Go backpacking

Please help me make the paragraph below sound natural. Thanks a lot.

If you like to look for adventure and want to travel around the world without spending too much money, backpacking is a good choice. It is very popular with young people. You can choose to stay in a youth hotel because the price you pay depends on the number of people you share a room with. Besides the lower room rates, you can also do the laundry and cook there, not to mention meeting new friends from around the world. Although some people think it’s risky to go backpacking, with proper planning you won’t have to worry.

In the first sentence, will it be better by writing as:

If you're looking for adventure and want to visit many places cheaply, ...

(1) ... not to mention meeting new friends from all over the world.
(2) ... not to mention meeting new friends from around the world.

Which is better of the sentences above, #1 or #2?