacking; before Brexit, freedom of movement made it incredibly easy to pass between countries on the mainland. But with travel in Europe harder for UK citizens, the focus could well be shifting to the other side of the Atlantic.
Tourism Industry Recovery
Generally speaking, the North American tourism industry has seen a significant rebound since the events of 2020 and 2021. The global coronavirus pandemic had profound impacts on practically every industry, to say nothing of the individual impacts we all experienced through changes to both our home and working habits.
The tourism industry was amongst the worst affected, though, with international flights all but grounded and the majority of nations instituting national lockdowns preventing travel. The days of quarantine are long gone now, though, and tourism has seen significant gains since; in 2021 alone, the sector in North America jumped in value from $151 billion to $235 billion.
Backpacking and Planning
With backpacking now 100% back on the menu for younger travelers with the money to do so, many more are looking at ways to get across the pond and experience a trip of a lifetime. But naturally, trips of this size require extremely careful planning.
For one, North America is an incredibly large continent, with a vast array of places to visit and vast expanses between them. A backpacking trip to North America is not one to improvise; you should have a clear idea of which locations are must-visit and which transport routes you’ll be using to get to them,
This extends to your outbound and return journey. Not only does your group need to get to and from your chosen stops, but also to and from North America. You should book these bookend flights first, before anything else, and then plan your train travel to and from the airport as a group.
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Legal Issues
Freeing as travel can be, there are still legal strictures that necessarily impact your travel plans – chief amongst them being the requirement for a visa. In order to enter the US, even for recreational purposes, you will need to get a visa to gain legal access. This takes a lot of time to process, and should not be left to the last minute! Without your visa, you’re going nowhere
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