A 16th-Century Backpacker?

What is a Backpacker?

Young man standing with his hat in his hands

‘Backpacking’ refers to a type of modern, low-cost, independent travel. It originated from the Hippie Trail in the 1960s, an overland route from Europe to India and Thailand. This route eventually became unusable due to political unrest in the Middle East, prompting backpackers to seek new destinations and spread to all corners of the globe. What was once a marginal form of travel has now become part of mainstream tourism. The term ‘backpacker’ comes from the backpack, the primary luggage these travellers use to carry their belongings.

The characteristics of backpacker journeys include low-budget travel, longer trips compared to standard vacations, flexibility and spontaneity instead of pre-planned tours, a desire to meet other travellers (especially fellow backpackers), and a yearning for individual freedom, independence, and an openness to new experiences. The last characteristic is often described as a desire to travel ‘off the beaten track,’ aiming to distance themselves from the ‘typical’ tourist experience.1

Low Budget and Duration

Travelling on a low budget is typically linked to the length of the journey. While traditional tourists may spend more on shorter trips, backpackers are frugal, ensuring their budget lasts longer. This limited budget often results from the youth of many backpackers and their modest financial resources. Nonetheless, while they are careful with their daily expenses, most backpackers are willing to splurge occasionally on experiences, activities, or souvenirs at their destinations. Their economical approach to costs, combined with the backpack as their primary and often sole piece of luggage, reflects a less materialistic perspective on travel.2

The financial aspects and duration of a backpacker’s journey are not entirely comparable to Samuel Kiechel’s adventure. Kiechel never mentioned how he financed his travels or how much money he had available. His journey was likely part of his education, with financial support from his parents. Unlike many modern backpackers, Kiechel did not travel ‘on a shoestring’. However, he was mindful of his expenses and careful not to overspend.

Some commonality in the less materialistic approach between modern backpackers and the sixteenth-century traveller can be seen in the choice of luggage. Kiechel travelled only with a bag he could carry over his shoulder, known as a ‘Felleisen’ (from the French ‘valise’).3 While in the Holy Land, he observed that some of his companions had brought along many unnecessary items, noting: “The less you have, the easier it is to travel in this country”.4

Concerning the duration of a journey, it is challenging to compare Kiechel’s adventure to modern experiences. Today, backpackers often measure their travels against most people’s typical two to three-week annual holiday. However, the concept of a standard holiday did not exist in the sixteenth century. In addition, the purpose, destination and mode of transport dictated the length of a journey. Kiechel’s four-year adventure was relatively long, but in the context of his time, it was not unusual.

Flexibility and Independence

Backpackers typically organise their journeys independently. While they may plan to visit specific destinations, there is no strict schedule with pre-booked transportation and accommodations. Backpackers are willing to change their plans at short notice if they learn about more intriguing destinations during their travels. Other backpackers often serve as regular sources of information, providing valuable advice on worthwhile places to visit.5

In contrast to other young men from his social background, Samuel Kiechel did not follow a predetermined route with a fixed itinerary. His travels meandered through Europe, and his journal entries reveal that he changed destinations as needed. A notable example of his flexibility was his decision to travel to the Holy Land and Egypt. While in Venice, he learned that a ship was departing for Tripoli in Syria. Curious and eager to explore these eastern Mediterranean locations, Kiechel seized the opportunity: “I had spent fourteen days in Venice when I heard the news that a ship was soon leaving for Tripoli in Syria. I asked around if the ship was taking passengers because I wished to see not only the Holy Land but also other places in Turkey.”6

Flexibility and thriftiness also influenced Kiechel’s choice of transportation. Similar to modern backpackers, he often opted for locally available public transport. In the sixteenth century, transportation options were limited, with regular connections only between a few significant cities. It would not have been unusual for someone of Kiechel’s social standing to travel by coach or on horseback. But Kiechel utilised various modes of transport, including horses, donkeys, camels, carts, postal carriages, sleighs, rafts, boats, galleys and larger sailing ships. When there was no urgency, he was also willing to walk.

Companions

The desire to meet other people is an integral part of the social life of backpackers on long journeys. It fosters connections and enriches the travel experience. Interactions among travellers are typically informal, friendly, and free from obligations. Backpackers often meet up, travel together for a while, and then go their separate ways. Low-budget accommodations, such as hostels, provide spaces to meet new companions, hear about worthwhile destinations, and receive tips on where to stay, eat, or obtain necessary papers and permits.7

Early modern travellers shared the desire for companionship during a journey. However, unlike his contemporaries, Samuel Kiechel travelled without a permanent companion like a servant, friend, or family member. Instead, he relied on temporary companions. All his social contacts on his journey were people he met on the road, and like modern backpackers, he would travel with them for a time and then part ways.

Social conventions were much tighter in the sixteenth century than they are today. Travelling with companions required Kiechel to be aware of the status of those around him. However, his journal entries suggest that etiquette was less relevant during travel, and most interactions were informal. Kiechel travelled alongside a diverse range of individuals, including noblemen and merchants, messengers and carters, journeymen, mercenaries, peasants, monks and, at one point, an escaped slave.

A significant distinction in the value of companionship for Samuel Kiechel compared to today is safety. Modern travellers can easily manage without others if they choose. For Kiechel, this was not feasible. Companionship provided a measure of security in an era when local feuds, wars and banditry made travelling dangerous.

Moreover, without modern tools, navigation was challenging. Travellers relied on a guide or knowledgeable companions to reach their destination. The importance of companionship was so central to Kiechel’s journey that he frequently mentioned with whom he travelled and any difficulties he encountered in finding new companions.

‘Off the Beaten Track’

Modern backpackers seek experiences that take them “off the beaten track.” This desire is deeply connected to the role travel plays in their lives. Most modern backpackers are young and well-educated, viewing their journey as a final chance to escape the expectations, routines, and obligations of working life, even if just for a short time. Travelling allows them to leave their familiar surroundings and encounter new experiences.8

The wish to travel ‘off the beaten track’ — away from generic tourist destinations in search of authentic experiences — has led backpackers to remote locations. However, what may have begun as an insider’s secret soon attracted more visitors, often disrupting the authentic local life and economy these travellers sought.

In the sixteenth century, Samuel Kiechel travelled ‘off the beaten track’ primarily because few individuals travelled without a specific purpose or destination. Nevertheless, some places he visited were remarkable compared to the average experiences of travellers on educational journeys at that time. Few people ventured to Scandinavia, Poland-Lithuania or Livonia. Italy was a popular destination at the time, but most travellers went only as far south as Naples. Kiechel, however, chose to visit Sicily and Malta.

A Sixteenth-Century Backpacker?

While it would be anachronistic to call Samuel Kiechel an early modern backpacker, his travel style certainly shared similarities with that of contemporary travellers. His choice of destinations and behaviour did not conform to the established patterns of educational journeys at the time. Therefore, Kiechel’s adventure can be regarded as a precursor or prototype of our modern backpacker journeys. However, his journal suggests that at no point did he deliberately choose to diverge from conventional norms. His actions indicate instead that, despite the popularity of educational travel among young noblemen and merchants, there was not yet an established infrastructure to support or guide them. Kiechel’s style of travel emerged not from a desire to stand out but from necessity and personal preference.

Illustrations & References

All images are in order of appearance with links to sources on external websites:

  1. Kelly, Catherine: Backpacker Tourism, in: The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Travel and Tourism, Vol. 4, 2017, pp. 113-116. Binder, Jana: Globality. Eine Ethnographie über Backpacker (Forum Europäische Ethnologie, 7), Münster 2005, pp. 80-119. ↩︎
  2. Binder, Globality, pp. 102-105; Richards, Greg, Wilson, Julie: The Global Nomad. Motivations and Behaviour of Independent Travellers Worldwide, in: Richards, Wilson (Eds.): The Global Nomad. Backpacker Travel in Theory and Practice, Clevedon 2004, pp. 14-39. see: pp. 18-19; Sørensen, Anders: Backpacker Ethnography, in: Annals of Tourism Research 30, 4 (2003), pp. 847-867. ↩︎
  3. Kiechel, Samuel: Die Reisen des Samuel Kiechel aus drei Handschriften, edited by K. D. Haszler, Stuttgart 1866, p. 11; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. ↩︎
  4. Kiechel, Die Reisen des Samuel Kiechel, p. 294; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. ↩︎
  5. Welk, Peter: The Beaten Track. Anti-Tourism as an Element of Backpacker Identity Construction, in: Richards, Greg, Wilson, Julie (Eds.) The Global Nomad. Backpacker Travel in Theory and Practice, Clevedon 2004, p. 77-108, see pp. 80-81 ↩︎
  6. Kiechel, Die Reisen des Samuel Kiechel, p. 240; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. ↩︎
  7. Binder: Globality, pp. 105-110; Cohen, Erik: Backpacking. Diversity and Change, in: Richards, Greg, Wilson, Julie (Eds.): The Global Nomad. Backpacker Travel in Theory and Practice, Clevedon 2004, pp. 43-59, see pp. 47-48; Sørensen: Backpacker Ethnography, p. 854. ↩︎
  8. Binder: Globality, pp. 57-58; Richards, Wilson: Global Nomad, pp. 25-27. ↩︎