Yes, it's a relatively new term which they thought of to identify a new breed of backpackers.

Usually when you say that you are going to go backpacking, people have the impression that you have plans of going into the woods, going camping, building a bonfire and well, basically, you would be roughing it. Or, they would have visions of you vagabonding around Europe with your huge backpack, staying in crappy hostels, hitchhiking and walking a lot because half the time, you are trying to stretch that euro a bit more.

If you do any of the above, you'd definitely fit the backpacker stereotype.

BUT then, there is another group... Backpackers who are somehow similar and yet, different. These are the flashpackers.

Flashpacking is the backpacking for the rich. They stay in better hotels, have better food, carry their laptops, Blackberrys, mobile phones and/or iPods around with them. BUT they are in disguise... they look like backpackers.

I am sure you could imagine which part of our society makes up the flashpacking crowd ;-)

Curious about the details of flashpacking? Well, you can check out Passing Through India by Lee for ideas on how different flashpacking is from backpacking.

So... are you a flashpacker or a backpacker?