Flashpacking Items
If backpacking is about not carry stuff then flashpacking is about carrying lots of it. Flashpackers tend to have a bit more cash, want more creature comforts, and have a lot more gadgets. Here are the essential items no flashpacker is without:
Camera- Everyone has a camera but a flashpacker has a nicer one. A tiny point and click that takes pictures for scrapbooks? Not for you! You wouldn’t be caught dead with anything less than a SLR or at least a camera that will allow you to zoom in on the pore of a person 6 meters away. You may not be an award winning photographer but you’re pictures will at least look like they came from one.
Camcorder- Camera’s are good for still life but nothing captures the essence of a trip like some video. Only that twenty minute clip of the Full Moon rave in Thailand will show your friends just how crazy it truly was. It made add a few extra kilos to your bag but a flashpacker knows video is the only way to go.
Laptop- With all the electronics you’re carrying around, you need something to do with them. Internet cafes are just too slow and don’t have the power you need to handle all the pictures, videos, mp3s, and DVDs you brought. The laptop is essential for your trip and with prices so cheap, it makes perfect sense to buy one now.
Itouch- We all want music when we travel but a regular ipod or mp3 player just won’t do. Flashpackers want something with more pizazz to entertain us on those 12 hour bus rides and the Itouch does that with one great feature- video. Nothing makes a bus ride go by faster like watching a movie that wasn’t filmed with a camcorder on a screen you can barely see. Added bonus: wi-fi potential.
Body products- Just because you are on the road, exploring the world, and learning about new cultures doesn’t mean you can’t look good doing it. Backpackers are known for being unhygienic but the dirty college student in you is long gone. Whether guy or girl, just because you’re on the road, doesn’t mean you don’t want feel a little clean while doing it, especially when you go out at night to meet the opposite sex.
Cellphone- With SIM cards and phones so cheap, there’s no reason why you can’t have a phone. As a flashpacker, you don’t want to be inconvenienced by e-mail and missed messages. Getting a phone allows you to call up hostels and arrange meetings with friends. You’re on holiday not in the stone age!
Extra Hard Drive- With all that data, photos, and videos you have, your hard drive will fill up faster than a supermodel at a buffet. Additionally, you’ll want to have a backup for your data in case your computer is ever stolen. A true flashpacker never goes anywhere without an extra hard drive to make sure those valuable pictures are always safe.