Apparently a flashpacker is someone who can afford to stay in luxury hotels but instead chooses the alternative, cheaper accommodations such as staying at a hostel. According to the article the term flashpacker has the prefix flash- as in stylish, and packer- which is derivative from the term backpacker. There you go a stylish backpacker. The article also specifically states that you are typically over 30 to be considered a flashpacker, that I don’t agree with- because I actually could consider myself to be a flashpacker. Sure I could afford to stay at a nice hotel but I have sometimes chosen the hostel route in order to splurge  on other things while vacationing.

During a time of economic strife, being a flashpacker is a great solution for many who still want to enjoy a good vacation now and then. I seriously recommend staying in hostels to any and everyone I meet. Plus it’s easy to find yourself getting depressed these days and what better way to freshen your mood then to head somewhere new and forget your troubles for a few days! I bet you come back with a fresh perspective on life.

Check out this blog post I wrote on staying in hostels for newbies. It may help ease your fear and tension.

I came across this article on CNN about volunteer vacations and I think they are a great idea. The article mentions that while third world country living conditions aren’t everyone’s thing, you can still go on a luxury vacation and implement volunteering and doing humanitarian work into a small portion of your trip. A lot of tour companies are now offering that as part of their packages. Check out the article for specific examples.

This probably isn’t something that would be of interest to everyone, as most vacations are about relaxing and forgetting your problems. But if you are going on a two week vacation why not sacrifice two days and do something good. Most likely it will make your vacation even more memorable and meaningful anyways. Not to mention the bonding that will happen between you and your fellow travelers. Keep an open mind you might be surprised by the outcome!

It was all set up. We had a condo with our friends, they were going to pick us up from the airport and we were going to spend the day at the beach. Surfing, tanning and building sand castles. Then we were going to get some of the best clam chowder in the world at the Splash Café. Yes, I was very excited about our trip to Pismo Beach this past weekend. The only problem was- it never happened. My husband plays ice hockey for a local league. He grew up in northern Minnesota, and has been playing hockey since he could barely walk. Chasing after a puck, he bumped his opponent (it’s a non-checking league) and it set him off balance which caused him to fall and slide really hardly into the boards. As a last ditch effort to keep his head from hitting the boards, he turned and took the impact with his shoulder.

We spent the next few hours in the Emergency Room. The doctor knew by looking at his shoulder that he had definitely broken his collar bone. Apparently, the collar bone is the first or second most commonly broken bone. The X-Rays came back and we realized just how badly it had broken. It was in three pieces with the middle piece turned on its side, making a z. Following up with the orthopedic surgeon yesterday confirmed that he will indeed need surgery to fix that mess. The doctor also believed that he had broken a few ribs while he was at it. So…. basically what I am trying to get at- no beach for me.

I spent a few hours this weekend wallowing in self pity but tried to make the best of it by going to a movie with one of my best friends. It also helped knowing my husband was in a great deal of pain and discomfort and was also sad that we had missed our beach trip. I busied myself waiting on him and focusing on making him comfortable. I found this article yesterday on CNN. It lists stories of people who had the worst things happen to them on their vacations. Realizing it’s not the most upbeat post I have written but, I am writing about it because it makes me feel better about not going to the beach. Hey, it could have been worse right?

This is a good one from the article:
Bruce Bush’s vacation in Hawaii started off perfectly. His family loved the “sandy beaches, hot weather and a tropical paradise I had never seen,” he wrote in his iReport. But Bush, who had been sick for much of the vacation, was diagnosed with cancer in a Waikiki hospital three days before his family was scheduled to fly home.
“The doctors wanted to admit me right away but something didn’t feel right about the situation. So Bush’s parents (he was 17 at the time) declined treatment and decided to wait out the rest of the vacation and ask his regular physician about it when the family arrived home in Indiana.
“By the time we went home, I’d already started feeling better,” Bush said.
The cancer diagnosis? A terrifying mistake. Bush had thought his illness was mononucleosis the entire time, and his doctor at home confirmed the diagnosis.

Are you kidding me? Imagine you are on vacation in HAWAII nonetheless, find out you have cancer (talk about buzzkill) and then go home to find out they were mistaken and it’s just mono? Ok… feeling better already.

Anyone else have some nightmare vacation experiences they want to share?