Traveling with a backpack, usually on a budget, visiting multiple places and staying in inexpensive accommodations.
From 'backpack' (a bag carried on the back) + the gerund '-ing' suffix. The term became common in the 1960s-70s as young people adopted this style of budget travel.
Backpacking culture exploded in the 1970s when young people realized they could afford world travel by carrying their homes on their backs—creating the 'Banana Pancake Trail' across Southeast Asia that still defines youth travel today.
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