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Sailing
May 14, 2011 | 
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Sailing is the art and technique of piloting a boat using wind power. Sailors manage the force of the wind on the boat’s sails by shifting the rudder, rigging, and center board, which all affect the direction and speed of a boat. While sailing can be difficult to master, and sailing mastery only comes with lots of experience in varied wind and sea conditions, few endeavors are as rewarding as sailing.
Sailing takes place in many varied water environments from small lakes in the Midwestern United States to the azure waters of the Mediterranean, to the wild and unpredictable seas of the Southern Ocean. A huge variety of sail boats exists from small sunfish, to catamarans, to ocean-going yachts. Sailing as an essential means of transport has gradually died out, in all but the most remote third world coastal countries. At the same time, sailing for recreation has become a huge activity worldwide. Sailing races have become big business with small local races to the large scale ocean races like the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.
Sailing, of course is all about shifting the the boat’s rudder, rigging and center board in response to the boat’s position to best take advantage of wind conditions. The sail above the water is used to catch the wind. Below the water, the keel or centerboard and the rudder work together to provide and opposing force in response to the sail, and this push and pull is what allows the sailor to direct the boat in virtually any direction.
When a boat is traveling roughly perpendicular to the wind is called reaching. A beam reach occurs when the boat is sailing at 90 degrees perpendicular to the wind, the sails positioned somewhere close to a 45 degree angle to the wind. A broad reach is used when the boat is more than 90 degrees away from the wind. Depending on the boat design, a broad reach or a beam reach may be faster.
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Backpacking
Backpacking is hiking which includes at least one overnight stay in thebackcountry. (For backpacking travel, see our section on backpack travel)
Backpackers usually carry a pack on their back containing all of the essentials they will need to camp, sleep, cook, and survive in the wilderness. While some backpackers only do overnights on weekends, other backpackers do through hikes for months at a time. Backpacking is extraordinarily popular in the United States and Canada, with their vast tracts of wilderness land. See our section ontrekking for backpacking trips outside of North America.
Backpacking went through a huge boom in the 1970′s and 80′s, causing some pretty crowded trails. Since the boom years, the number of people backpacking in the U.S. has fallen by about 20% according to recent work by the Outdoor Industry Association. This is actually good news because trails are less crowded and forest management agencies have improved permitting systems for trails in high demand.
While the idea of a big old leather boot with a vibram sole is iconic in the backpacking world, make sure that you really need it. Footwear for backpacking is far more variable than you might imagine, and unless you’re carrying 80 lbs. on your back, for a short weekend trip, chances are you would do just fine in a lightweight hiker, a low top approach shoe, or even a sandal.
Don’t expect to be completely alone, all the time in the backcountry. Chances are if you’re reading it in a guidebook, or here, a lot of people know about it. The extreme example– At the end of the Kalalau Trail in Kauai, groups of dozens of people actually live communally for months at a time. This surprises a lot of people. If you can’t deal with that, be a little creative, find your own secret spot and don’t tell anyone. There’s far more wilderness out there than you’d think, even in the lower 48.
Backpack Travel
Backpack Travel is a form of international travel that is closely associated withindependent travel and budget travel, and related in many ways to adventure travel. Backpack travel is characterized by the desire to keep costs low, travel for months at a time, and gain a deeper understanding of different cultures. An entire worldwide industry of backpacker lodges, guesthouses, restaurants, transportation, and side tour operators serving backpack travelers has emerged in many third world cities.
Backpack travel and independent travel are in many ways synonymous, except that as the industry matures, more and more backpack travel is done in the form of small group travel tours. Backpack travel and adventure travel are closely related in that many backpack travelers are seeking adventure, but not all adventure travel is of the budget backpack travel variety.
Backpack Travel’s roots go back to the time of Marco Polo on the Silk Road to Asia, but it was the Hippie trail Movement of the 1960′s and 1970′s that ushered in the backpack travel era. The Hippie Trail, originated as an overland road and train crossing from Western Europe to the Southeast Asia. While it followed part of the Silk Road, political expedience meant that travelers headed south of the true Silk Road. Important backpack travel stops on the Hippie trail included Istanbul, Teheran, Kabul, Varanasi, Kathmandu, Bangkok, and Denpassar. Hippies on the Hippie Trail were indeed the earliest backpack travelers. Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the founders of Lonely Planet Guidebooks, were among the early backpack travelers on the Hippie Trail.
By 1980, with the Soviet invasion of and guerilla war in Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution, the Hippie trail was dead. In its place, what many refer to as the Banana Pancake trail, became the de facto rite of passage for backpack travelers. Fueled by higher disposable incomes and lower international airfares, backpack travel in Southeast Asia became a major phenomenon in the 1980′s. As more and more travelers came, more and more guesthouses and lodges and infrastructure emerged. Some good, some bad. Backpack travel ghettos with guesthouse, lodges, restaurants, and souvenir shops catering to those on a budget, sprang up in places like Thamel in Kathmandu, Jalan Jaksa in Jakarta, Kuta in Bali, and of course the infamous Khao San Road in Bangkok. Throughout the 1980′s and 1990′s, the Banana Pancake trail pressed out in multiple directions, down into Goa, India, up into Lhasa, Tibet, and over to Dali Lake and Chengdu in China.
Backpack Travel’s roots go back to the time of Marco Polo on the Silk Road to Asia, but it was the Hippie trail Movement of the 1960′s and 1970′s that ushered in the backpack travel era. The Hippie Trail, originated as an overland road and train crossing from Western Europe to the Southeast Asia. While it followed part of the Silk Road, political expedience meant that travelers headed south of the true Silk Road. Important backpack travel stops on the Hippie trail included Istanbul, Teheran, Kabul, Varanasi, Kathmandu, Bangkok, and Denpassar. Hippies on the Hippie Trail were indeed the earliest backpack travelers. Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the founders of Lonely Planet Guidebooks, were among the early backpack travelers on the Hippie Trail.
By 1980, with the Soviet invasion of and guerilla war in Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution, the Hippie trail was dead. In its place, what many refer to as the Banana Pancake trail, became the de facto rite of passage for backpack travelers. Fueled by higher disposable incomes and lower international airfares, backpack travel in Southeast Asia became a major phenomenon in the 1980′s. As more and more travelers came, more and more guesthouses and lodges and infrastructure emerged. Some good, some bad. Backpack travel ghettos with guesthouse, lodges, restaurants, and souvenir shops catering to those on a budget, sprang up in places like Thamel in Kathmandu, Jalan Jaksa in Jakarta, Kuta in Bali, and of course the infamous Khao San Road in Bangkok. Throughout the 1980′s and 1990′s, the Banana Pancake trail pressed out in multiple directions, down into Goa, India, up into Lhasa, Tibet, and over to Dali Lake and Chengdu in China.
Backpack travel has become very mainstream, and with that most of the formerly great backpack travel destinations have one by one started to lose their authenticity. This is inevitable. Don’t complain. By going there, you’re part of the problem. While almost everywhere on the backpackers circuit is still worth going to, don’t be surprised by backpacker ghettos with hoards of souvenir shops, run down guesthouses, and prostitution– use them as bases to find those still untouched places with real authenticity. Definitely go to Angkor Wat with it’s hordes of tour groups, buy some souvenirs, and eat a few banana pancakes in Siem Reap, but by all means, take the time to see the real Cambodia and find a village off the beaten track to see real Cambodian life.
Be especially wary of small group travel companies selling “off-the-beaten-track” cultural adventures. Ask a lot of questions about itineraries- some itineraries are good, and some are not so good. In some locations they are pulling an elaborate charade on clients making them think they are going someplace “real” when in reality, you’re the fourth group of tourists those monks at that perfect temple have seen that day from your company.