It was a year ago more or less. I had just arrived in New Zealand as part of my big trip around the world. I met some friends and ex-colleagues there. A few months before me they decided to leave the place where we were working in Dublin, Ireland, and go exploring the world. And here we meet again: an Italian (me), an Irish fellow, a Czech guy and a Finnish girl; in Auckland, on the other side of the world we were living.
Popularity: 37% [?]
Whether you class ‘flashpackers’ as tech-savvy backpackers, high-flyers on a career break, or independent travelers wishing to see the world in style, they have all led to the same thing – the unstoppable rise of the ‘boutique hostel’, where private rooms, stylish interiors and cool bars come as standard.
These hostels are the last word in cutting-edge chic, springing up in the hippest cities and along the well-trodden backpacker trail. Sleep in style with this selection of hostels for flashpackers that boast top-rated guest reviews alongside the designer furniture.
Popularity: 54% [?]
Welcome to another edition of Flashpacking Blog Carnival.
A lot has been discussed online in the last couple of weeks regarding the Flashpacking phenomenon. Here’s the most interesting articles and posts.
Living in a Backpack (plus 8 suitcases)
Interesting post about Flashpacking in Borocay, Philippines. Beautiful tropical beaches + affordable prices = Flashpacker Paradise.
The ultimate backpack for the flashpacker
So you have a few gadgets, a laptop, a book or two, and a water bottle. How best to carry it all?
Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 24% [?]
The auld days the common area of hostels offered as “entertainment” a telly, some board games, a couple of deck of cards and some old crappy book left by backpackers who wanted to travel a pound or two lighter. Things are changing lately as technology and Flashpackers change the concept of entertainment and that feeling of “being home” while travelling.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my books and deck of cards while travelling, but if there’s something that make an old Flashpacker like me feel at home it’s an hour or two in front of a video game. As long as that doesn’t mean spending your time playing rather than exploring the place of course. It just reminds me of the times where after a day at the office (or any work place) you go home and while playing you have that comfy feeling of figuratively “taking your shoes off”.
Popularity: 24% [?]
You read often definitions of Flashpackers as backpackers who travel on a bigger budget or with some tech accessories. Somehow a general idea is emerging, that some accessories are the one that makes the Flashpacker. Well I’d like to state something different; bringing some accessories (especially on their own) with you while travelling don’t necessarily means you’re a Flashpacker.
Let’s have a look at the most common ones.
Digital camera
Ahem, who doesn’t bring one on a trip nowadays? My parents are in their late sixties, they do have a digital camera, but trust me, they’re not Flashpackers. It would be even more “Flashpacker” to have a non-digital camera nowadays; that could mean you’re into good old professional pictures.
Mobile phone
As above. I don’t think 86% of travellers (according to a Hostelworld study in 2006 that’s the number then of people travelling with a mobile phone) are Flashpackers.
Popularity: 28% [?]
