Backpacking Diplomacy by Andy A blog dedicated to sharing world culture, travel tips and building community.
World Culture | Community | Travel Insights
See the world like a local
Welcome! Backpacking Diplomacy is a global community dedicated to sharing more than 20 years of travel through cultural experiences, guides, reviews and more. Whatever your dream trip or upcoming excursion, we’re here to help! Type any keywords related to your idea below!
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Hey, I’m Andy.
Welcome to Backpacking Diplomacy. It’s great to have you as a reader!
I founded the site in 2012 in an effort to make culture more tangible and travel more approachable to everyday people. For me, travel is not just planes, trains and automobiles. Travel is a gateway to the human connection that brings us all together. It doesn’t matter if you are traveling the world or just travel in place, this site is for those who believe that travel, in its many forms, is the best diplomacy that we have.
You can learn more from a conversation or walking a mile in someone else’s shoes than a monument will ever teach you. Architecture, piles of rocks and natural wonders are interesting, often mesmerizing, bringing it all together with people is what makes life on this planet a dream.
Read my story →How I Travel
A few things this whole site is built on.
Meaningful connections
Spend time connecting with people. Learn about their day, their life, what they do on a daily basis. Walking a mile in someone’s shoes is among the most enriching things that you’ll ever do.
Planning less, explore more
Planning every detail of your trip leaves no space for spontaneity or randomness from the universe. Outlines and ideas are great, but wander further, and let a place reveal itself.
Try everything
You can’t know whether you like something or not unless you try it. Give things a chance. Maybe even a second chance.
Travel as a form of diplomacy
Every conversation across a border makes the world a little smaller and hopefully a little kinder. Be humble. Be kind. Be open.
The World Food Guides
One of the best ways to understand a place is to eat it. Start here.
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