The new breed of backpacker: The flashpacker
Written by Jacinta LodgeIf you’ve been wandering the world for a while now you’ll have started to notice the changing trend of backpackers. These days the unshowered, subsistence-level travellers are hard to find and hostels have become home to backpackers in quality clothing and bristling with electronics. These are the new generation of backpackers: the Flashpackers.
geek charme by Giorgio Montersino
With the changes in technology and their dramatic reduction in price, it isn’t surprising. Most people don’t go down to the shops without their phone and mp3 player – so why should larger trips be any different? Laptops are affordable and getting smaller and lighter while the original-style hostels, with sagging beds and peeling wallpaper have evolved into slick, serviced accomodation complete with wifi.
There seems to be a bit of confusion over what really defines a flashpacker. Are they just the traditional backpackers a bit more geared up? Or are they backpackers with a bigger budget, staying in hostels but able to afford restaurant dinners? Personally I consider them a bit of both and it definately describes me these days.
I travel with phone, laptop, iPod, a small point-and-shoot camera and a larger digital SLR. And, of course, all the charging devices. I twitter, blog, flickr and youtube my travels and enjoy doing it. I love having the gadgets with me -although I sometimes don’t love the weight of my backpack- and I love the way I experience my journeys with them. Far from removing me from the experience, I get more into it. More focused on the view in front of me and how I can capture it, more involved in the events and people so that I can describe them well enough in blog posts later.
So what about you? Are you a flashpacker, and if so what’s in your flashpack?
alone by Giorgio Montersino
Seems hard to travel without any gadgets anymore.
What I’m looking forward to in 2009 are laptops that are built of lighter materials. Apple, Sony and DELL are already in that direction.
I find a 14inch widescreen laptop provides the best balance between screen real estate and weight.
Btw, Laptop and cellphone bricks add to the weight. Now, if only they could do away with the adapters.
Thanks from Andrew, Head Developer of The Free Encyclopedia of Travel Rooms
I guess you could call us a flashpacking family. Today, it is quite easy for many to be on permanent vacations as digital nomadic flashpackers. We are into our 3rd year of an open ended world tour as a family and find it easier, cheaper and more rewarding than we imagined.
I have read this trend will continue and will be on the uptrend during this recession.It has never been easier and we find it MUCH cheaper to travel the world than it was staying home.
We are a 3 laptop family and our daughter can do much of her homeschooling on her laptop including her piano lessons with her teacher on another continent via webcam free Skype!
We are wintering in a 15th century village in sunny southern Spain now, but use our laptops where ever we go including taking one to the Sahara in Morocco which surprisingly had great wifi everywhere we went.
So far we have not gotten any ipods and rarely use or global cell phone ( prefer Skype even for local calls). We do have a camera each ( one is vidcam that takes photos). With all the photos and videos we take and share we do have a portable hard drive (& portable printer that we do not use much).
Today we no longer need to be in just one place for school ( even most of the top Univ are all online like MIT) or work. Combining flashpacking and slow travel with today’s technology is setting us all free. Definitely a trend for the future..living your travel dreams every day!
@Andrew
The lightweight laptops are a thing of my dreams. A few years ago I bought a tiny little laptop which was the best I could find for weight (~1kg), but I had to compromise on the screen. That weight and a larger screen would be my idea of heaven.
@Soultravelers3
Wow what a life! Definately a travel dream many of us have. I look forward to reading more about your experiences.
It seems this sort of evolution of backpackers is inevitable, with electronics becoming so commonplace these days. Although it might not seem in the spirit of backpacking, if it makes traveling more enjoyable that maybe it’s a good thing.
Flashpacking is a newly born trend appeared along with the budget flights. They seem wealthier than backpackers but they use more budget option than regular holiday travellers.
In the positive perspective, it is a new, expanding market for hostels (or at least it was before the financial crisis, will see in the near future), on the other hand it could be quicksand if this is just a passing fashion.
Hi,
I would definately consider myself a Flashpacker – but not the gadget loaded type, more the larger disposible income type. I have (in years gone by) travelled on a shoestring, and really enjoyed it, but now I don’t have to… so don’t! Also I am constrained by the fact that I can not take months off these days to travel – so have to condense it all into short (3 weeks or so) trips.
I like hostels / hotels to have creature comforts too where possible, so hot water for me please :)
There are definately still the real budget travellers – go to South East Asia and watch rich (in local terms) gappers haggle over $1, but these are the people seeing as much as possible in the shortest time frame … Interestingly though these are also the people with the gadgets, so perhaps a blurring of the lines there?
Chris – I think it’s always hard to categorise travellers. I’ve never been keen on sleeping hostel dorms but sometimes a private room in a hostels isn’t any cheaper than a better room in a hotel. I’ve become a gadget laden traveller now too with my laptop and mobile and Flip but that’s because I need to stay on top of things as a travel blog editor. If I was a “normal” traveller I don’t think I’d need so much gear.
Hi Karen,
I was just thinking that as the gadgets get smaller, and more affordable, maybe everyone will carry them anyway?
… considering the amount of time I spend online these days, I can’t imagine not taking the laptop on a trip… so maybe I am the gadget laden type too?
Also I just re-read my post and it sounded a little like I have a money tree in the back garden that I merrily pick off £50 notes to take on my travels … that is definately not the case :)