Flashpacking: What is Flashpacking? & Flashpacking Destinations
Considering taking a flashpacking trip?
You’ve come to the right article as I’m a full-time traveller and I’ve taken a few flashpacking trips across the world.
The term flashpacking is a relatively new term, and most people don’t even know what it actually is.
So to help you grasp a better understanding, I’ve put together this overview of what it is, and the best destinations for flashpacking around the world.
What is Flashpacking?
Let’s start by defining the term “flashpacking”.
Flashpacking Meaning
In simple terms, flashpacking is simply backpacking but with a larger budget.
Backpacking is a form of travel where you only travel with a backpack. It’s generally associated with travelling on a budget with things like staying in hostels, doing free activities, and eating street food. The best backpacking routes are in Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Flashpacking has the same concept of only travelling with a backpack, but you have a larger budget to spend on accommodation, transport, food and things to do.
Many flashpackers and backpackers will interact and form friendships as those travelling on a larger budget still want the advantages of travelling alone such as the ability to meet people easily.
For example, when I was visiting Basel, I was backpacking on this trip, but I met a lot of flashpackers because Switzerland is so expensive. On the other hand, I took a larger budget to Copenhagen, but I still met a lot of backpackers.
There’s a fine line between the two and some who consider themself backpackers may actually be flashpackers, and vice versa.
Flashpacking is still cheaper than travelling “normally” as you are still on somewhat of a budget. For example, when backpacking in Brazil, an average backpacker’s budget would be $1200 a month. A flashpacker’s budget might be around $1800.
The extra money goes towards things like staying in private rooms in hostels rather than dorm rooms, getting occasional taxis rather than always public transport, eating in restaurants rather than street food, and doing tours or activities which cost more money.
A flashpacker is much more likely to spend $100 on a tour than a backpacker. It’s just the little things like this that differentiate the two.
But like everything, everyone’s interpretation is different. You might be backpacking on a larger budget but still stay in a dorm room. Is that considered flashpacking? That’s up to you!
It’s just a description of how you travel. You can choose how you want to describe yourself, it’s not the be-all and end-all.
How to Become a Flashpacker
Becoming a flashpacker is super easy. There are only really 5 steps:
- Buy a backpack – flashpackers tend to have fancier and more expensive backpackers than the average backpacker
- Save a larger budget – since it requires a larger budget than backpacking, you need to save more money before setting off on your trip
- Choose where you want to go – I’ve got a list of the best flashpacking destinations after this section which you can choose from
- Book your flights – even though you have a larger budget, I still recommend being flexible with your travel dates to get the cheapest flights possible
- Go on your trip – all you need to do now is get on that plane and start your flashpacking trip, it’s as easy as that!
But there are some things to consider before committing to a flashpacking trip. My main question I recommend asking yourself is whether you want to travel for a shorter amount of time on a higher budget, or a longer time on a lower budget.
Personally, I would choose the second option every day of the week. Going back to the $1800 a month example in Brazil. If you backpacked on $1200 a month, you’re getting 1.5 months instead of 1 month of travel in Brazil for the same price.
It’s a no-brainer if you ask me, but I get that you might prefer having luxuries and not know what it is like to stay in a hostel (it’s great, but I get that it can be scary at first thought) or live on a shoestring budget.
So if you do decide that flashpacking is the way forward for you, here are some destinations I would recommend checking out.
Best Flashpacking Destinations
As flashpacking has a larger budget than backpacking, it opens up the opportunity to go to countries which would be too expensive for shoestring backpackers, but are affordable enough to fit within a flashpacker’s budget, such as Portugal and South Africa. But it’s also a good idea to visit the popular backpacking countries but with a bit more luxury.
Thailand
Thailand is one of the most popular countries to visit on a budget, and if you have an even larger budget, you can live a life of luxury in Thailand.
There’s a reason the country is so popular for digital nomads and that’s because your money goes a lot further.
If you have a larger budget, you can do lots more activities which normal backpackers wouldn’t have the budget for such as going scuba diving on a multi-day trip.
And you can also splash out for a few nights in fancy jungle bungalows or a beachside villa. It will cost you a fraction of the price it would in the US, for example.
Portugal
From my experience, Portugal is one of the cheapest countries in Western Europe. It’s still more expensive than Asia or the Americas, but it’s cheaper than the nearby countries like Spain, France, Germany, etc.
As a flashpacker, you can comfortably visit Portugal and its amazing cities, beachside towns and beautiful islands.
You won’t be able to enjoy as many luxuries in Portugal as you would in Southeast Asia on a flashpacker budget, but you get to experience lots of things which most backpackers won’t.
For example, Sintra has a stunning collection of castles and palaces. Each of them cost around €10 to go into. As a flashpacker, you can visit the 3 main ones. As a backpacker, maybe only one of them.
Mexico
Mexico is one of the best countries you can visit in Latin America on a budget. It’s such a diverse place, and it has a little bit of everything.
Beaches, jungles, culture and history, good food, nice people, it has it all. And on a premium budget, you can experience so much of the country.
Just like in Thailand, you can treat yourself to fancier accommodation for a few nights, and you can also do an abundance of activities in the country.
To be honest, you won’t really find any activities which cost a ton. For example, a day trip to Chichen Itza, Cenote, and Valladolid “only” costs $40. But with a flashpacker budget, you can simply do more things like this.
Vietnam
Vietnam is widely considered one of the cheapest countries to visit in the world, and it’s an extraordinary country to explore too.
Being so cheap, a larger budget goes a very long way in Vietnam. You can easily find luxury villas and resorts for less than $50 a night. It’s unbelievably affordable.
I’d still recommend sticking to classic backpacking activities such as the Ha Giang Loop, but where you can spend your extra money in Vietnam is by taking a premium cruise of Ha Long Bay, for example.
For all the countries where street food is popular, I wouldn’t recommend spending your extra money on food. Street food is often the most authentic food you can get in a country, and it’s usually tastier too!
Vietnam is cheap to visit, making it a perfect place for a larger budget as you can live a luxurious lifestyle for the price of basic accommodation in the West.
South Africa
One of the best countries you can visit on a flashpacking budget is South Africa. It’s a little more expensive than the likes of Thailand and Vietnam, but that’s where your larger budget comes in as an advantage.
South Africa is a phenomenal country, with so many things to do. From Kruger National Park to Boulder’s Beach, it’s a wildlife and nature lover’s paradise.
And yes, it’s possible to do a safari on a budget!
The only downside is that there aren’t as many solo travellers, and it’s a little harder to navigate, so I wouldn’t recommend it for your first trip. But if you’re a bit more experienced, it’s incredible.
Josh’s Flashpacking Tips
Since backpacking and flashpacking are so similar, many of my backpacking hacks also apply here too, but here are some of my top tips specifically for backpacking but with a larger budget.
- Be sensible with your budget: Even though you do have a larger budget, be sensible with how you spend it. Don’t spend money needlessly or overpay for things just because you can. For example, if you can drink tap water, there’s no need to buy a bottle of water.
- Stay in hostels: Most flashpackers will spend their extra money on privacy. Instead of booking a hotel room, book a private room in a hostel. This means you still get all the benefits of staying in a hostel, but you still have a room to yourself.
- Allow for flexibility: One of the best bits about backpacking is the flexibility it offers and the chance to be spontaneous. Don’t miss out on this because you have booked too many things to do with your extra budget.
- Support local businesses: Especially in countries which are cheaper to visit, your money can go a long way. Rather than spending money to take a tour with a worldwide tour company, take a tour from a local. Usually, they’re better too.
- Be considerate: Just because you have a larger budget doesn’t mean everyone does. Be respectful of how much people are willing to spend and don’t judge people if they aren’t able to justify spending out on an activity that you want to do.
Flashpacking: FAQ
Below are some common questions related to flashpacking along with my answers to each question.
The difference between a backpacker and a flashpacker is budget. Both travellers will travel out with only a backpack, but flashpackers have a larger budget for accommodation, activities, food and transport.
A flashpacker hostel is a hostel aimed at backpackers with a larger budget, also called flashpackers. The hostels are more luxurious and offer more comfort, but they are more expensive than an average hostel.
Flashpacking is more expensive than backpacking because it has a larger budget. That being said, it is still cheaper than travelling “normally” as you are still only travelling with a backpack.
Final Thoughts: Flashpacking
And there you have it, a complete overview of flashpacking.
To summarise, it’s a higher-budget version of backpacking. If you do decide to go on a trip as a flashpacker, I recommend Thailand, Vietnam and Portugal.
The larger budget means you can have more premium experiences, and visit countries which would be out of budget for backpackers.
Now that you’ve decided it’s for you, why don’t you work out your flashpacking budget?
