Bisayang Latagaw Travel Log: When You Start Forgetting Your Backpacking Roots

I started backpacking in 2016 with pretty simple goals: to go places for the experience, for the culture, for the fun of getting lost in the moment. To keep it as authentic as possible, I’d look for hostels where a dozen strangers could be crammed into a 12 sqm room with 8 bunk beds. I’d eat in warungs, hawkers, quáns, carinderias—whatever the locals called it. I’d take public transport despite the language barrier. And of course, there was the endless haggling for better rates.

But with my recent trips, something has changed. I’m becoming less of a backpacker and more of a tourist. And truth be told, I don’t like it. I’ve been trading raw experiences for comfort, and that was never the point. On a recent hike, when I took a few detours, I realized the real fun is still in doing what others avoid—the things seen as risky, inconvenient, or unnecessary. Because in this world of ease, luxury, and comfort, it’s those very inconveniences that remind us what it means to truly live.

I want to go back to my roots. To be more spontaneous. To embrace discomfort. To strip things down to less, because less is more. And that doesn’t need any further explanation.

Adios!