Want to know the best time to go Backpacking in Thailand? Imagine soaking you and your friends  with water and flour in a haze of lunacy?! It isn’t something you see out there every day, but part of what you see in Songkran.  The epic Thai waterfight festival that happens every April. This is just one of the many lighthearted events you will find there. It is a place where you can relax, smile, and just enjoy the moment. This type of water fight is an annual tradition, and the winner is he or she who ultimately ends up being the wettest. Any of this make sense yet?

Did we mention this often contains a lot of drinking too? (Don’t shoot the messenger – it’s like any festival – grab a beer and celebrate!) Of course you can’t pass out from drinking too many beers and be the winner so you have to keep that in check too! This event is part of the time when the Thais are celebrating the New Year. The entire foundation of Songkran is to cleanse the mind and body and to go through a rebirth process. The dates used to change on the calendar until the 1800s. That is when the dates of April 13th to April 15th became the fixed times for the very fun celebration.

The 14th is the day when attending temple to cleanse the body and the mind takes place. The water is used as a manner of showing respect to the elderly. It also is used as a symbolistic element of the cleansing process. Celebrations in the ancient times included the youth bathing the priests and the elders in the water. Taking part in this cleansing ritual is often done as part of the traditions relating to Songkran. Only then due they feel justified to take part in the water fight including flour, which is a more modern tradition.

There is plenty of preparing that goes into this particular event. People around the country start stocking up on supplies. This includes super soakers and water balloons. There’s often very strategic (and very friendly) refill stations where they can have access to additional supplies during the event. The three days is full of people, laughter, and partying. This includes the locals and tourists who want to have some fun times and drink beer as they do so.

The biggest and rowdiest areas holding the event are in both Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Travelers that are  backpacking Thailand often come to find this out one way or another. Both celebrations aren’t the same size but they can still be very fun and enjoyable. Beyond Chang Mai and Bangkok, just about every single Thai town in this country is doing something during this three day time span. Don’t overlook the fact that it is very hot in Thailand this time of year and that water can play a major role in a fresh way to cool down. Thais and travelers alike love being able to cool down and enjoy the water during these hot times.
As I write this, I am getting ready to attend this event myself with a Lost Beaches Travel crew. As our travel group is backpacking through Thailand we’ve had an amazing opportunity to check out the sites and sound of Songkran.  I have been to Songkran in the past with friends and spent time around Khao San Road. I have also spent time around Bangkok where they host a three day festival. The streets are closed to vehicles; there are vendors everywhere, and more than 100,000 people taking part in the festivities.

Be ready to loosen up with the fun and games! You will find people of all ages out there spraying water and tossing flour at each other. Show up ready to enjoy the water fight all day and into the late night. The streets will be closed and there will be vendors, music, and dancing. It is an amazing experience that you will never forget! There’s tons of more information on Thailand Backpacking here. Check out some information on Songkran here.

We all know one of those people who appear to have the endless courage required to let their 9-5 life go, and take off to explore the world, but what’s keeping you from doing the same? They set the rules, they do what they want, when they want. Sounds reckless right? Letting go is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It teaches you to fall in love with the beauty of life, fall in love with the new people in your life, and fall in love with the world. To embrace the fear, and see the method behind the madness, read on!

What is holding you back from traveling? For most of us, it’s due to responsibilities, such as work or school. There is plenty of time in your life to work; now is the time for traveling. You don’t have to feel guilty for not rushing to start your career either. There is a distinct possibility that doing this comes with plenty of stress and a serious case of FOMO (aka Fear Of Missing Out).

It isn’t selfish to travel now, it is an opportunity. It is also a decision you will never regret! However, many people tend to regret their decision to start a career and not travel first. They say they will travel someday – but, more often than not, it just never happens. Not everyone is going to understand your decision, and guess what?  They don’t have to! It’s YOUR decision. This is your life, your experiences, and ultimately, you get to have the say. So stop worrying, and start planning! Backpacking Thailand with Lost Beaches Travel Co. is an amazing place to start your epic journey in one of the most amazing places on earth.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Too often, we get caught up in a routine because it is comfortable. We may not enjoy our social life or our work schedule but it is familiar to us, so we continue with it. When you invest time in traveling, you also invest time in yourself. You will be going beyond your comfort zone, and that is when your creativity will flow.

We tend to live a life that is structured and influenced by those around us. How we grew up, where we went to school, our friends, etc. They all influence who we are and what we determine to be our comfort zone. Yet when you are out there exploring and traveling, you are going to meet people who think very differently than you do. Talking to them, observing them, and even asking questions can help you to see a new prospective where you once had tunnel vision.

This is a time when you get to really figure out who you are and what is important to you. In the end that is what really matters, not what others think of you. Perhaps you already feel like you have lost yourself; you have the chance to get that back through your travels.

You are going to learn some eye opening things as you travel too. People you meet aren’t always going to be kind and accepting. Some of them will be rude and dismissive. Others will be warm and inviting. You will experience cultural diversity, language barriers, learn about different ethnic backgrounds, and identify those with various religious beliefs.

You aren’t going to be spending your time surrounded just by people who think like, and believe in the same things as you. This real world exposure is something you can’t learn by reading books or researching on the internet. It is going to make you more compassionate, tolerant, a better listener, and help you to realize the world is made up of unique individuals who all have something to offer.

You certainly won’t agree with the outlook of everyone you meet while backpacking, but you will learn to be accepting and respectful of those differences. You are also going to be able to improve your own character by taking with you the best of the best you experience along the way. This can help you to become the best version of yourself possible. Keep in mind you are also an outsider while you are traveling, and are going to be observed by others. Think about all you can share with them!

Career Pressure and Worry is Eliminated

How can you figure out what you truly want to do as a career when you aren’t sure yet who you are? The day to day pressures of deciding on a career and embarking on that patch can be overwhelming. You can say goodbye to all of those pressures and worries when you go traveling rather than right into a career.

You can focus your attention on what you see and the people you meet. You can spend your day learning and exploring. At night, you can reflect on what you have seen and what you have done. You will go to sleep content and eager to see what the following day brings. You don’t have to be going to a career job day after day to feel successful.

Many backpackers pick up jobs here and there along the way as they explore. This is a way to make some money and to keep yourself self-sufficient as you move from one location to the next. Learning new skills and taking on new job roles is something you will appreciate. This can also help you to decide a career segment to follow or at least let you know what you definitely don’t want to follow as a selected career path. Consider each of these random jobs as an opportunity. When you have a positive outlook, you will get more from it than just some money.

Appreciate People

One of the hardest parts of backpacking is being away from those you love. You are going to miss your friends and your family. However, you will also appreciate them more when you do see them again! As you go through your travels, you will gain a new found appreciation for people. You are going to carry that with you for life, making time for those who matter to you.

This is a prime time to get to know some new people too. It doesn’t matter if they are other travelers, they are locals for where you are visiting, or they are a driver on a bus you ride on. Smile, strike up conversations, be helpful when you can, and it will be returned to you. Most of the time, people are quite open and friendly and they enjoy meeting someone new. They may be very interested in your backpacking adventures. Sure, you will encounter some negative people now and then but just brush them off and keep your head up. Don’t let them influence how you will approach the next person.

Deeper Understanding of who you are

All of us have layers to us, and it takes time to get to the deeper ones. You may not have any idea about who you really are who you really want to be. You may have plenty of questions when you start out traveling, and most of them will still be there when you get back. Yet you will stop asking surface questions and start asking yourself some honest deep down elements that help you understand what direction you want to take with your life.

You will realize some of the petty things you have been worried about when you were home aren’t important at all. You may start to appreciate little things you once took for granted. This is a time to ask yourself serious questions such as what makes you the happiest and what can you do to create opportunities for you to obtain and maintain such happiness. The more you can do to make your world one that you enjoy, the more satisfying your life is going to be.

Life isn’t perfect for anyone, so you have to make the best of it. How you choose to respond to a given situation influences the outcome more than anything. You can’t control the situation but you can control how you respond to it. Traveling is going to provide you with tools you can use to make healthy life choices.

Let it go

If you aren’t careful, everything around you can consume you. Life can be full of worry, unhappiness, and feeling like you aren’t good enough due to the opinions of others. Now, many don’t like the word fuck, but it should be part of your vocabulary and part of how you let things go. Learning to say fuck it will reduce stress and avoid worrying about the small things that really don’t do anything but zap your positive energy.

You aren’t irresponsible of you decide to travel first before your career. In fact, you are going to have to be very responsible for yourself out there. Yet you can focus on learning about you, about letting go of the negative, and about having fun. All of this is going to provide you with a solid foundation for a happy future. You won’t have any regrets about traveling our about learning to let go.

The Reality of Freedom
Being a legal adult due to your age or having a job doesn’t mean you really have freedom. Sadly, too many people have invisible chains around them. They may be in a relationship that isn’t working out for them or a career they hate. You can’t really do well in a relationship or on the job until you are comfortable with who you are and how you are.

When you have complete freedom to explore yourself, to benefit from what you are exposed to as you travel, you can experience complete freedom. Don’t mistake being able to pick the school you go to or the career you follow as freedom. That is still society telling you the process should be to go to school and then to get your career in motion.

Complete freedom comes from being able to say fuck that routine process; this is what I want to do. It comes from the freedom to do what you feel is best for you and not what society is telling you to do based on the mold they have for the average person. Following such a mold results in rigid structure and confinement. It is sad how many people follow it though because that is what is expected of them.

Traveling removes all preconceptions and all of the barriers standing in the way. Don’t let others make you feel guilty about your decision. You are an individual and everyone has the free will to do what they would like to. Take the road you want and where it leads you, not the road others tell you that you should be on. The decision to travel is yours – and the time to do it is NOW! It’s a beautiful world out there, live it.

Interested in Backpacking through Thailand ? Check out our trip homepage. Also check out the rest of our blog section for more info on Thailand backpacking holidays .