A Map for Saturday

although it may seem easy to make a travelogue like this, not many have done it. i really can't think of another doc that takes you on a trip and is as concise, fun and well made as this one. lonely planet series comes to mind but that's about it.

one complaint i have with others who criticize this, is that; it is what it is. this is not suppose to be a cultural anthropological study or a doc on the culture of the people - it is a doc about traveling around the world meeting people in hostels and it succeeds in being a very entertaining 90 minute film.

for anyone that has done this, you will love it. for anyone that wants to do it, it will inspire you.

since mostly young, impressionable people do this, after a while on the road it does get tedious when other people just ask questions comparing their trip to yours. "what, you didn't visit the hill tribes!" or "that place is too touristy" or "you only spent a week there!" etc...

just go out and enjoy, experience and wander around our beautiful planet and if you really want to have a unique experience, forgo the guide books and create your own trip, it will be frustrating at times but you will come back with a unique and original adventure. the best times will be the times you don't have it all planned out.

Whiny, spoiled boy quits his TV job and dumps his Manhattan apartment to take a year long vacation from his tough life. In this useless travelogue, he focuses on socializing with fellow backpackers and does not talk much about the places or sights. Once in a while, he complains about Indian trains, altitude sickness, and getting mugged. Hey, there's a way to avoid this- it's called research! Also he low-balls the cost of his trip ($20k USD)- bullshit on that, especially when you're buying your many plane tickets last minute in the terminal. So sorry you're lonely on your trek, but maybe if you had concentrated more on where you are and what real locals are doing, and not just f**king Euro girls in hostels, you'd have had a better time.

In my opinion it's difficult to report any sort of aspects of a trip-movie in one hour and thirty minutes. You've to choice what represent, what kinda of details to describes. Doing a movie about travels it's not so easy, even the most famous ones are oriented to describes some aspects. I gave a rating of 8/10 'cause in this documentary u can see normal people, true feelings and true explanations from different points of view of guys who comes from different nationalities. It broadcast the common desire to see the entire world without being wearisome, u could be one of the guys interviewed,it's a psychological movie that tells the reasons of why some people need to backpack. It could be an inspirational movie for someone who hasn't yet the brave to leave the material world to knowing better himself and the world in which we live. Switch off the TV and BACKPACK!!!

Bunch of rich kids from USA, Netherland, and who knows from where, spending money traveling around the world where 99% of backpackers are going, without any idea why and crying how backpacking is hard, but still beautifull.

It's a great movie. It's true that a backpacker trip in hostels gives you these kind of experiences but it's totally different if you avoid hostels and use couchsurfing, or just walk in a street to find a host or stay at local people's houses. I've traveled both way, stay with locals and go to hostels and believe me, it's absolutely not the same trip at all. You learn much less about the country, specially when you begin to move around with other backpacker, you become a group of tourists for the local people and you don't experience the real life and culture of the locals and they are also different to you in that way. The less you meet people who speaks the same language than you, the more you get to know the country and their people as you have to find a way to live with these people.

However, the movie, was great and it is really helpful for the people who like to travel to understand that it's not one year holidays... There is almost no comfort but it worth the freedom :)

I gave 8 just because it would be much better to be more with local people than with other travelers in hostels ;)