背包裡的世界─背包客的多元生命圖像

Abstract

觀光、度假以及旅行作為一種社會現象，其實比大部分的人們所想像的還要重要。相較於西方世界，自助旅行在台灣直至1980年代戒嚴解除後才逐漸萌芽茁壯，形成背包客風潮則是在2004年背包客棧創立之後。 本報導訪談自助旅行的實踐者，包括純玩家、旅遊部落客、旅遊作家與旅遊記者，以他們的經歷描繪出背包客的群體圖像。同時，本報導透過背包旅行此種獨特的旅行形式，試圖回答專屬於背包客的旅行意義，讓讀者看到背包裡的世界是如何獨特。 被稱呼為背包客的旅行者往往是在有限的預算下進行旅行，所以他們對於旅行的規劃、景點的獨到之處也常有自成一派的見解。本報導發現，背包客在旅行過程中會自我改變，學習當地的生活型態與價值觀；且會因為自身強烈的期望，去遊歷較特別的景點或經歷特殊體驗。 由於近代旅客有更多元的動機進行背包旅行，某程度上也形成背包客的觀光泡沫化現象，本報導以泰國的背包客天堂「考山路」為引，討論原應追求本真的背包客，卻聚集到失真的背包客觀光區的矛盾現象。 背包客在返國後，會傾向與眾人分享他在各國旅行的豐富體驗與特殊異國風情，但本報導發現，背包客如何述說他的旅行履歷，包括旅遊地的選擇與旅行經驗的解釋，背後其實隱含了自我品味的標示。 從眾多背包客的故事中可以發現，某些人會在特定的人生階段選擇當個背包客，過了此階段後，他們不再使用背包旅行的形式，但仍會貫徹背包客的精神，當個一生的旅行者。

The Tourism, leisure activities and travel as social phenomenon are actually more important beyond people’s daily understanding. Comparing with western countries, the trend of Independent Travel has sprouted and grown after the end of the martial law in 1987 in Taiwan. Moreover, the term, “backpacker” becomes trendy in Taiwan after 2004. This in-depth report thesis is aimed to depict the diverse independent travelers’ practice as a backpackers’ group image, including non-famous backpackers, travel bloggers, travel writers and journalists. In the meantime, this report tries to dig out the meaning of backpackers’ practice, drawing the unique world of backpackers for the readers. The so-called backpackers always travel with the limited budgets, so they have their own perspectives about how to organize, proceed with the tour and how to interpret their own sightseeing places to practice their tourist gaze as John Urry demonstrates. This report illustrates that those backpackers could not only change their values from their background, but also learn or intimate the local lifestlyes and social values. Nevertheless, they would choose the special tourist places or set up the unusual travel targets and purposes to fulfill their own life experiences. In the report, because the recent backpackers have more diverse purposes to practice backpacking tour, somehow it causes the touristic foaming of backpacking. Take the case of “Khao San Road” in Thailand as example, the backpackers, who are proud of exploring the authentic local culture; on the contrary, gather in Khao San Road, an artificial, unauthentic area that is constructed for tourists. In the end, this in-depth report revealed that when backpackers return, they tend to share their various experiences and exotic impressions with others. However, that how the backpackers describe their travel resumes, including the choices of travel places and the explanation of travel experiences, is actually trying to distinguish and label their own tastes and uniqueness. This report also found that some people would choose to be backpackers with their special life steps. After the turning points of life stage, some of them might not use the way of backpacking to practice their travel plan, but they would still keep the backpacking spirit, in terms of the life-long travelers with independent and unique perspectives and attitudes.