71 Ways Backpacking Will Ruin Your Life

What is backpacking? The dictionary defines the verb Backpack: to travel about or go hiking with a backpack.

Ok, so in this day and age backpacking has become a little more glamorous, and travelling to and from each hostel with a suitcase is still considered a respectful form of backpacking. These days countries have opened to tourism and made it a lot easier to get about with the luxury of a suitcase. Regardless of what mode of 'carry' we choose, there are many reasons why everyone should go travelling - life lessons and life long friends! In fact, here's why we believe hostel life is better than real life.

But be warned, once you've had a taste of the backpacking bug, your life will never be the same. So we've prepared a list of 71 ways that backpacking will change your life - for the worse! As they say... once bitten, always bitten.

1. You will become a target for Instagram envy
2. You will make too many friends
3. Your outlook on life will become annoyingly positive
4. You will develop an inability to contain routine
5. Your hard drive will become full
6. Your idea of "happiness" will change
7. For the men - you will grow a magnificent beard
8. You will engage in public nudity
9. "Boring" will cease to exist in your vocabulary
10. "Dignity" will cease to exist in your vocabulary
11. Your parents will begin to worry about your life decisions
12. You will never find satisfaction again and upon your return home will conquer marathons, watch the travel channel and learn a new language. This will never be enough. You will want more.
13. Your definition of "success" will change
14. Your taste buds will change
15. Public Sex will become acceptable
16. Don't forget to factor in the cost of a new passport after filling in your current one with stamps
17. You will develop an endless list of hobbies that will leave you with little time to watch TV
18. Your Candy Crush status will reach an all time low
19. Your online farm animals will die
20. You will lose an appreciation for material items 
21. Your beer drinking skills will attract disgust when you get back home
22. Your career goals will change to pursue your passion and may result in less income
23. Your google maps will become lonely
24. You will attract Facebook Envy
25. You will learn to swear in another language
26. You will feel like you can no longer relate to people at home
27. Your Facebook news feed will be difficult to understand due to an influx of different languages
28. You will become detached from your iphone
29. You may lose some friends due to jealousy
30. Your dance skills will be compared to the majestic moves of Michael Jackson
31. Your definition of "home" will change
32. You will fall in love with a new person each week
33. You will never EVER be able to live alone again
34. You will become sexier
35. Your goal to buy a house will either be postponed by 5 years or will become non existent
36. You will find it hard to not be surrounded by large groups of people
37. You will start to collect "things"
38. You may contract a STI
39. You will have a broader understanding of the world
40. Your ability to adapt to new surroundings will make you more employable which will result in an influx of job offers
41. You will make friends with every single person you meet
42. You will develop a new found sense of creativity that will need to be fulfilled
43. You will become one of those annoying people that can play an instrument
44. Upon your return you will realise that your accent can no longer be used to pull the opposite sex
45. You will find yourself taking more afternoon naps than usual
46. You will care too much for people and current affairs - after all, ignorance is bliss
47. You will care too much about nature and will have to begin recycling
48. Your new need to break comfort zones will result in a life filled with crazy adventures
49. You will never experience the luxury of a hotel again as you will have a couch to sleep on all over the world
50. You'll find yourself in situations you never dreamed imaginable
51. You will become ridiculously good at beer pong which will result in more drunken nights than anticipated
52. You will forever have a ticklish urge burning at the back of your brain
53. Your sense of time will change and getting home at sunrise will seem 'normal' to you
54. You will have a sudden urge to explore your own country or continent
55. The meaning of life will change
56. You will be the centre of attention at every party
57. When you return home to a 9 to 5 job you will question your very existence
58. You will be extremely good at cooking on a budget
59. You will become accustomed to wearing odd socks
60. You will be less influenced by other people's thoughts  
61. Upon your return your friends will be overwhelmed by your sudden urge to try new things
62. Your definition of "distance" will change
63. Your style will become a little more individual
64. You might be called 'weird' upon your return home
65. You will develop a new appreciation for books
66. You will develop the ability to instantly assess whether or not a new person is worth getting to know
67. You will become more patient
68. You will become really good at living without the stresses of money and this will worry your parents
69. Your ability to solve problems and overcome barriers will reach an all time high and friends will begin to rely on you in sticky situations
70. When you get home you will struggle to come to terms with the idea that day drinking is unacceptable
71. You might actually find yourself living your life