Editorial Guidelines

Real AF content, all the time.

A note before we begin:

These standards apply to all content published or substantially revised from early 2026 forward. We have a large archive built up over more than a decade, and we’re working through it systematically and updating what we can to these standards, retiring what we can’t. If you find something that feels off, tell us at hello@thebrokebackpacker.com or in the comments.

The Broke Backpacker has been around since 2013, built on the idea that travel guides should be raw, honest, and useful in a way that sanitized travel content rarely is. That’s what we’re here for.

Here’s how we work.

Our content pillars

• No AI content. Everything on this site is written by humans. AI may be used for editing assistance, but we don’t publish AI-generated content and we never will.
• We’ve actually been there. Writers cover destinations from first-hand experience. Where a recommendation is based on research rather than a direct visit, we say so. We don’t present researched picks as personal endorsements.
• We research, and we update. First-hand experience is the foundation, but it needs maintenance. We desk-refresh, revisit in person where possible, and retire posts that can’t be properly brought up to standard.
• We take training seriously. All writers and editors go through onboarding with TBB veterans before publishing on the site. 
• Photography. We use original photography from our team wherever possible. Where we use stock or licensed images, we say so.
• Safety and government advisories. We give you the facts and let you make your own call. A government advisory tells you about risk, but it doesn’t tell you whether the trip is worth it. We’ll tell you both.

How we handle recommendations

Our accommodation, gear, and experience recommendations are a mix of personal picks and researched options, and we’re transparent about which is which. When a writer has personally stayed somewhere or used a piece of gear on a real trip, we say so. When a recommendation is based on research (review scores, community feedback, local knowledge), that’s how we describe it.

For gear, we test products on real trips wherever possible. When we haven’t used something ourselves, we draw on genuine user reviews, community feedback, and, where relevant, people with specific expertise in the category.

Corrections and feedback

We make mistakes. If you find something that’s wrong or out of date, tell us in the comments or at hello@thebrokebackpacker.com. A member of the team will verify and correct promptly.

How we make money

This site uses affiliate links and occasionally publishes sponsored content or accepts hosted press trips. Neither guarantees a positive review, and we won’t publish something we don’t believe in because a trip was hosted or a post was paid for. We recommend partners to readers we’d recommend to a friend. See our full affiliate disclosure for more details.