Possible/Not Possible. Sub Kuch Milega (literal: everything you will get). Thoda Thoda (little little). These are common Hindi phrases that you will hear/pick up as you travel through India. what exactly is the backpacker circuit?The backpacker circuit is literally the route or trail followed by backpackers in India. And the people in it. There are two sets of people at any tourist place. The locals and the tourists. India has a huge population of backpacker veterans or expats. They fall in between the local and the visiting. Not quite locals, but not tourists either. Many of the expats are fluent in various Indian languages, and live and work in the backpacker towns. Many backpacker towns/villages depend almost solely on tourism for their livelihood. In Dharamkot (Himachal Pradesh) for example, all hotels, restaurants and markets shut shop in October (winter), to reopen in March (summer). All the workers usually migrate to the winter hauls to work during this time. Many people who work the backpacker circuit have a 6 and 6 month job each year. READ ALL ABOUT BACKPACKER TRAILS: CLICK HERE what is the tourist season?The best time to visit a tourist destination weather-wise is the tourist season. The backpacker circuit in India moves with the seasons. It retreats into the beautiful Himalayas during summertime, and spreads through Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerela, Karnataka, the Eastern shoreline, Goa to Kolkata in West Bengal during the winter months. Bhagsu (expats and workers), in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) for example starts moving base in November to Arambol Beach, Goa, where it stays until feb/march. are the destinations that fall into backpacker trail 'off the beaten track'?The backpacker circuit in India is a lively affair. By no means is it quiet, or off the beaten track. It is a thriving, pulsating, carnival. In every way, alive. And well established. What various commercial tourist outfits call offbeat destinations have been backpacker hubs for decades. RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL: AN APPEAL TO BACKPACKERSIt is popular belief that India is the land of possibilities. Literally. Travellers come to India disarmed of any sense of restrictions or boundaries. This incidentally, is also the recipe for disaster. Every cop, for example, is not bribe-able, and every waiter in every restaurant across the country is not a peddlar. You also cannot openly break every law in your path and not suffer consequences. The question of responsible travel is one increasingly demanding attention.
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AuthorHi! I'm Shubha, an traveler, writer, photographer; with a dream to travel forever. ArchivesCategories |