I Was a Tourist with a Rucksack

Abstract

This autobiographical account recounts the experiences of a Hungarian volunteer involved in clandestine humanitarian missions to Transylvania during the communist era in the 1980s. Through repeated journeys carrying medicine, food, books, and aid supplies to seminarians and church communities in Romania, the narrative reveals the challenges of border controls, surveillance, fear, and political oppression. At the same time, it highlights the power of Christian solidarity, friendship, and selfless service. The memoir presents these “backpacker journeys” not only as acts of material assistance but also as expressions of faith, compassion, and enduring human connection under difficult historical circumstances.