Hola, bagpacks

In a blog post from last year Preethika Ganapathisubramanian and Narayanan Hariharan known as the Passing Ports Couple discuss how not a day would go by when theyrsquod not talk about their trip to Pai or about hiking to monasteries in Meteora ldquoSo herersquos the thing with travelmdashonce the travel bug bites you the itch remains for life PreCOVID times we used to travel at least once a month and Preethikarsquos job keeps her on the move which meant that the last seven months have been the longest time wersquove been stuck at home without going outrdquo he writes in his post dated October 30 2020A common area for backpackers at the Moustache Hostel in UdaipurCurrently Ganapathisubramanian is backpacking in Leh while Hariharan is at their home in Chennai ldquoShe Preethika says Leh is packed with travellers I know Hampi and Gokarna are full and so are beach destinations in Goa So backpacking is taking place individuals are driving down or taking domestic flights Thatrsquos backpacking probably the only thing going fullfledged right nowrdquo he saysThis wasnrsquot always the case though The sudden pause on backpackers due to the Coronavirus pandemic has massively affected the hospitality and travel industry with many businesses having gone under Those that remain afloat are struggling to break even Abhishek Khandelwal managing director at Moustache Hotesls a backpackersrsquo hostel chain in India was forced to shut down operations for six months in 2020 and again this year due to the second wave ldquoOur staff was asked to stay at home without pay because there was no income at that point I know a lot of other hostel chains that were doing phenomenally well caving in in the lockdown The situation however is finally looking up now unless a third wave hits usrdquo he says Introduced back in 2013 Moustache started with a single destination and today has hostels in Delhi Jaipur Jodhpur Pushkar Varanasi Rishikesh Kaza Jispa Goa and Khajuraho With backpackers not able to cross international borders as easily as they could prepandemic the brand is currently focusing on wooing domestic travellers ldquoEarlier we relied heavily on international travellers because hostel culture is still very niche in India People here are yet to warm up to the concept I remember we had some domestic guests who posted negative reviews because we did not offer slippers in the roomPreethika Ganapathisubramanian and Narayanan HariharanSome had a problem with doing their own dishes after a mealrdquo he says A backpackersrsquo hostel typically offers lowcost accommodation to travellers often in a dormitorystyle setting For backpackers travelling on a budget these are often seen as the best option for saving money and staying in a safe placeSeveral destinations like New Zealand that are popular with backpackers are now reportedly training their lens on attracting highend visitors which industry experts say might create a dent in budget travel Airlines too may seek to recoup massive losses theyrsquove suffered by hiking fares Khandelwal echoes the concern ldquoYes it will get more expensive because now hotels are required to introduce more safety infrastructure and up their housekeeping facilities For us attracting labour has been a problem Those who went back to their villages in the lockdown are now settled there so the only way to draw them back will be through better salariesrdquo According to travel content creator Kaushal Karkhanis who runs the blog Exotic Gringo the hiked prices wonrsquot deter travellers because people have saved up in the pandemic ldquoThere was no travel for over a year so people will have higher budgets nowrdquo If anything the pandemic might help create more backpackers he adds ldquoThe hostel culture is here to stay because these are being marketed as lsquocoliving and coworking spacesrsquordquoTravel content creator Kaushal Karkhanis who runs the blog Exotic Gringo during a trip to Recife the capital of Brazilrsquos northeastern state of Pernambuco The place is distinguished by its many rivers and isletsSome travel bugs such as model and actor Rajveer Ankur Singh havenrsquot even let the pandemic come in the way of their adventures ldquoIn the first wave I was backpacking all over Maharashtra on my bike because there was nobody out so it seemed like the best time to travelrdquo In the second wave Singh headed to the US for a trip to Yosemite National Park and backpacked for eight days ldquoI just completed a trek in Kashmirmdashfor seven days and six nights It was an 80km trek but it was made easy because now you have so many players in the industry who are making this kind of travel more accessible to people like you and merdquo When it comes to cheaper hotels following hygiene and safety standards Singh admits it can be a bit of a challenge in the country ldquoBut you always keep your essentials with you for basic hygiene Obviously you are going to have a big backpack with you so keep all the necessary supplies cleaning supplies tissues gloves They donrsquot take much space and now there are air blankets that you can userdquoAbhishek Khandelwal Moustache HostelsKarkhanis says we might see newer lesstravelled destinations emerging ldquoFor instance because beaches in Goa are immensely popular I might take off to explore the inlays or the rivers in the state Overall the mountains in Uttarakhand seem to be a drawrdquo Internationally itrsquos South America that is gaining favour despite the Coronavirus concerns in the continent ldquoIf you look at the Nomad list which is a great resource for travellers cities in South America are among the top 10 This is because hubs such as Thailand and Bali are still shut The popular sentiment seems to be wersquove witnessed the worst in the pandemic so letrsquos now take a chancerdquo