The golden era of rock music, free-living and art —the 60s and 70s has
truly been a hit in its unique way. From the “beat generation” —a rather scattered community of people involved in rising against the mainstream to the “hippies” —a more structured counterculture community and finally, to the “yuppies” —a community of people focused on moving to the city life, making money and earning a lavish living, there has undoubtedly been a major change in opinions, lifestyle choices and values throughout the era.
So who were these “hippies” and what exactly is the “hippie trail” of the 60s? How is it relevant to India and its people? What revolution did it bring into the travel industry and what are the prominent influences caused by this “hippie trail” in today’s world?
In our intense research, we found rather exciting stories and back-stories about the hippie trail, with its rise and fall in India. Although this community was known for its use of psychedelics, open sexual relationships, colourful and flowy clothes, simple footwear, vegetarian food and a deep passion for travel, socialization and spirituality, apparently it was so much more than just that! Curious already? Fasten your seatbelts, for we’re taking you on and through the most fun, spontaneous and soul-searching “trip” of the 60s —the hippie trail!
The Beginning
We have all heard how war triggered the establishment of anti-war communities throughout history. The same thing happened during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. It was a cold proxy war, where the US supported South Vietnam by supplying explosives, ground troops and more. By this time, everyone around the world had some access to news, hence a lot of war details started spreading to every household, including telecasting graphic content on televisions. People realized the gruesomeness involved and started standing up against the inhumane conditions caused by the war situation. As universities were home to a lot of young and educated people, the counterculture against this communism vs. capitalism war began there.
Around the same time, there was the development and popularization of psychedelics. People started meeting up and forming communities that were for peace and against war. Initially, it was just a few people coming together in small groups, discussing ideas, making music and art, and using mind-altering substances —which as a matter of fact, weren’t illegal back then! People who were partaking in this were called “hippies”. We know this small movement grew bigger and bigger eventually making an impact not just during the war era but also in today’s world. Bob Dylan, Jimmy Hendrix, The Beatles and The Rolling Stone are just a few examples of artists, musicians and bands inspired by the “hippie culture”. These western communities spread to the eastern parts of the world through the hippie trail —preaching a phrase that was coined and popularized by the hippies “Make Love, Not War!”
The Journey
A journey across countries entirely through road, the hippie trail got its name from the hippies who discovered this route. It wasn’t fancy or luxurious travel, in fact, the hippies were known to pack minimal luggage and start their journey on a budget, absorbing different cultures, socializing and having local food. Hippies from all walks of life were a part of this trail —from students to working-class people and in some cases, even families. What connected these people was the shared passion for psychedelics, soul searching, world peace and more. Travellers opted for the cheapest modes of transportation like hitchhiking, trains, and buses while some had their own commute —a hippie truck/ bus with basic facilities like a kitchen, washroom, and bed, all on wheels. There are pictures of this type of transport all over the internet, as the vehicles were decorated with hippie slogans, flowery patterns and popping colours like blues and yellows and reds!
The hippie trail started from western Europe to India and its neighbouring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangkok. There were two main routes —the northern one, which was quite popular and an alternative route. Americans flew with Icelandic Airlines to reach Luxembourg. From there, they travelled to various starting points like London, Copenhagen, West Berlin, Paris and Milan to finally exit Europe and enter middle eastern lands of Istanbul, Turkey. Peshawar in Pakistan and Kabul in Afghanistan became popular halts because of the easy availability of opium and hashish, before entering the culturally rich India. The food, religious views, and scenic beauty in India surprised the hippies and some stayed for longer than decided. Their curiosity lead them to discover spirituality within themselves and in the world around them, making India a popular spiritual destination even today. Kovalam beach in Kerala became popular and places like Delhi, Varanasi, Goa, Bombay (now Mumbai), and Madras in India were the top travel destinations amongst a few others for the hippies. In 1968, Time Magazine made a comparison between the sadhus of India to the western hippies on the common ground of leaving behind materialism for spiritual pursuit.
The Destination
The Hippie Trail wasn’t about taking the quickest and cheapest route to a single destination, in fact, it was the journey itself that was the destination for the hippies. They embarked on this travel with the intention of unlearning and learning about themselves and the world, unaware of the impact caused as they began sharing their stories through pictures, articles and even short documentaries. While some hippies believed to let go of the need to carry a camera as it restricts you to fully live in the moment, some believed documenting the mundane activities and interactions will help them and the world relive the hippie trail once again —and so it did!
But that is not all that’s given to the world by the hippies. In San Francisco 1967, “Summer of Love”, one of the biggest hippie meet-ups happened where 1 lakh people participated. This was immediately followed by “Woodstock” in New York, 1969 —a 3 day event where approximately 5 lakh people participated. Prominent spokespersons in the hippie movement during this time were Albert Hofmann, Ken Kesey, Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna, and Richard Alpert among others. In 1973, Tony and Maureen Wheeler, before taking the initiative of founding the “Lonely Planet” travel magazine, published a book of 94 pages called “Across Asia on the Cheap” in which they talked about their own hippie trail experience. “BIT Guide” a book that covered updated information like checkpoints, eateries, bus routes and hostels from active travellers on the hippie trail got popular. Its last edition was published in the year 1980. Travel organizers like “Topdeck” and “Sundowners” started a new route passing through Baluchistan. However, due to an unsafe travel environment, a trip from this route happened for the last time in the year 1998 before “Ozbus” restarted the route from London to Sydney in 2007.
The Hippie Trail Today
The political situation in the 1970s caused a major decline in the hippie trail. The Iranian revolution in 1979, followed by the Soviet Afghanistan invasion close western routes. Visa restrictions were imposed in middle eastern countries making travel more difficult. All good things come to an end, however, the impact caused by the hippie trail brought a revolution in the travel industry. Backpacking, van life, and nomadic travels all seem modernized versions of the hippie trail, considering various similarities like being on the go, not carrying a lot of luggage, making spontaneous plans and mingling with locals and other travellers. Music festivals today represent hippie communes where people show up for music, art, dance and more.