Everyone wants to know: “What’s the best country to start backpacking?” Easy answer? There isn’t one. Honest answer? Some countries will hug you like a banana pancake hostel breakfast, others will slap you in the face with a culture shock and a bus ride from hell.
In this episode I break down the fight: 🎒 Backpacker Disneyland (aka Australia & New Zealand), cheap chaos (Southeast Asia), and the wild cards (South America & Africa). We’ll talk Work & Travel “freedom” (translation: farm slavery), budgets that actually survive, and why Southeast Asia is basically backpacker kindergarten.
Spoiler: no matter where you start, you’ll lose a flip-flop, get food poisoning, and swear you’re “never drinking again.” Congratulations — you’re officially a backpacker.
Show Notes:
🎒 Work & Travel visas → freedom (or just farm slavery)
🌶 Culture shock → from “cute” to full stomach rebellion
💸 Money → where your budget survives (and where it dies)
🦘 Australia & NZ = backpacker Disneyland
🍌 Southeast Asia = cheap chaos & backpacker kindergarten
🌍 South America & Africa = raw adventure