A Map For Saturdays – Backpacking World Travel

Do you ever feel trapped in the cycle of the tedious 9-5 day in and day out? Looking for a change in you life or perhaps a little adventure? Maybe want to hit the road for a bit of worldly exploration and self discovery?

The documentary, A Map For Saturday, is based on the backpacker travel culture, as a young former HBO exec decides to quit his job and travel for a year around the world. It documents the nomadic lifestyle of backpacking globetrotters and the flood of diverse emotions they encounter as their trips move like a book from one chapter to the next. It shows how people of all ages and many different backgrounds heed the call to take to the road and embark on their own distinct journeys around the globe. What is discovered is that each different experience is so special not just because of the places, but because of the people in those places at that particular moment in time.

It’s definitely a reminder to those who have experienced the wonder that is in traveling, yet maybe also inspires those who have not yet felt the freedom of long term travel and long to see the world. In my own personal experiences, there is nothing so exciting as traveling the world with a backpack and a free spirit looking forward to every new day. I think the drawbacks of coming home can be lessened by continuing with the spirit of discovery wherever you are at. It can even be back home in your own familiar settings – maybe in discovering new people, cultures, or places within your city that you don’t know yet.

I think that traveling is great for the soul. To see the similarities and distinctions between various cultures and to understand that the world is not so different and people are just people no matter where you go. All journeys will be different because I truly believe that it’s a dynamic mixture of time, place, and more importantly, the people that make travel so exciting every time.