What Is A Flashpacker Anyways?

In the latest, by no means-ending quest for coining terms and applying sub-labels to each and every conceivable noun in the English dictionary (why is this, are there definitely also few phrases in the English vernacular that we need to have to retain expanding it?) a new term has rapidly risen in the group of travel: flashpacking.

I really very first heard this phrase back in early September when another person in the course of a lecture asked the Frugal Traveler from the New York Occasions regardless of whether he’s heard of the term, to which he responded with a dumbfounded shrug. I never ever had both, but I was hoping it had something to do with nudity and travel, but alas, the true definition, or phenomena, has a far far more banal that means. It’s simply describing older travelers (go through: over 29) who travel affordable and gravitate in direction of hostels.

As this post factors out, the phrase apparently came from Australia in which “flash” translates into “stylish” from Aussie. The posting also ridiculously goes on to attempt to describe flashpackers as these who favor to travel with devices and these who “seek accommodations with absolutely free Wi-Fi.” Appropriate, as any one who’s traveled in the final 5 years can attest, there are noticeably quite handful of folks who use “gadgets” or who like to use the World wide web when traveling, so this unusual subset of vacationers, due to their scarcity, is in desperate want of a label.

Yeah, kind of ridiculous. For the duration of my last trip it was hard to come by somebody who didn’t have a netbook, digital camera, cell cellphone, or at least required to test the Online at least as soon as a day. Also, the age-range in my hostels ranged from 2 to 72 with no discernible concentration of rich more than-29ers who were slumming it up when they could’ve effortlessly been staying at the Sofitel alternatively. Well, I’m rapidly approaching 29 myself, so I suppose I’ve received a further year to enjoy becoming a normal ol’ “backpacker” or “traveler” or “visitor” just before owning to join the ranks of fellow flashpackers of the world. Oh, to be youthful yet again.