Flashpacking and Travel Gear?
If you are talking to any of those baby boomers out there, you may get the questions, just what exactly is flashpacking? And who does this? Well this is a term that has been tagged for those travelers that who are our backpacking the world, but have started swaying the impression of backpackers from gypsy type vagabonds to hipsters taking advantage of technology throughout the world, and staying connected. Since the internet can now be found virtually anywhere, it gives all travelers a perfect opportunity to stay connected.
It’s still an old way of traveling, but with just a few more toys added to their travel gear. Travelers now have ipods, digital cameras, laptops, and video cameras. Travelers want to share their experiences with the world. They want to upload pictures, update their status, stream video, and all of this requires electronics.
Because of the growing movement of the number of travelers that want or need this equipment with them when they travel, hostels and other budget accommodations have to offer wifi to stay competitive. It would be very difficult for a flashpacker to not have wifi let alone internet access. Nowadays, you also see many college age kids who grew up completely on the internet traveling the world. This has always been a way of life, so it is not as much of a sacrifice to take out the old boy scout gear and replace it with a laptop.
You will still see those that are flashpacking wanting flexible schedules, cheap transportation, and affordable accommodations. Just because they travel with a bit more technology doesn’t mean they are out to splurge on everything. For them, it is a nice balance between nice and reasonable.
But, regardless of of what’s in their backpack, they are still travelers, and still want to experience the world without much more than what they can carry around with them. Priorities in regards to what is important have just changed a bit.
