The Hippy Trail - the first budget travel
No blog on budget travel would be complete without mention of the once well-trodden “hippy trail”, which was popular back in the days when backpacking and travelling on a budget was still regarded as the preserve of the eccentric – hence anybody doing it was regarded as a bit of a “hippy”.
Specifically, this route started to be followed in the sixties, when people were starting to explore alternative lifestyles, and was probably at its height of popularity in the seventies.
The route of the hippy trail went from Western Europe to Greece, with many aficionados taking the Magic Bus from London to Athens. From Greece it was a short hop across to Turkey, and then through Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan before ending up in India or Nepal. From here, the particularly intrepid would make their way on to Australia, and of course a lot of Aussies and Kiwis did the hippy trail the other way round. Needless to say, all this was somewhat put a stop to when Iran’s borders closed in 1979.
Tourist facilities were still pretty limited in most of the countries en route, and this new breed of traveller was perhaps the first to take local buses, eat at street stalls, and stay in cut-price accommodation. It was at this time that guide books such as Lonely Planet, and the Rough Guides started to be produced, to satisfy this market of new travelllers eager for information and tips. These guides have now, to some extent, been superceded by the internet, with its various travellers’ websites and forums, but they are still handy to have in your backpack – after all, carting a laptop around with you can be a bit of a nuisance.
