The Flashpacker: a definition

It feels wrong to kick off a travel blog called 'The Flashpacker' without expaining what the hell a Flashpacker is supposed to be.

Lets rewind to last Monday and pretend I am sitting on the A380, with its state of the art connectivity options (no internet), as ive got may ipod connected to my bluetooth headphones to my wirelss glove, writing my very first blog post, trying to define for you, the reader what defines 'The Flashpacker'.

When Trambo and I were on our overseas trip last year, I (not Trambo) caught the Flashpacking bug. There were a few good reasons for this; we had way more money than on any previous trip, way more gadgets (computers, gameboys, cameras, high-altitude Ipod charger, head torch etc) and we were two wallets to divide and conquer, rather than one. (oh, and it helps that we were brothers and didnt mind sharing rooms)

This lethal combination pushed us higher and higher into the 5-star stratosphere, with nowhere else to go except the Fairmont Quebec City (thanks Prisso), W hotels and The Waldorf.

However we never forgot who we were; cheap. So we always went for the most serious of upgrades with the least amount possible.

So my definition of a Flashpacker is someone who tries to get the best for the cheapest. And we all want the best dont we?

According to some a Flashpacker is; "a verteran traveller skilled in the art of sniffing out a 5-star bargain, loaded with connectivity devices and pretending to have more money than they actually do."

There are even Flashpacker sites that crap on about philosophical explanations: http://theflashpacker.com/, or sites that try to explain about gadget lust: http://www.flashpackerguide.info/, whilst others even go as far to post profile pictures like mine.

So whilst I will no doubt rant about everything else but Flashpacking on this blog, try and come with me as I go for an upgrade or two and save some stylish money.

In this very first blog it would be negligible of me not to mention that the best way to Flashpack is to flash-flat friends places while they are on holidays. The Swedes God love them, have to take a long holiday from their inner city apartments each summer. However flash-flatting requires a) friends in other countries with nice enough apartments, b) that they trust you enough to be nice to the neighbours, and c) be willing to give up your place at holiday time for them.

This way you can live central, save money and connect up all those devices you didnt need to bring.