Apparently, if you do not stay in hostels or take public transport, if you carry a camera, Ipod or laptop, then you are a flashpacker. And therefore suffer from a lack of cultural exposure and have a lesser travel experience then "real backpackers".

At least according to this BootsNAll article

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/09-10 ... cking.html

Guess I will stick to just being a traveler then.

I think the response to this article has been more defensive than necessary, instead of just stating opposing viewpoints without feeling assaulted. Which is present in Twobackpackers' comment that Paul is entitled to his opinion... but not to criticize theirs. Which doesn't make any sense, because this very comment carries the air of criticizing Paul's opinion.

I viewed the article as an attempt to start a discussion, or to encourage people to consider their reasons for traveling and how they travel. I don't agree with every detail, and of course it shows a certain bias (on my part and Paul's), but many of the comments are knee-jerk reactions. There are some valid points made about technology, economy, and comfort. And perhaps that's why a few of them sting.

Beachcomber: not having your own suite might be one of the "experiences" he's mentioning as worthwhile. And that $2 extra you spend on the air conditioned bus might actually be enough of a financial barrier that the majority of people in a particularly country can't afford it. So already you've created a division, just by certain financial choices. Which doesn't make them incorrect, but it's worth considering WHY you've chosen them. People have different levels of comfort, perceptions of safety, and of value, and with a greater amount of resources, technology, and information at your disposal it may very well challenge your ability to seek a different perspective. A train hopper and a first-class passenger will see the same countryside, and reach the same destination in roughly the same amount of time, but those two experiences are vastly different. And there's a world of choices in between those two extremes.

And I'm not a "grungy" backpacker. I haven't traveled as much as I'd like to, and when I do I'm carrying my digital camera, my cell, my space-age fabric quickdrying clothing, my GPS logger, sometimes my laptop... you get the idea. I overplan and make intricate notes and plans, and I learn everything I can ahead of time. But in the future I'd like to change my approach. Maybe leave the laptop behind, there's plenty of ways to let your family know you're okay with carrying around a laptop and constantly blogging. And the cost of my space-age clothing is a month's worth of traveling expenses or three month's salary in some areas, the absurdity of which doesn't elude me. The digital camera, with its infinitely expandable memory, encourages me to take hundreds, thousands of inane pictures, sometimes spending more time behind the lens documenting every moment instead of experiencing it. The cell and gps logger? Convenient but ultimately not very useful or helpful. And my plans? I have nothing against overplanning, as long as you're willing to deviate from the "master plan", because I don't believe you can learn anything from a travel guide that will have any bearing on your ability to appreciate the world, given the right perspective. Reading about the Grand Canyon and ultimately seeing it? Nothing alike.

And as far as my seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, that may be an excellent example of why it's worth considering why you make certain choices. My time was limited, so I went on a tour to the "Sky Bridge". It was expensive, the bus ride uncomfortable, and the most I saw of the Joshua trees was through the bus windows. The Sky Bridge area is actually pretty small, and you're ushered from point to point, you're not allowed to take pictures, and there's a gift shop. So while it was beautiful, what I managed to see, I couldn't help but think that maybe I should have spent another day there. Taken a hike at one of the other sites or entrances. Carried a picnic lunch. You get the idea. I was yearning for a more "real" experience, despite being unable to define what that meant.

So yes, technology is wonderful. It changes our lives, our society, and our world in ways that are unavoidable and inevitable. And the current state of things isn't any less "genuine" than before. But it is worth considering how exactly it changes the experience and why you've packed that camera and four 8 gigabyte SD cards. Or why you're blogging (online social media is the very definition of technological navel gazing, and yes, I have a blog, a Facebook, and innumerable other "look at me" web services. It's great, and it expands the world, but there is a certain sense of crying for attention to it all. Even this message board post of mine indulges in it, and there's nothing wrong with admitting it), why you'd rather have your own air conditioned suite, or bus with outlets for your laptop, or rather you're watching episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" on your iPod, or why every experience must be dutifully recorded and uploaded within moments of your having lived it, and why this creates the constantly running inner-monologue of how you're going to tell the "story", even as it's happening. And it's not that one is better than the other, or has more "value" (try and define that, by the way, and then go read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"), but a person should have some understanding or consideration of why they've made certain choices, and not indulge in them simply because their point of view has never been challenged. And if you have all these things, live in these ways, strike that balance, and you're doing so as a result of conscious decisions and you're comfortable with the results, then as far as I'm concerned you're just as "worthy" of any title you wish.

And whatever you decide, your choices will differ from another person's, and by the very nature of their having chosen differently it may seem to cast a certain judgment on your own choices, but we can still discuss, and parry, and retort, and reply, and do it all without attacking someone (or their representations) or reflexively and defensively lashing out, and it's that same conflict (and conflict, in and of itself, isn't an evil) that makes a conversation interesting.

I tend to ramble on, sorry!

This reminded me of Rolf Potts' interview about being a traveler vs a tourist. At the end of the day, whether you're a flashpacker or a backpacker, "the act of travel is still, at its essence, a consumer experience."

Also, Potts said this which I thought was pretty funny and true:

Anthropologists have actually gone in and studied backpacker communities and found that when backpackers are hanging out together, they most often tell lies about two things: the amount of time they spend with local people, and how little money they've spent. Every social milieu, it would seem, has status games.

And that is so true. I bet that the author of that article spent the vast majority of his time, just like a lot of backpackers out there, only socializing and partying amongst his fellow white English-speaking backpackers without getting to know the actual local people in the area (unless they're the tour guide), and then turn around and claim that they are "attempting to understand or experience what the country is really like."

I'm actually surprised that the author did not mention that you need to have dreadlocks to be considered a backpacker.

Unless you live amongst the commoners, work alongside the commoners, and speak the language.......well, you're just a tourist. It's really that simple. Embrace it, get over yourself, and travel however you want to get the experience you're looking for.

Anyone that goes to a foriegn country just to look at things and experience culture is RICH. If they do it on the cheap, they still spend time that others in the country they visit simply don't have.

Ironically, I know, and have hung out with plenty of people who overstay their bankroll, and end up selling things on various streets where they are allowed to do so. Not bragging, thats just how I travelled at the time. They don't do a lot of seeing things. Mostly they just scrabble for the next days meal until they tire of it all and go home on the ticket their parents send to them, or perhaps sneak home in some hippies van across the Mexican border. They do learn the language well, which is a plus, of course.

They're not travellers or backpackers anymore, they're survivors who have a lifeline at home.

If you're not part of that game, living off other tourists, or perhaps working in a hostel with no spare spending cash, emphasis on working, you are a 'packer', and yes, worthy of respect as someone who has NOT blown their wad, and can enjoy many of the sights of a country.

If one wishes to settle somewhere and live, well, thats a whole different kettle of fish, but still, you're rich, and be glad you are. There is one thing I have learned well:

No matter how well you dress native and speak the language, you're still that crazy rich foriegner to most people in that particular country. Saying you went native is usually just plain silly. Bragging about it is even sillier.

I saw a lot of that silliness in india, when lily white young women dress in a students dress and speak slowly, as if all Indians were stupid. Wow.... Well,it was only one woman, but she was a spectactular example of going overboard. You are who you are, and thats the way to be.

I read that article, and was pretty disappointed as far as it went. It was just the usual traveler vs tourist garbage rehashed into a different vocabulary. I rarely read the articles these days, but this one caught my eye, as I thought there was the potential to make a good and valid point about how the increase of "semi-budget" travelers like myself is making life more expensive for the truly cash-strapped. Hostels these days, for instance, are not the no-frills establishments they once were, which naturally raises their prices a tad, too.

Unfortunately, it failed to deliver, preferring to set up the straw man of the flashpacker who's plugged in and never interacts with anybody locally. Then whine about how they've missed everything.

I think the reason this article ruffled a few feathers is because it lists too many stereotypes others may not agree with (for example, I'd argue the majority of travelers have a laptop these days based on what I saw on my rtw, and didn't see anyone without a camera). Personally I really don't care as it's not like I have to travel with anyone who wants to go that way- and he who has never acted as a model hardcore backpacker all the time shall cast the first stone.

heymikey's comment says it all....rolf potts is right

there is no such thing as a "real" traveler...simply people wishing to create the illusion of them being the perfect traveler out there with a real connection with the world....while doing it from a cafe on khao san road

it is "the beach" syndrome

just travel, have fun, and do it on your own terms

I've traveled so loaded down with gear I looked like a pack animal. I've traveled with everything I need in an over-sized daypack. Each mode has its advantages, but for the most part my future travels will be done using the lightweight method. The most I plan to lug along in terms of electronics are my digital camera and Ipod. The laptop, big SLR, and the rest are all staying home.

I'm going to deliberately plot my course so that I'm hitting one or two towns not in the guidebooks as well to get a taste of life not on the tourist trail. One of my favorite modes of travel here in China is doing a series of day trips via bus from one city to the next in a circle that takes me back to my current place of residence.

You'd be surprised what sort of things you can see just picking a direction and going with it. Not being able to speak a lick of Chinese makes it amusing as well. To conquer that problem I have some cards made up asking for basic services like, 'Where is a cheap motel?" and so forth.

One thing I noticed about backpackers who tote along their tonnes of gear is they seem to have about as much fun as those of us who just stuff their towel in a pack and head for the airport. I can't really see what the difference is to be honest.

Go forth and do whatever makes you happy.

Personally, I plan to go forth to my fridge for a beer.

laters.