Backpacking in style: 'Flashpackers' have champagne tastes
Published Friday September 5th, 2008
OTTAWA - Many who have done it will tell you that backpacking is the only way to see the world. No fixed route or big budget required. About all you need is a passport, a toothbrush and a sense of adventure.
But while sleeping in crowded hostels and strapping all your possessions to your back is heaven for some, there's another breed of backpacker who's looking for luxury.
Like their penny-pinching cousins, these travellers go from one exotic destination to the next with no itinerary or tour operator to guide them, toting laptops and other high-tech gear.
"Flashpackers," as they have been dubbed because they backpack with flash or style, are generally older than the average student backpacker and thus have the funds to satisfy their champagne tastes.
Curtis Foreman, 33, always wanted to see the world, but was tied to his day-job at an Internet marketing company in Vancouver.
But all that changed six months ago when Foreman and his wife Lindsie, 33, quit their jobs, rented out their condo and embarked on a yearlong flashpack around the world.
"We wanted to get out and see the world before we settle down and have kids," he said from his hotel room in Singapore.
The couple's adventures have included including mountain climbing in Bali and snorkelling off the coast of Thailand. They've also been to Australia.
And while they've encountered many young backpackers on their travels, they've managed to avoid run-down hostels, rickety buses and group accommodations.
"We're a little less focused on drinking like some backpackers. We're more focused on experiencing the place and culture, rather than partying," Foreman said.
His travel motto is "Pack light and carry a flash drive."
And as a self-described "web geek," Foreman filled his backpack with two laptops, a cellphone, microphone, headphones, more USB cables than he can count and six heavy-duty locks.
The technology has allowed him to do a bit of work along the way and keep in touch with friends and family in Canada through his blog called Flashpacking Life.
Many others are staying wired throughout their journey. A 2008 survey by Hostelworld.com, an online reservation service for backpackers, found that 71 per cent carried an MP3 player or iPod and 35 per cent brought their laptop.
Susie Honeyman, a travel agent with Flight Centre, had never heard the term "flashpacker" but knows the type. Honeyman, who specializes in round-the-world tickets, said she is planning more extravagant and lengthy vacations for an older generation.
"We're seeing a lot more people with complicated itineraries who want a bit more luxury and are willing to spend more money," she said.
Some hostels are starting to offer more upscale accommodations, with features like access to wireless Internet, to meet the needs of the tech-savvy traveller.
Melissa Rambaud-Chanoz, a master's student at Ceram Business School in France who wrote her thesis on the flashpacking phenomenon, said that this new trend doesn't mean the end of low-budget, free-spirited travel.
"Backpackers will still exist," she said. "It's not necessarily the future of backpacking, because it's just a different version of it. It's still the same adventure but with more security and comfort."
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