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.

Stay Hostel, Los Angeles, USA

This 81-year-old hotel has been renovated into Stay, a hostel for ‘the hip and spendthrifty traveler’ that offers a dose of California cool in glitzy LA. The pop-art palette, in-house art gallery and common room with 42-inch TV mean the private rooms are snapped up weeks in advance. Luckily the inexpensive shared quarters are equally chic, with hand-shaped chairs and abstract art on the walls.

Located on up-and-coming Main Street (when Johnny Depp moves in next door, you know you’re hip and happening), the hostel is close to the Museum of Contemporary Art and Little Toyko for some late night sushi. Next along is Tuck, a comfort-food restaurant and room service for mac-and-cheese and milkshakes.

Pfefferbett Hostel, Berlin, Germany

If you want to take ‘having a pint’ to a whole new level, you can actually stay in this 19th century brewery on the Pfefferbett complex; a ‘cultural centre’ with cutting-edge art galleries, beer garden and concert venue on your doorstep.

Inside, the private and shared rooms are spacious and modern, with vaulted ceilings, wooden floors and silver steel furniture adding an industrial edge to the historic architecture. Right in the heart of Berlin’s coolest district, the hippest nightspots are just streets away, but there’s also a lively outdoor terrace at the hostel for flashpackers looking to just sit back with a beer and check out the scene.

Albergue Juvenil Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Repeatedly named one of the best hostels in Europe, the Albergue is an ultra-modern hostel with hotel facilities – how many hostels do you know with a room full of exercise bikes and Audrey Hepburn prints on the wall?

The shared rooms are a minimalist mix of black bunk beds and bright red lockers, and there’s an artsy common room with pool table and wall murals, and a line of high-tech computers for your ‘e-postcard’ home. With a central location close to all the main sights (and the odd lively Tapas bar), this is a spot of urban cool tucked away in Madrid’s historic streets.

YHA London Central, London, England

London isn’t known as the cheapest of cities, so flashpackers all over the world rejoiced when the YHA chain gave their original outpost a slick makeover. With an enviable West End location, the hostel is on the doorstep of cosmopolitan Soho, the buzz of Oxford Street and one of London’s most popular nightlife hubs, crowded with pubs, bars and clubs.

Stay here for the ultimate in ‘flash’ packing, with private ensuite rooms, a cool café with giant street signs plastered over the walls, and a minimalist bar which serves coffee in the day.

Base St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia

Backpackers flock to Melbourne for its beautiful beaches, lively bars, and laid-back Aussie lifestyle. But the Base puts all other hostels to shame with its state-of-the-art design, minimalist-chic interiors and own ‘Red Eye’ Bar – a super-cool drinking den with a futuristic bar and bright red walls.

Located in the cosmopolitan suburb of St Kilda’s, it’s close to the beach and the lively bars and clubs of Melbourne’s newest hip spot. The private rooms are like a trendy New York loft apartment, and the shared rooms offer comfortable bunk beds with huge under-bed drawers. The icing on the cake is the ‘Girls Sanctuary Rooms’, a pampering paradise for female travelers with free towel hire, hair products and champagne every night between 6 and 7pm.

This blog post was written by Lauren Smith. When she’s not flitting around the world, Lauren Smith is one of the authors of the new Hostel Bookers blog – the insiders’ guide to hostels and budget travel.

If you too want to feature on The Tux in Backpack with a post related to Flashpacking feel free to give us a shout!

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. The old days to stay in an hostel meant to go for the cheapest accommodation, no frills, no privacy, and of course no luxurious extras like a flat screen TV. The Flashpacking phenomenon is really growing, and hostel owners are aware of it.

To me it was striking also how many of the best hostels are located in East Europe. Out of 10 hostels 2 are in Poland, 1 in Prague and 1 in Budapest.

While Prague and Budapest are acknowledged tourist capitals, Poland is not often mentioned as a tourist destination. That means that while Prague is already boosting with tourists and prices are getting more expensive, Poland still offers a lot of jewels virtually tourist free and with very affordable prices.

Wroclaw, Market Place

Warsaw, Krakow Gdańsk and Wroclaw just to mention the most known destinations, still offer luxury for the flashpacker at very reasonable rates. There’s plenty of culture, architecture, history and gourmet food to be discovered. Have a look at few cities here for example, and get ready to discover one of Europe’s best kept secret.

If you read about that perfect, secluded, off the beaten track destination on a guidebook remember there are thousand and thousand more that like you read and are going to read that same page.

Finding destinations not yet full of tourists, and as a consequence with a still original culture and cheap prices (remember Flashpacking is not only about having a big budget) is getting more and more difficult. Internet if you avoid LonelyPlanet and similar websites can be very helpful. Here’s how Escapework.net sees it. India (Goa in particular), Thailand and the Caribbean are no longer the realm of the itinerant traveler.

Arrive at Angkor Wat expecting to find a serene of calm and you are likely to be trampled by ten-of-thousands of Western (especially French) tourists.

If Prague was the new Paris, Tallinn became the new Prague, then did Riga, Krakow and Budapest…..Kyiv, Sofia and Belgrade are next in line.

Sounds familiar? Well then you might want to consider the Hotlist (in no particular order).

1. Kyiv – a beautiful city that is full of history: Looking to the west whilst retaining the prices of Eastern Europe.

2. South Korea: a country virtually untouched by travelers, yet offer so much. The author visited here in 2004 and was still viewed as a curiosity.

3. Nicaragua: Now thankfully devoid of the political turmoil’s of the 1990’s, Nicaragua is a top surfing destination.

4. Colombia: Shedding off its dangerous tag, Colombia offers everything South America has in a nutshell, with some of the most hospitable people on the planet.

5. Rwanda: Forget your preconceptions of this place; it is not what you think. Africa’s first wireless nation is being bankrolled and cherry picked by some of the World’s corporate giants. Go now before it is overrun. THE place to see Mountain Gorilla’s in the wild.

6. Northern Ireland: Again, forget your preconceptions. Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the UK and Belfast has a thriving nightlife…the only problem is the lack of hotels!

See full article here. UPDATE: Unfortunately the link (and website) doesn’t seem to exist anymore. You can still let us know your thoughts though in the Comments section below.

Pictures from Stuckincustoms.com

We often mentioned how you don’t necessarily need a big budget to go Flashpacking around the world, if you know how and where to find sweet alternatives to mass tourism destinations.

In this first post about Flashpacking Destinations we want to reveal a nice alternative to the famous and exotic dream destination Bali. Located just beside Bali, Lombok is often defined as an “unspoiled Bali”, or a “Bali 20 years ago”.

You can find there the same fantastic beaches, great culture (even more actually as in Bali the main religion is Hindu, while in Lombok you can visit Hindu temples but Muslim mosques as well) and nice Indonesian food (Lombok means actually chilly pepper in the local language, Sasak).

What you’re not likely to find in Lombok though are the mass of tourists that are in Bali and the expensive prices for accommodation and meals. That is if you don’t visit Lombok in July and August, when most of the tourists are there (and a good part of them coming for 2-3 days trips from Bali).

15 to 45 minutes by boat from Lombok you have the three Gili Islands,Which are the typical postcard picture Islands, with crystal clear waters ideal for snorkeling and diving and no cars or motorbikes (only means of transportation are bikes and cidomos, tiny horse-carriage).

The north part of Lombok instead is a bit hilly and cooler and you can enjoy stunning views of terrace rice fields and coffee plantations.

You can reach Lombok by plane or speedboat from Bali, or if you want to skip Bali altogether Silkair (the low cost sister company of Singapore Airlines) flies directly from Singapore and Merpati Airlines directly from Kuala Lumpur.

For excursions, diving tours and accommodation we recommend go2Lombok.com, as part of what you pay goes to schoolkids in need.