B. Read the text and expand on its contents. People and Diplomacy

THE GREAT REWARD of backpacking independently on a low budget is the people you meet. Because all roads have not been smoothed before you, because your feathers are likely to be ruffled when things don't turn out exactly as expected, and because you are likely to be left in somewhat of a lurch now and then, you will have far greater opportunity to mix with local people, as well as backpackers from all over the world, than any tour group or first-class traveler.

Those spending big bucks for guided travel get peace-of-mind in return. They are guaranteed no worries, no hassles, an experience as close as possible to being home, without being home. They get an hour and fifteen minutes for the guaranteed-open museum, then a two-hour sightseeing ride that catches all the picture-postcard highlights. They break for lunch at a "recommended" restaurant, where the food is reasonable and ordering is easy. And as the next bus pulls in they re-board theirs to repeat the routine, ending with an easy check-in at a reasonable hotel, populated with plenty of other tourists, pretty much like themselves.

While all travel is good for the human spirit, budget backpacking is unparalleled for meeting people and experiencing worlds on their own intimate terms. There are many travelers who have the resources for pampered-class but choose to strap on a backpack and see the world via the seat-of-their-pants, because they know it's the best way to experience cultures and interact with local people.

The best travel is not about a list of monuments, museums, and landscapes. The best travel is about people, and if you travel well it is people that you are going to remember most. People that are strange, unique, foreign, similar, friendly, nice, hospitable, loving, kind, rude, outrageous, and normal. These will be the experiences that stay with you forever, that no postcard can ever reproduce.

Traveling Alone

Most would-be travelers are nervous about going alone. They believe overseas travel is too daunting to be tackled by themselves. For many of us, however, if we don't travel alone, we aren't going to travel. It's difficult to find a travel partner who is not only compatible, but also has the same time, money, and goals. Fortunately, most travelers will find themselves constantly meeting other solo travelers, many of whom will also be looking for companionship, to have a few beers, or to exchange information. By no means is traveling alone the same as traveling lonely.

Of course, the solo traveler will likely be alone some or much of the time. This can be a good thing, however, as a companion might insulate you too much from local culture or other travelers, and the essence of good travel (I believe) is experiencing strange new people and cultures.

Furthermore, there is no better or faster way to learn about yourself than by traveling by yourself. Goethe said he traveled not for pleasure, but to achieve his full development as a man by the time he was forty. And one venerable Swedish doctor (who for good luck picked up every hitchhiker in sight while his son was hitchhiking in Asia, and who eventually--after five or ten stops--delivered me to his summer cabin to meet his beautiful wife) waxed almost mystical in saying he didn't feel he was really traveling unless he was doing so alone.