Another two weeks, another review of the best that has been written online regarding the Flashpacking phenomenon.

First of all we have to point out how in the last month or two there has been a sharp increase in ready-made articles from sites like Articledashboard.com or Ezinearticles.com, and a lot of fake travel blogs scraping articles about Flashpacking from other travel blogs. We take that as a good sign that the phenomenon is growing, however here we bring you only the best, fresh and original content, even if sometimes there’s only a few of those posts.

Rogue Stampede: Travel is for cheap turds. Or not.

A very interesting article against those who look from above at flashpackers, claiming that you have to rough it at all costs in order to experience the culture of a place. Nice room = no culture experienced? “Does living in a grotty hostel with drunk idiots on the bunk below you – and shaking the damned bed as it is – an authentic cultural experience?”

One of the best pieces on flashpacking (and allow us to say, on travelling as well) written lately.

a cultural experience?

The Free Radicals Blog: Flashpackers, are you one ?

Reflections on the discovery of being a flashpacker. The tech toys, the love for them, the lack of love for their weight, the excuse we might give ourselves to bring our favourite gadgets with us.

“Techno travel gear can be a good thing, having downloaded guidebooks in PDF form and Podcast walking tours, maps and street plans, can save space in a bag. Oh, man was that a complete justification for carrying these toys, or what?”

Fiji Times Online: Island group banks on backpackers

Tourism keeps growing in Fiji despite recession. In 2oo8 the growth was + 3%. Flashpackers and educational tourist are the main contributors to the growth.

That concludes this Blog Carnival. As usual you can submit your article or post to the next edition of Flashpacking Blog Carnival in 2 weeks using our Flashpacking Carnival Submission Form.

Check out the Previous Flashpacking Blog Carnivals if you missed them, and to make sure not to miss the latest news on Flashpacking make sure to Subscribe to our RSS feeds.

That time of the month again. The usual bi-weekly appointment with the best of what has been said online about Flashpacking.  Not a great quantity of articles in the last two weeks, but definitely great quality. Let’s get started.

Habitat Hostel, Singapore, in TravelPod.com

I wouldn’t go as far as saying (as claimed on the article) that this is the only boutique flashpackers hostel in Singapore, but surely Habitat Hostel is showing us that even a dorm can be quite fancy. Excellent location and funky color themed rooms.

The flashpacker’s guide to the galaxy. Times of India

One of the best pieces written lately on Flashpacking, exploring the phenomenon as it expands in India as well. And of course merit for one catchy article title.

Simple and extravagant “Flashpacking” -  Article in Chinese

Flashpacking is becoming a truly global phenomenon, as this article in Chinese demonstrates. If like me your Chinese is a bit.. let’s say rusty, you can use the Google Translate version.

Field Guide to World Travelers

Backpackers, Flashpackers, Gap-packers, Couchsurfers, Digital Nomads.. a lot of different definitions for people travelling in different styles. An excellent post to clarify all those terms.

Boutique Hostels in South America

Interesting to note how the Flashpacking phenomenon (and as a consequence Boutique Hostels) are starting to spread in South America as well.

That’s all for this Blog Carnival. As usual you can submit your article or post to the next edition of Flashpacking Blog Carnival in 2 weeks using our Flashpacking Carnival Submission Form.

Check out the Previous Flashpacking Blog Carnivals if you missed them, and to make sure not to miss the latest news on Flashpacking make sure to Subscribe to our RSS feeds.

Quite a lot has been said about Flashpacking in the last couple of weeks. As usual the best has been captured here on the bi-weekly Flashpacking Blog Carnival.

Noches Multimedia, ElPais.com

Flashpacking gets attention in the Spanish world with this article, where we learn how the phenomenon is spreading rapidly across Spain, especially in Valencia and Barcelona. We also learn that the term backpacker in Spanish is mochilero, and that Flashpacker hostels can be called TechnoHostales. There you go, two more useful words for you.

Purple Nest Hostel, Valencia

La Mia Bellissima Avventura (My Beautiful Adventure)

A new Flashpacker is around, and her blog is definitively one to follow. Lauren after working 3 years in pharmaceutical and hitting a bit of a mid-life crisis decided to leave her job and her Chicago and go travelling in Italy. The blog describes her adventures and thoughts, and explains why she has chosen Flashpacking as her travel style. Lauren also came up with her personal definition of Flaspacking.

Flashpackers -The Business Class Backpacker: GoGlamourCamping.com

Reflections on Flashpacking from the guys that love Glamping, i.e. glamour camping. Flashpackers’ cousins?

Flashpackers R Us: The Chronicles of Cutie

Discussing pros and cons of Flashpacking as a couple: “Tony thinks flashpacking isn’t dirty enough, like we haven’t won our stripes. I think flashpacking means smarter backpacking and raised standards of hygiene.” Who’s gonna decide the travel style?

Why boutique hostels are booming: Guardian.co.uk

The credit crunch has somehow favoured the boom of boutique hostels (also known as Flashpackers hostels). Travel budgets are indeed getting tighter, and hostels can offer as much comfort as hotels but at very convenient prices. The Guardian explains more about how this is happening, and at the same time introduces an interactive map of The world’s best boutique hostels, a pretty good looking and easy to use mash up with Google Maps.

Flashpackers Return Home with Flashbaby! FlashpackingWife.com

One adventure ends, another one begins. Two of the most popular Flashpackers (the guys behind FlashpackingLife.com and FlashpackingWife.com) return home, with a Flashbaby. Congratulations from The Tux in Backpack!

Taking life lessons from squatters, flashpackers and digital nomads: MindtheBeginner.Wordpress.com

A personal development lesson and reminder inspired by Flashpacking: Materialism isn’t everything, freedom is. Do we really need all the objects around us? Do they make us happy? Squatters, Flashpackers and Digital Nomads have something in common: They are not “being tied down by their worldly possessions. They also acquired the skill to generate an income, wherever they are”.

That concludes this 7th Flashpacking Blog Carnival. You can submit your article or post to the next edition of Flashpacking Blog Carnival in 2 weeks using our Flashpacking Carnival Submission Form.

Check out the Previous Flashpacking Blog Carnivals if you missed them, and to make sure not to miss the latest news on Flashpacking make sure to Subscribe to our RSS feeds.

With the 1st day of may comes the usual appointment to what has been said online in the last two weeks about Flashpacking and Flashpackers. Here we go.

Am I a Backpacker or a Tourist? MadTravelMag.com

It all started with something written on a wall of a fine drinking establishment: “No Fishermans pants, no tie dye, no dreadlocks, no head scarfs, in fact nothing you wouldn’t wear to visit your local pub. Just remember you are not a bloody backpacker, you’re just a tourist!”

just a tourist..

Flashpacker or Backpacker? What type of traveler are you? MadTravelMag.com

Champagne Backpacker, that’s a good one: “I know that when I first set off on my worldwide adventure I thought I was going to be a backpacker. I soon discovered that most backpackers didn’t see me as exactly the same sort of traveler as them. The term flashpacker wasn’t really being used that much at the time and I was called a champagne backpacker, which is basically the same thing.”

How to stick to your accommodation budget. IndieTravelPodcast.com

How to keep travel expenses to a minimum: Make time for research, Escape hidden costs, Choose a Hostel over a Hotel.

5 Cool, Luxurious (and Inexpensive) Hostels. SpotCoolStuff.com

We’ve seen so many lists of best hostels, great Flashpacking accommodations, but this one really catches some really cool spots. And prices are indeed very affordable.

A relatively quieter couple of weeks these last two ones, so that’s all for the moment. You can submit your article or post to the next edition of Flashpacking Blog Carnival in 2 weeks using our Flashpacking Carnival Submission Form.

Check out the Previous Flashpacking Blog Carnivals if you missed them, and to make sure not to miss the latest news on Flashpacking make sure to Subscribe to our RSS feeds.

The usual bi-weekly appointment with the best of Flashpacking online. This time in the brand new home (and look) of The Tux in the Backpack. Let’s get started.

From a Flashpacker to a Backpacker, take 2: thetravelersnotebook.com

A fantastic tale of moving up from snakes under the bed to mid range deals, becoming an expert in getting great deals on flights or accommodations and then eventually going back to more adventurous paths. Not forgetting however that skill of getting bargains and the consequent odd splurge.

Sex, Drugs and Flashpacking | My highlights of Australia: madtravelmag.com

Don’t really know what to make of this. The author, Yvonne, tells us how being a Flashpacker doesn’t mean to lose contact with nature. Not sure if that involves sex in bunk beds and magic mushrooms though …

Flashpacking: Travel trend gains popularity: healthcaretraveler.com

Another article confirming how the Flashpacking phenomen is definitely on the rise.

Nerd Word of the Day: Flashpacking: Hotforwords.com

The words Nerd and Flashpacking never looked so hot!

Does “flashpacking hostel” mean “hotel”? www.hostelmanagement.com

We started discussing this on Twitter. The discussion now continues on this forum. Sure you’ll hear more about it here on the Tux in Backpack soon.

10 Great Flashpacking Hostels in Europe: brillianttrips.com

Mixing the atmosphere of a hostel with some of the comforts more commonly found in hotels. Another great list of Flashpacking Hostels, this time based in Europe.

That’s all for the moment. You can submit your article or post to the next edition of Flashpacking Blog Carnival in 2 weeks using our Flashpacking Carnival Submission Form.

Check out the Previous Flashpacking Blog Carnivals if you missed them, and to make sure not to miss the latest news on Flashpacking make sure to Subscribe to our RSS feeds.