Backpacker simulator

Type your name, age, and travel story into the character box. Name a real city, and the game puts you on that 3D map. You can edit the people around you, such as hostel roommates, receptionists, and family back home.

Set life goals like visiting historic landmarks or making friends from other continents. Use your daily to-do list to track tasks, like washing clothes in a sink or finding street food. Put onward travel dates on your calendar so you do not miss a connection.

Maya, 21, arrives in Berlin, Germany, with a large rucksack and very little cash. She edits her cast to add three roommates from different continents. They have only mismatched ingredients from the hostel free food bin, so they team up to cook.

The next day, Maya uses place search to find a public park for a group outing. They walk there together and talk in their own words. Her roommates remember the dinner pact and invite her to a karaoke happening that night.

Bangkok, Thailand, has the Khao San Road neighborhood, the traditional starting hub for the Banana Pancake Trail. In northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has a walkable Old City with temples, night markets, and cooking schools. Both cities have dense concentrations of hostels and street food.

In Europe, Berlin is a central rail crossroads with large parks and a youth hostel culture. Budapest, Hungary, sits on the Danube river and has thermal baths and social ruin bars inside old buildings. In Sweden, Stockholm is a starting point for travelers who use Allemansrätten, the legal right to camp on uncultivated land.

Leo, 24, starts his week in Bangkok with a small budget and a single bag. On Monday, he meets a receptionist who works a few hours a day for a free bed. They start a group text with other dormitory guests to plan an evening street food outing.

By Wednesday, Leo feels travel burnout from moving too fast. He skips a house party happening on the map and texts his family back home across time zones. On Friday, he searches for a train station on the map and walks there with a friend. Each day ends with a recap of his moments, and his cash changes with his activities.