Backpacking definitions

According to Dmoz.org:

Backpacking is low-budget, independent, see-the-world, off-the-beaten-track travelling. Averse to lugging luggage and to the bland, packaged nature of the commercial tour, backpackers prize the mobility that their packs give them, and would never trade their pack for a suitcase, no matter how many wheels it had.

Although many tools and techniques are similar to the wilderness hiker, backpacking is more about exploring the world than appreciating natural beauty.

  - Open Directory

According to Wikipedia.org:

Backpacking is a subculture of generally youthful travellers exploring the planet on a limited budget. They refer to themselves as backpackers because they can be roughly defined as travellers that travel with a rucksack (a large backpack) instead of a suitcase. They often go hiking and camping, backpacking in the other sense, but they more often explore more urban settings. United in having slim wallets as well as a passion for the exotic, they seek out low-cost options such as standby flights (or if the backpacking trip is circumglobal, a relatively cheap round-the-world air ticket which permits numerous stops), youth hostels, free hospitality services and buying food at supermarkets abroad instead of going to restaurants. They often collect in beautiful places with low costs of living such as Goa (India), Essaouira (Morocco), or Thailand.

They are generally very social, and a highlight for many backpackers is meeting others on the road. They are quick to share advice on great sites, cheap accommodations, and e-mail addresses. Many strive to meet locals wherever they visit but find that the loose network of backpackers makes them feel at home instantly in a foreign country.

Many backpackers gain temporary work (usually low-paid, unskilled, casual, and sometimes in violation of local labor laws) in the countries they visit. For instance, London's pubs are well known for the number of Australian bartenders working in them; "Irish pubs" the world over hire Irish backpackers, although few Irish backpackers would drink in them.

Backpacker culture is perhaps typified by the Lonely Planet series of guidebooks.

  - Wikipedia