Best countries for backpacking: the main routes and how they compare

What counts as backpacking, and how this list was chosen

Wikipedia's entry on backpacking lists the usual features: long international trips on a tight budget, public transport or hitchhiking, cheap stays such as hostels or homestays, and a search for local experiences rather than packaged mass tourism. The typical age is 18 to 30, often during a gap year, though people of any age take part, and some travellers do short work stints or remote work along the way.

That definition shapes the method. We did not invent a league table. We used three filters. First, the country must sit on a route that a published reference describes by name (the Banana Pancake Trail, the Gringo Trail, or the European rail network). Second, the country must have a hostel network, which is the practical backbone of the style. Third, we cross-checked each country against the Global Peace Index, because it is a published, repeatable measure that compares many countries at once.

The filters leave many fine countries out, and we make no claim that any country is the best. Think of the result as a map of where backpackers already go, with one extra data point per country.

Southeast Asia and the Banana Pancake Trail

Wikipedia describes the Banana Pancake Trail as the name given to growing routes around Southeast Asia, and to some extent South Asia, that backpackers and other tourists travel. It has no firm border. The article says the trail has no clear geographical definition and is used as a metaphor for places popular among Western tourists. Wikipedia says the trail is marked by restaurants serving comfort food adapted to Western desires, and that it is named after the banana pancake.

The article's pictures point to Thailand, with Bangkok's Khao San Road described as a notable stop, and to Vietnam, with a banana pancake photographed in Hoi An. Wikipedia's backpacking entry says that since the late 20th century backpackers have visited Southeast Asia in large numbers, and it mentions Thailand's Ko Pha-ngan and its Full Moon Party in a discussion of how backpacker tourism has changed some towns.

On peace-index ranks, the two sit far apart. In Wikipedia's table of the 2026 Global Peace Index, Vietnam is 41st of 163 and Thailand is 101st. That gap is a reason to read current government travel advice for the specific regions you plan to visit rather than treating a country as a single block. If you plan to stay in Bangkok for several weeks, the Bangkok neighbourhoods for long stays guide covers the practical side, and the city page for Bangkok lists apartment-style stays.

Latin America and the Gringo Trail

The Gringo Trail is the Latin American counterpart. Wikipedia describes it as a string of the Latin American places most often visited by "gringos", along with other budget travellers, and says it covers almost all of Latin America except Brazil. The article lists stops country by country, including Mexico (Oaxaca, Tulum, Isla Mujeres), Guatemala (Antigua, Lake Atitlán), Panama (Bocas del Toro), Colombia (Bogotá, Cartagena, Medellín), Ecuador (Quito, the Galápagos), Peru (Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lima), Bolivia (Salar de Uyuni), Chile (Torres del Paine) and Argentina (Buenos Aires, Mendoza).

Of these, Peru shows how an index rank and a popular route can differ. Wikipedia's 2026 table puts Peru 107th of 163, yet Cusco and Machu Picchu are both listed as stops on the trail. The index measures national conditions, such as societal safety, conflict and militarisation, not the experience of a visitor in one city.

Hubs on the route with apartment-style stays include Cusco and Medellín (the site keeps the legacy slug columbia for Colombia).

Europe by rail: Interrail, hostels and short hops

Interrail says its Global Pass is for people who live in one of the 33 countries of its Pass network, and that travel happens on travel days chosen during the trip. The page does not set out the rules for visitors from outside the network, so check the operator's site for your own situation.

Hostelling International describes a network of over 2,000 hostels across more than 50 countries, all held to one global standard. Wikipedia's hostel entry says the same organisation, founded in 1932 as the International Youth Hostel Federation, links over 90 associations. The two figures differ, so quote neither as a precise total.

On the Global Peace Index, several of Europe's backpacking countries rank high. Wikipedia's 2026 table lists Portugal 7th and Spain 27th of 163, and the top ten also includes Iceland, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland, Austria and Finland. For city bases, see Lisbon and Barcelona. Lisbon has a dedicated guide in Lisbon neighbourhoods for longer stays.

Where popular backpacking countries rank on the Global Peace Index

The Global Peace Index is published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The Vision of Humanity site calls it the world's leading measure of global peacefulness. The 2026 edition covers 163 countries, using 23 indicators grouped into three domains: societal safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and militarisation.

The table below takes the countries discussed in this guide and shows their rank in Wikipedia's summary of the 2026 edition. We left out countries whose rank we could not confirm from the page text. A low rank number means a more peaceful country on the index; it says nothing about hostels, transport or how welcoming a place is.

Why routes change: the story of the hippie trail

Backpacking routes are not permanent. The hippie trail was an overland route from Europe to Asia used mainly by hippies and other budget travellers from 1957 to the late 1970s. Wikipedia says travellers crossed West and South Asia, passing through Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh (Sri Lanka was sometimes included), and many continued to Thailand. Most journeys went through Istanbul.

The 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan closed the overland route to Western travellers. The article adds that it became somewhat passable again from the mid-2000s, but that continuing conflict and tensions in Iraq and Afghanistan make it much more difficult and risky than in its heyday, and that commercial trips offered in 2010 bypassed those countries by going through Nepal and China.

The practical lesson is to treat any guide, including this one, as a snapshot. Check current official advice for each border and region before you commit to a route, and keep your plan flexible enough to change.

Hostel dorms, shared kitchens and when an apartment makes sense

Wikipedia says a hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared, sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed. Guests usually rent a bunk in a shared room of about 4 to 20 people, private rooms are also available, and nearly all hostels have a shared kitchen with refrigerators. The typical guest is roughly 16 to 34, though most hostels set no age limit. Our guide to what a youth hostel is covers the older, association-run model.

Dorms suit a night or two. If you are staying a week or more, working remotely or travelling with a partner or friend, a serviced apartment with its own kitchen can be the simpler choice because you get privacy and a place to cook. Browse stays with a kitchen in Lisbon, or longer-stay options in Bangkok. Backpackers who like to walk between stops will also find our best countries for hiking guide useful.

• Dorm bed: cheapest per night, shared room, social, least privacy.
• Private hostel room: your own door, shared bathrooms and kitchen are common.
• Serviced apartment: private kitchen and living space, better for stays of a week or more.