The Tux in the Backpack

The Couchsurfing project keeps growing, with more than 904,000+ members in 230+ countries.

As part of the mission the project intends to “internationally network people and places” and “facilitate cultural understanding”, which I would say is pretty much in line with Flashpackers interests.

Is Couchsurfing a good solution for Flashpackers though? I’d like to hear what Flashpackers out there think. Have you ever tried it? Did it feel like “Backpacking with a Flash”? Here’s some points to get the discussion started.

Yes, Couchsurfing is for Flashpackers. After all Flashpackers are independent travellers, and love to really get to know the culture and lifestyle of the place they’re visiting. What better way to do that than a person living there showing you around, having you to sleep in their place and participate to their lifestyle?

Unlucky Couchsurfing or... Very Lucky Couchsurfing? Or is it luck at all?

Definitely not. Couchsurfing can limit your freedom and independence as a Flashpacker. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 15% [?]

A while ago TimesOnline published a list of Europe Top 10 Boutique Hostels. The list is based on ratings on HostelBookers.com.

Few ratings may have changed meanwhile, but here’s the list as of last June:

Lisbon Lounge, Lisbon

Red Nest Hostel, Valencia

Miss Sophie’s Hostel, Prague

Mandragora Hostel, Budapest

Mleczarnia Hostel, Wroclaw

Greg Tom Hostel, Krakow

La Controra Flashpackers Hostel, Naples

Langholmen Hostel, Stockholm

St Christopher’s, Berlin

Centric Point Hostel, Barcelona

Mleczarnia Hostel, Wroclaw

The first thing to notice is that more and more hostels are catering for flashapackers. The one in Naples has the word “Flashpackers” even in the name. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 31% [?]

As many new visitors are familiarising themselves with the concept of Flashpacking, and as the buzz keeps growing on the internet with more and more websites, stories and blogs, I’d like to provide a little list of the best Flashpackers blogs out there.

These are not blogs about Flashpacking, like the Tux In Backpack here, but rather the Flashpackers’ tales from around the world. They’ll save you time from searching online and separate the fresh and relevant stories from the wannabe Flashpackers, and most importantly they will give up a good idea of what it is like to be a Flashpacker around the world.

Here are then (in no particular order) 7 Great Flashpackers Blogs out there. Enjoy!

TheFlashpacker.com

Entertaining tales from various destinations, combined with excellent tips. Bennet The Flashpacker will observe what happens around him, investigate and study more about it, and finally share the learnings with the audience in excellent posts. The very last one about bedbugs is an example. Memorable the post on creating your own flash environment despite all kind of conditions around you, Luxe among the cockroaches, also reviewed here under Extreme Flashpacking Tips. Truly Flashpacking at its best: not simply money or gadgets, but style!

FlashpackingLife

If the Flashpacking phenomenon is getting so popular is also thanks to this excellent blog. Curtis was recently interviewed by CanadianPress, and the result was a huge attention to his travels and to the Flashpacking phenomenon. From that interview and original article sprung dozens of press articles, from Canadian press mainly. Curtis is also thinking of writing a book about Flashpacking. A true Flashpacking ambassador.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 16% [?]

One of the things that strikes me most is that there are so many Flashpackers out there, but only few of them are aware of being one.

So often I meet travellers around the world and they tell me that yes, they do love travelling independently, and to travel for a long time they need to be on a budget, but still they don’t really want to sleep in a dorm with 20 other people.

They like to enjoy a good glass of wine, and try local delicacies. Having been on the road for a long time they met all kind of travellers, and now feel like running away when they see a big group from an organised tour, or when a cruise ship arrives on the island they’re staying.

And yes, they all have an mp3 player and a digital camera (but hey, who hasn’t nowadays?) and many do carry a laptop with them.

To me, they are Flashpackers. And when I mention the term to them they like it. They don’t feel they are Backpacking, but something close to it. They wouldn’t call themselves Backpackers but don’t have another term to describe the way they are travelling.

Let’s be clear here. We’re not trying to categorise or pigeon-hole travellers. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 15% [?]

Everybody is talking about Flashpacking, the new travel phenomenon. Many though define Flashpacking as backpacking with techno gadgets or on a bigger budget. Is a laptop, a digital camera and an I-pod all it takes to be a flashpacker? Those accessories are more and more common, and just because a Backpacker travels with them does it automatically make him/her a Flashpacker?

Some say the real Backpacking is dead anyway, as Backpackers want to see different realities and have a bit of culture-shock, but “they now expect the comforts of home, albeit with some exotic twists, but nothing that makes them too uncomfortable or homesick. They expect people to speak their language, buses to run on their schedule and locals to treat them with respect.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7% [?]