Bangalore: 
So, what does the backpacker and flashpacker have in common, you wonder. Flashpackers, like backpackers, budget travel, dig out unconventional experiences, tour to far-flung locations for extended periods, and most importantly, travel alone. They even choose to stay in hostels, but pick a private room, instead of sharing a bunk bed with a stranger. Their choice of luggage has also evolved. Since they don't believe in dumping expensive gizmos into a duffel bag or a backpack, they lug a soft-top strolley, plus a small backpack for a laptop and other gadgets.
Meet>> The Flashpacker
Rajesh Khushalani, 36, VP-Real Estate Investment, The Carlyle Group
Travelling since: He started working at 20
Has been to: Southeast Asia, Shanghai, Japan, all across Europe, North and Central India Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, and Ladakh.
Rajesh's soft-top duffel bag strolley is packed light, and contains: Blackberry, iPod, digicam and laptop.
He doesn't want to be "disconnected" from work and home: "I work for the stock market, so, it is important to review my portfolio, even when I am away. Checking emails on the Blackberry is free, so, it's convenient. If I have attachments to check, I sit with my laptop at a café that is Wi-fi enabled, once a week," explains Rajesh.
Rajesh slums it out by: Not shopping, or visiting high street stores. "I avoid eating at expensive restaurants and fast food chains like Burger King." Rajesh prefers experiencing local, homemade and street food. He chooses to stay at hostels instead of hotels, but opts for a private room.
He splurges on: "The private room in the hostel will cost a little more than the bunk bed at the dorm, but the privacy is worth it. You aren't worried sick about the stuff you've left behind in the room while you are touring."
He will not compromise on: Museum tours, city bus rides, and broadway and local theatre tickets, depending on what the culture of the place has to offer.
He sketches out only a rough plan: "Only when I talk to locals, scan through entertainment weekend editions, and consult fellow travellers via email, do I know what's on there." So, he chalks out an itinerary after reaching the destination.
Hostels are aware of the flashpacker trend, and are working towards providing travellers with free Wi-fi facility and other gadget-related services to meet flashpacker needs.
According to a survey by Hostelworld.com >>
21% travel with a laptop
54% with an MP3 player
83% with a cell phone
86% with a digital camera
Only 2% of travellers in India, are real backpackers
Jay Ruparel, 24, Sup. Producer at MTV India, and a travel enthusiast
Europeans budget
travel, not because they can't afford to splurge, but because they enjoy experiencing local life. Backpacking is in their culture. Some of them even travel for 6 months, earning enough in the other six to finance the travel. But in India, travel culture is just about picking up. So, that makes most of us "flashpackers". Travel for Indians is still a luxury, and most of us prefer it to be a sophisticated experience.
She just bought a portable laptop for her trip to Latin America
Aparna Roy, 27, Senior Brand Manager at an FMCG Co.
Aparna is taking a 6-month sabbatical from work to go backpacking to Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Interestingly, she sports a mix of characteristics that define a backpacker-cum-flashpacker. While you won't find her lugging a strolley while on the road in Peru, her 60ltr Wildcraft backpack is stuffed with gadgets she considers "bear necessities". A mobile phone with GPRS, 80gb iPod, which will double up as an external hard disk, digi cam, and a portable laptop, are on her checklist. "I am going to blog and write on my trip, which is why I though this purchase would come handy. Plus, I will be away for a long time, so, I need a mobile to stay in touch with family and friends," she reasons.
Aparna recommends: The ASUS EEE PC laptop that weighs less than a kilo, priced at Rs 17,500, for light packers. Available at Croma outlets across the city
We are catering to a 50:50 ratio of backpackers and flashpackers
Yogi Shah, Co-founder, The Backpacker Co
The Indian traveller is still very young. Unlike in the West, where they start travelling at 18, in India, most start travelling only after they get their first job. Hence, this traveller may prefer to live it up a little he may eat at a good restaurant, drink wine, check into a private room instead of a 40 Euro dorm, carry a Blackberry and a high-end digi cam, and a fancy branded Giordano or Timberland strolley. But their bags will never be overpacked. Plus, they like using technology to their advantage. For instance, they make sure they have GPS or Google Maps activated on their phone, while they are on road.
(The Backpacker Co helps customise travel packages, depending on your budget and interest. Log on to www.thebackpackerco.com)
