Järgmine tekst on siia võetud Lonely Planeti Thorn Treest, kuna selles on omas võtmes päris hästi õnnestunud kokku võtta mitmeid backpackerlusega seonduvaid stamp-arusaamu.

(Sõnaseletusi: SEA = South-East Asia; Khao San Road - seljakotireisijate geto Bangkokis; Full Moon Party - põgenemine reaalsusest ühel kõigile teadaoleval Tai saarel, sobiv väljund eelkõige kuni 25-aastastele).

1. I shall eschew the ways of the tourist and have an authentic Asian experience rather than the shallow, contrived vacation of the package tourist.
2. I shall wear as big a backpack as possible to bear proud witness of my creed.
3. I will spend my travels on the quest for the Backpacker's holy grail - for the "Unspoiled Place" - a place undiscovered by tourists, where happy, welcoming, generous natives tend vast fields of ganja along a deserted, previously unknown tropical beach, and that has Internet access.
4. I shall begin my quest on Khao San Road.
5. I shall not leave Khao San Road without a Lonely Planet guide.
6. I shall never admit to using a Lonely Planet guide.
7. I shall follow "Wheeler's Way", a mystical school of thought which both eschews and embraces Khao San Road - a way of finding the Unspoiled Place without ever leaving the path. (Editors note: "Wheeler's Way" is a school of thought posited as a possible answer to the decades old conundrum known as the "Sang Thip Paradox": If it is in Lonely Planet then I can find it, but it won't be the Unspoiled Place. If it is not in Lonely Planet, it might be the Unspoiled Place, but I won't be able to find it.)
8. I shall wear the traditional international backpacker's uniform and don at least one piece of local clothing (e.g. a conical hat in Vietnam, a krama in Cambodia, etc.) to show my oneness with the Asian people.
9. I shall not clean the local soils and aromas from my uniform for I wish to always carry a piece of where I have been.
10. I shall never wear a souvenir tee shirt while in the teeshirt's country of origin.
11. I shall eat banana pancakes on a regular basis, for it is the quintessential Asian food.
12. I shall eat in the cheapest restaurants. Hygiene is for package tourists.
13. I shall travel by the least comfortable means. Cushioned seats are also for package tourists.
14. I shall stay in the cheapest guesthouse. More money for beer.
15. I shall drink the local beer, for I shall always endeavor to be in tune with the local culture. And because it is the cheapest.
16. I shall not allocate more that 75% of my daily budget to alcohol. Moderation in all things.
17. I shall make a pilgrimage to a Full Moon Party on Had Rin at least once in my life. For it is Mecca.
18. I shall revel in food and mosquito-borne diseases for these are the badges of the true Asian traveler.
19. I shall not leave Thailand without having my hair colored, dreaded, corn-rolled or shaved off.
20. I shall model my travels on "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.
21. I shall read "The Beach" before entering Thailand so that I understand the goal of quest.
22. I shall read "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh" before entering Cambodia so that I understand the dangers of the quest.
23. I shall read "The Quite American" while travelling through Vietnam because everybody else is.
24. I shall bargain without mercy and hone my skills to a sharp edge, so that I can proudly proclaim our sacred motto: "I get it for less than the locals"

Backpacker's Mantra

In times of trial, tribulation and doubt - as I lose all feeling in my legs in the 14th hour of an 8-hour local bus ride...when I can't sleep for the noise of a thousand rats scurrying through the ceiling and floor of my $2/night room...as vomit and diarrhea spew simultaneously from my salmonella saturated body - I will repeat this mantra unto myself...

I am not a tourist
I am not a tourist
I am not a tourist
I am not a tourist
I am not a tourist
I am not a tourist...