Backpacking

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art to saunter. The swiftest traveler is he that goes afoot. Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind." (Gregory, Ch. 14) Thoreau is not alone in his view that walking is the best form of travel for a debate has long existed over the distinction between a traveler and tourist. In fact, Tony and Maureen Wheeler of Lonely Planet consistently emphasize a traveler rather than a tourist identity in their travel guides: "the difference between a traveler and a tourist is often that the traveler does the walking." (Kenny, p.111)

The reason why Thoreau, the Wheelers and countless other backpacking enthusiasts extol the virtues of traveling by foot is easy to understand when they describe its advantages. For instance, Gregory says that walking is his preferred mode of travel because, "With comfortable shoes, a light pack, and an interesting environment, this is matchless ...

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being at home that also results in most backpackers reporting a feeling of peace and tranquility on their backpacking expeditions in the wilderness.

This is particularly true in the case of solo backpackers. Indeed, leisure research studies focused on solitude and privacy in wilderness settings reveal that hikers and backpackers are subjects who score high on scales associated with emotional release, personal autonomy, reflective thought, personal distance, and intimacy (Coble et.al., 2003). In fact, several of these attributes can also be associated with urban backpackers, especially solo ones.

One such solo backpacker, Paul Neville reports, "solo independent backpacking ...

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