What is a flashpacker you ask? Wait you aren’t familiar with the term flashpacker? How can you call yourself American! Only kidding of course. I honestly had never heard of the term myself- that is until I came across this article on CNN that peaked my interest.

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.

Staying at hostels are a great way to save some money while also receiving a unique traveling experience. It’s also the adventure of the unknown that can be quite exciting. Some hostels are so nice, some are in unique buildings, and some are a little scary. The people you will meet will be different then those you would run into at a hotel- and I would challenge you to interact and learn from those individuals.

There are plenty of websites out there that can help you locate a hostel to stay at- one including hostels.com which also helps you book online as well.

Here are some things to consider when determining whether or not staying at a hostel is right for you:

1) Are you ok without having a private bathroom and sharing with complete strangers?

2) Are you ok to live without luxury for a few days in sacrifice to visit somewhere amazing?

3) Do weird people creep you out?

Putting that aside my first stay at a hostel I was scared. I had no idea what to expect except for what I had seen on TV. But it was fun, clean and more importantly cheap. For more adventurous travelers I would definitely recommend it, however I do offer this advice:

Bring your own towel and in some cases you might have to provide your own bedding so find that out ahead of time

Don’t expect HBO in your bedroom (although I have stayed in hostels with cable tv before)

And finally just in case bring flip flops to wear in the shower- because you just never know!