Hostels that work to accommodate the needs of Wi-Fi flashpackers
Don’t worry, a flashpacker is not a student backpacking across Europe and showing people and not someone who packs really fast or whatever else you can imagine him to be – flashpacker is just a backpacker with a lot of gear of high technology. Flashpackers generally come in two types, the youngest group, still in college, who have all the gadgets but not all the money for fancy accommodation, and the second group of people is in their early 20s and slightly more money to spend and carry. iPods, digital cameras and laptops.
Often more than a third of the things a flashpacker brings on vacation is related to technology. Not only laptops and digital cameras are brought in, but also extra batteries, camera cables for uploading images to share on the go, portable wifi finders, and international plug adapters, to name a few. Let’s face it, in the last decade technology has changed our daily lives and things like laptops, cell phones, iPods and digital cameras accompany us everywhere, especially during the holidays.
According to a survey conducted this year by 2,561 visitors to Hostelworld.com, 21% travel with a laptop, 54% with an MP3 player, 83% with a cell phone and 86% with a digital camera. Hostels have picked up on this trend and tried to adapt to the needs of flashpacker. Just because you have an iPod, laptop, and digital camera doesn’t mean you can pay $ 200 a night at a hotel.
Truth be told, however, this new “flashpacker” phenomenon doesn’t seem all that shocking. The generation of children that grew up in the 90s grew up with the Internet and cell phones. It seems natural that they want to bring them during their vacation. Also, if you are a student backpacking in Europe, you will be leaving for a while and want to communicate with friends and family back home and want to share your travel adventures.
While some hostels have made changes, notably offering free Wi-Fi, the vast majority of hostels don’t offer all the high-tech accommodations flashpackers want or charge for internet access. If you are going to flashpacking, here is a list of some hostels that offer cheap accommodation and Wi-Fi to help you on your internet search while backpacking across Europe or across the country.
Hostelling International – New York, New York
Hostelling International Chicago – Chicago, Illinois
Hostelling International Santa Monica Santa Monica, California
Bellavista Hostel Santiago, Chile
Green Tortoise Hostel San Francisco, California
Banana Bungalow Maui Hostel Wailuku, Hawaii
The Generator Hostel London, United Kingdom
The Tropics Hotel and Hostel Miami Beach, Miami
USA Hostel Las Vegas, Nevada
Yosemite Bug Lodge Hostel – Midpines, California