Flashpacking is a term used to describe backpackers who upscale their travels. They used to be backpackers but now they stay in more comfortable accommodation. They enjoy a bit more luxury - like a private bathroom. Usually over 30's and up to their 80s, however, there is no lower or upper age limit for being a flashpacker! They have a bit more money to spend, switching between hotels and hostels. They carry more electronics with them like laptops, smartphones and digital cameras, they want to be connected. The flashpacker will go on more local tours or paid activities, where the backpacker spends most of the small budget on food and transport.
Poshpackers are just like your flashpackers above, except they like things a even more comfortable. Poshpackers would rather fly than catch a bus, would never stay in hostels, would eat at a restaurant rather than the local food markets. Rent cars from each city they stop in or Uber X to their hotel.
I really am a cross between a flashpacker and a poshpacker.
I started my backpacking days at the age of twenty travelling to Europe, living in "20 something" backpacker houses and hostels, but those days are long gone. I too need my own space to a point with a bathroom closeby for nightly visits.
I still stay in hostels, usually I will try for a private room and a shared bathroom or at the most a 4 bed dorm.
Over the next 5 months of my Central and South America trip I have chosen to stay at a combination of small boutique hotels, airbnb's and hostels usually with a private room or 4 bed shared dorms.
A flashpacker's preferred mode of transport is generally the quickest and most comfortable. With the discount prices of airfares, it is often cheaper to travel by plane than by train or buses – and in addition when you save time on transport, you have more time to spend at the destination.
I don't want to spend up to 24 hours on a non stop bus or train, so all of my trip in Columbia and Peru is with flights. After many hours of research I found most flights were not that much more expensive than the buses, saving many endless hours on buses and of course there was the personal safety issue travelling as a solo female. From Panama through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala I will be using the coach services and private shuttles available.
Transport in Latin America is relatively inexpensive compared to the rest of the world. My chosen travel routes are generally between 6-9 hours at the most with between 1-3 night stopovers, arriving late afternoons with less early morning departures. Some early starts are unavoidable with minimal services in certain places.
Another mode of transport, fairly new in Latin America but its all over Europe, is private car sharing, BlaBlaCar in Mexico, and Carpool World have started up in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala just beginning.
I have used BlaBlaCar in France. Its like legal hitchhiking where you join up on the car sharing site, list the date and approximate time you would like to travel, as do the drivers of the cars, you pay on a per seat basis. Depending on the distance is how much it costs. For example a ride from where I live in Normandy to Nantes (a 2.5hrs ride) to catch my plane was 11 euros per seat. I paid for two seats because I had large luggage. Usually a small carry on bag is acceptable. To go to Paris is 19euros (a 4 hr ride). Each driver must be fully insured and verified. Its a great way to travel, meet new people and save money on airport parking!
Links: http://www.blablacar.com - http://www.carpoolworld.com/
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I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move
....Robert Louis Stevenson
