The 10 Commandments of Backpacking

Bye Bye Shopping Sprees

Thou shall only buy items thou actually needs 

I finished working a week ago, so while my bank balance may look mightingly pretty right now, I have to remind myself that it will not be topped up much for the foreseeable future. Yes, I will be freelancing, but once I hit the road I’m not sure how much work I will be able to commit to. This means that I have to treat every dirham as if it is my last. The longer the money lasts, the longer I can stay on the road!

Strolling around the mall yesterday I spotted a couple of über-pretty skirts that were so utterly me, but I had to walk away. There will be no pretty skirts for a while. However, I think learning to only buy items you need is one of backpacking’s most valuable commandments; we accumulate so much pointless crap that it’s important to learn how to live solely off the things we do actually need. Which, when you think about it, isn’t much at all.

Thou shall survive without a full-length mirror 

Last Saturday I sold a lot of my old ‘junk’ at a flea market, including my full-length mirror. This means I now have to make do with the small mirror I have in the bathroom until I leave the country. This presents a little bit of a challenge when trying to put together an outfit; it doesn’t bother me, although it means that you may see me wearing some rather odd combinations of clothes in the near future.

Living without home luxuries is another important lesson to learn before I start residing in various guesthouses around the world, where the shower is over the toilet, bed bugs are rife, and towels aren’t deemed as a necessity.

Thou shall learn to enjoy small talk with strangers

I have placed most of the items I need to sell on Dubizzle (a classifieds website), which means I have been receiving calls from randoms all day, every day for the last week. This also means that when they come round to look at whatever it is they’re thinking of buying, I have to make small talk with them. *Shudder.*

I abhor small talk. I’m one of those people who finds the whole process forced and fake – sorry, I do not know you, I do not care about what you think of the weather or where you holidayed recently.  My mother has pointed out to me that small talk is just common courtesy, but sometimes I don’t want to be courteous. I want to switch off and enjoy my own little world.

This won’t wash on the backpacker trail. I’ll be alone and I’ll need to make friends, which is one of the other reasons why I decided to embark on this trip. A lot of my hatred of small talk stems from the fact I’m very shy when I meet strangers, so I prefer to be quiet and let others do the talking. It’s time to open up and make the effort to meet new people, though. I have no other choice!

The only occasions I seem to be highly adept at small talk is when I’ve had one too many beers. I take this to mean that I will have to drink, a lot, while I’m travelling.

Hmmm, no issues there then.

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