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Posted by: David Bunch

I picked up an article today on a cultural phenomenon called Flashpacking by way of Relevant Magazine.

And no, it has nothing to do with how fast you pack your bag. Nor is it a streaker or a weird dude in a raincoat. "Flashpacking is just backpacking, with an awful lot of tech gear going along for the ride," said Lee Gimpel, 29, a writer from Virginia who "flashpacked" around India for a few months. "I sometimes felt that half of what I was carrying was tech stuff: digital camera and memory cards, USB memory drive, a laptop, cell phone, three battery chargers, a dozen rechargeable batteries, a power adaptor, blank CD-RWs and a handful of cables and cords," he said.

Colm Hanratty, Dublin-based editor of Hostelworld.com, said the phrase "flashpacking" remains a novelty in the United Kingdom but the phenomenon is widespread. He noted that flashpackers seem to come in two distinct age groups — "the young type, still in college, who might have all the gadgets but not that much money, and someone in later life, late 20s and early 30s, who has more money to spend and carries an iPod and a digital camera."

Here's a link to a Relevant Magazine blogger's adventures in flashpacking across Europe.

This last week of our trip has been so very refreshing. It's odd because I spent about a month and a half by myself and around few to no believers. It was a really good season, but it made me understand a bit more why Jesus traveled in a group rather than alone.