Why Travelers Are Upscaling

Why Travelers Are Upscaling

Author: Matthew Kepnes

Somewhere before my bus broke down in Australia, I was called a flashpacker. Despite traveling for 18 months, it was the first time I’d heard the term. A flashpacker is defined as a person, unusually in their mid 20s to early 30s, who travels like a backpacker but has more disposal money as well as electronics such as a camera or laptop. Flashpackers also expect better hotels and services.

Neither fully backpacker nor tourist, flashpackers are new to the traveling vocabulary. Flashpackers rest in hostels, carry a backpack, and find cheap transport but blow their money on meals, beer, tours, and parties. They usually aren’t going into a hostel without a reservation or wearing the same shirt for a week. A number of hostels are up scaling to accommodate the growing wants and desires of flashpackers and you’ll find them in all corners of the planet. Flashpackers still have no fixed voyage and all the time to meander around but don’t pinch every penny. They are backpackers with means.

Backpacking is not about a look, it’s a lifestyle. Just because a person doesn’t have a certain look, doesn’t mean they lack the will of a backpacker. It doesn’t make them less of a backpacker. It goes against the backpacker outlook to look down on someone because they travel a different way. Aren’t we supposed to be embracing different ways of life?

It all comes down to what makes a backpacker a backpacker. That’s sprit. The desire to explore new places and experience new people. Backpacking is about opening your mind to new things and looking differently at the world. It’s not about the stuff you carry. As your spirit is the same, what stuff you carry shouldn’t matter.

We’re all flashpackers, whether you like it or not. We may not be driving up to the hostel in a limo but we all expect a little “flash” nowadays. According to a Hostelworld study in 2006, 21 percent of people travel with a laptop, 54 percent with an MP3 player, 83 percent with a mobile phone and a whopping 86 percent travel with a digital camera.

Think about your last excursion- how many travelers did you see with cameras? Ipods? Laptops? I can’t remember seeing one person without a camera, and at least 3/4 of the people I saw had Ipods.

The truth is we all travel with expensive electronics now. We check our email and Skype our friends. We all have a camera and most of us have an Ipod. We are flashpackers and it’s not a bad thing. All this stuff allows us to stay better connected with our friends, our family, and helps us better document our travels. The key is to once in awhile to put down the camera, turn off the computer, and enjoy the culture you came to see.

The backpacker who set off with 1 shirt, a small pack, and two baht to his name is getting hard to find. Most of us have a little more income and expect a little more but we still carry his spirit. We still seek new cultures, exotic locales, and long term travel. We still look for cheap hostels and transport. We camp on that jungle trek. The difference is that now we also want a location to plug in our camera, check our e-mail, and take a hot shower. We just want to be pampered…once in awhile.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/why-travelers-are-upscaling-731744.html

About the AuthorMatthew Kepnes is a lifelong backpacker and recent flashpacker who has spent many years traveling around the world. Visit his website about how to travel the world and learn more about flashpacking.

A comment by SocialiteTravel.com:

Although we agree with Matthew above regarding the point that everyone is somehow related to the Flashpacking lifestyle, we also would like to point out that although everyone these days may carry some sort of electronic gizmo, not everyone travels with a “backpack”, and that my friend will categorize you as a “flashpacker”. Happy Hip Travels =)

Photo: mybackpacking.de

The Flashpacking Travel Trend

Flashpacking is a new phenomenon in the budget travel sector. Born of those hostel-going backpackers that lived on peanuts on their early travels and have now become successful, the movement is a mix of technology and frugality. The typical flashpacker is in their mid-to-late 20s or early 30s, and is a young professional worker. They often have a passion for travel been many places while younger, but now would like more creature comforts to go with their newfound success.

To cater to this new travel niche, new hostels and services have sprung up which offer an experience more refined than a budget hostel but cheaper than chain hotels. Boutique hostels with themed rooms, local artwork, and amenities that include free Wi-Fi, private rooms, and private bathrooms. Pricing structures for flashpackers are usually above that of true budget hostels, but they want to spend their money on experiences rather than expensive hotel rooms that are only used for sleeping besides. This new breed of hostel focuses on elevating the accommodations beyond a bed and bed sheets, but keeps in mind the frugal nature of the flashpacker.

Another very important aspect of flashpackers is that their gear is close to the best money can buy. Bootstrapping trips in the past has led to an appreciation for well-made clothes and equipment, and flashpackers are at a point in their lives where they can afford to splurge on the best choices in gear. Some of the gear that might show up in a flashpacker’s backpack:

• The iPod Touch is an excellent .mp3 player as well as being a fully-functional PDA, and being able to surf the Internet from anywhere equipped with Wi-Fi is a perfect fit for the flashpacker.
• A Macbook or netbook will always be within reach for a flashpacker. Compact, powerful, and portable, these laptop computers allow the traveler to stay in touch with family and friends as well as work if need be, while not weighing down their pack.
• A Canon EOS 40D or similar Nikon model, SLR cameras that are too expensive for younger travelers to afford. Flashpackers will take the time and the money to take amazing pictures.
• An unlocked, quad-band cell phone. These cell phones allow flashpackers to plug in a working SIM card anywhere in the world, guaranteeing phone service wherever they are.

These savvy travelers are poised to grow exponentially in number, as people look for value in their travel dollar during the economic downturn. They are willing to spend money on their trips, but they use their due diligence before committing to anything. No one is quite sure where the term “flashpacker” came from, but literally it means to backpack with “flash,” or style. Flashpackers can also be used to describe those career folks that decide to take an extended break or leave of absence to travel. And while people cannot seem to agree on exactly what the term means or where exactly it came from, it is here to stay.

Matthew Kepnes has been travel around the world for three years. He’s a committed flashpacker and loves his toys. For more information on flashpacking, check out his information about flashpacking and flashpacking gear. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Kepnes [Photo: Hotforwords.com]

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