Just because you know what it means to go backpacking around the world doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone else does. No matter how old you are at some point you will have to tell your parents and for many people that is going to be difficult. Even when you’re in your 30’s, nothing slaps you back down to 17 faster than having to explain to your girlfriend’s dad that you’re going to go wander around the world with his daughter.
They’re parents. They will be concerned. It’s what they do. They just don’t stop when you reach a certain age.
People will have the perception that “backpacking” means hoofing it around the world and sleeping in a tent in a riot riddled third world country. America’s media is great at only portraying the bad things that happen in other countries. They’re great at only portraying the bad things that happen in our country. You’ll have to work through that.
Once we were able to communicate to family that we won’t be hiking everywhere and that we’ll be staying in actual buildings, things were okay. Americans have a tendency to think that other countries outside of Europe and Australia are depressed and downtrodden. Look up some of the places you are planning to stay on your trip and share them with folks who don’t get it. Eventually it’ll make sense and they’ll come around. If not, who cares, you’re leaving anyway.
