When I first heard the term “flashpacker,” I instantly thought of the Bill Bryson book, “A Walk in the Woods.” The main characters are hiking the Appalachian Trail and running into people representing, more or less, a microcosm of society. One person they met was totally and utterly clueless about what it takes to complete that kind of undertaking. Through their conversation, the hiker explained that, rather than be educated about things, he would simply rely on the many gadgets and gizmos that filled his backpack and dangled from his straps. I’m not quite sure the outcome of his adventure, but one can only assume.

This, to me, was my initial vision of flashpacking. Keeping this in mind after many years of travel all over the world, I’ve come to understand that this is a fluid term, one that is seemingly evolving with the world. I wouldn’t quite call myself a flashpacker just yet, but I will admit that I have tendencies to swing that way. It wasn’t long ago that I carried everything on my back. Even some trips now call for that. Now that I’m pushing 30, I know I won’t be blacklisted from the travel community if my hostel reservation includes a private bathroom. (more…)

Lately, even stripping travel down to the bare minimum, i.e. backpacking, has gotten lost in the piles of gear and tech out there (see this article on flashpacking). Over at Vagabondish, they bring true “backpacking” ideals back to the forefront with four tips that will make you rethink that extra pair of underwear you stuffed in your carryon.

1. Find out what “essential” really is. You’d be surprised at how little you need to get by. Laptop, camera, and two changes of clothes… done.
2. If you can find it there, buy it there. Things like extra batteries, or extra anything can be left at home. Odds are, if you need them, you can buy them where ever you are.
3. A good carry on bag is priceless. If you’re really good, it’s all you need.
4. Consolidate your entertainment by going digital. Cd’s, novels, and DVD’s don’t stand a chance against their digital counterparts in terms of space and weight.

In my case, I would say three out of four isn’t too bad and I would often catagorize myself as a backpacker. The thing is… I rather enjoy the feel of fresh undies on day eleven of a trip.

In the recent, never-ending quest for coining terms and applying sub-labels to every conceivable noun in the English dictionary (why is this, are there really too few words in the English vernacular that we need to keep expanding it?) a new term has quickly risen in the category of travel: flashpacking.

I actually first heard this term back in early September when someone during a lecture asked the Frugal Traveler from the New York Times whether he’s heard of the term, to which he responded with a dumbfounded shrug. I never had either, but I was hoping it had something to do with nudity and travel, but alas, the real definition, or phenomena, has a far more banal meaning. It’s simply describing older travelers (read: over 29) who travel cheap and gravitate towards hostels.

As this article points out, the term apparently came from Australia where “flash” translates into “stylish” from Aussie. The article also ridiculously goes on to attempt to describe flashpackers as those who prefer to travel with gadgets and those who “seek accommodations with free Wi-Fi.” Right, as anyone who’s traveled in the last five years can attest, there are noticeably very few people who use “gadgets” or who like to use the Internet when traveling, so this rare subset of travelers, due to their scarcity, is in desperate need of a label.

Yeah, kind of ridiculous. During my last trip it was hard to come by someone who didn’t have a netbook, digital camera, cell phone, or at least needed to check the Internet at least once a day. Also, the age-range in my hostels ranged from 2 to 72 with no discernible concentration of rich over-29ers who were slumming it up when they could’ve easily been staying at the Sofitel instead. Well, I’m quickly approaching 29 myself, so I suppose I’ve got another year to enjoy being a regular ol’ “backpacker” or “traveler” or “visitor” before having to join the ranks of fellow flashpackers of the world. Oh, to be young again.