Comments on: Are We All Flashpackers Now?

By: John

John — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:58:13 +0000

Interesting! And I agree, I think free wifi is essential for a hostel these days…

By: James

James — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:35:51 +0000

Oh! The most important item – well to save you hard cash daily – is the right cash card! Check out moneysavingexpert.com they run you through which one to travel with. My Santander Zero has saved us well over £1,000 in fees. Cash is king in the ’3rd world’.

By: NomadicMatt

NomadicMatt — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:26:03 +0000

Free wi-fi is the #1 thing i look for in a hostel!

By: ayngelina

ayngelina — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:10:52 +0000

I’m on my netbook right now and I also travel with a DSLR and iPod although no phone. I wouldn’t even think of going to a hostel that doesn’t have wifi.

By: Jasmine

Jasmine — Tue, 18 May 2010 02:35:31 +0000

And I definitely think that travellers are much more lax with security now than in the past. I’ve had dorm-mates leave very expensive laptops and cameras just laying around the place. I think people are much less security-conscious because just about everyone has laptops and cell phones now anyway (so why would you want to lug around someone elses as well?)…

By: Jasmine

Jasmine — Tue, 18 May 2010 02:31:59 +0000

This article is very true. When I first started travelling I’d see maybe one or two people with laptops and most hostels didn’t have wireless. On my most recent trip, it was absurd – everyone had laptops, iphones, cell phones, ipods, the works. I have succumbed to this style of travel in the past because it is convenient, but I ditched all the technology on my last trip (just had a cell phone which I left switched off – for emergencies only). It was such a liberating experience! I had the most fantastic time, I spent more time meeting and talking to fellow travellers and locals rather than being so focused on Facebook and what was going on back home. I spent more time out and about and less time chained to the computer. I didn’t feel the need to update my status every day with where and what I was doing. Apart from the occasional email to home to let them know I was alive, and checking the odd bus timetable, I simply didn’t have time to be using a computer! Not only that, I didn’t have to lug around kilos of plugs and chargers, I just had a daypack with a few outfits, my toothbrush and a camera and I was good to go. Best way to travel!

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:40:04 +0000

IMO, there are good reasons to carry a laptop and an SRL. I’ve gone on trips without my SLR and the results have been disappointing. And you need a laptop to store pictures, or if you need to do work.

But I have yet to find a good reason to carry a cellphone. I’ve gone for weeks without a cellphone or internet and nobody will convince me that tweeting and being on facebook is a necessary part of travel. Travel is all about emerging yourself into something new, and that is impossible with a cellphone in your pocket. Then again, I guess if you’re on a pre-packaged “backpacker tour” you don’t have anything to emerge into.

By: jim

jim — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:14:02 +0000

Could it also be that you’re seeing a self-selecting group? Not to say that the only travelers are rich but chances are they are more people of means than those who aren’t traveling. I do agree that the trend will only persistent and grow over time though.

By: NomadicMatt

NomadicMatt — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:17:53 +0000

Well, having a computer certainly changes your ideas about security. But I always try to cut away from it when I am not doing work so I can socialize. It’s important to be offline!

By: becky

becky — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:28:52 +0000

I just spent a month traveling around China (during break from my teaching year) and I kept joking with people that we were going “old school” without a laptop. It’s funny because my first few big backpacking trips in ’96 and ’00 having a laptop was pretty unheard of. Now, just a few years later, NOT having a laptop is unheard of. It is funny how fast things change.

I should add that a few weeks into our trip my husband ended up buying a netbook he had his eye on. I could feel a real change in our trip after that in terms of both security “watch my bag!” “I need to carry this because the left luggage at the hostel isn’t secure” and also socializing time “Naaah, let’s not go out tonight I’d rather do some online stuff.” So I have mixed feelings on this as well.