It's official I am a flashpacker

After being on a travel hiatus for close to 6 months now I have finally booked a flight and will be off once again. I have booked a one way ticket to Lima, Peru. I depart my hometown Friday November 13th on a bus for Detroit, USA, then hop on a plane November 14th for South America!!

This time though I have become something I despise, a “Flashpacker.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backpacking_(travel)#Flashpacking

I have given up schlepping CDs and a Discman for an IPod. I am now a proud owner of an HP mini netbook. The fact that I actually know what a netbook is compared to a laptop also astounds me. I replaced my third camera to be stolen, with a brand new green Canon. The worst part....I have a blog!! Every twat in the world has a blog, especially twats who travel (no offense to my fellow blogger twats out there).
In the last few years I prided myself on being an old school budget traveler and was taught most of what I know from a seasoned pro. I hated seeing people wasting their time in internet cafes and sitting on their laptops when the world was waiting for them outside in a new and fantastic country. Why be somewhere else when all you are doing is telling people at home where you are instead of actually experiencing it? What’s with all the new fangled gadgets anyway? Shouldn’t traveling be simple? Plus like Ben Harper says, “When you have everything you have everything to lose.”
Don’t lose faith in me just yet. I will always be a budget thrifty traveller, I blame my Scottish background. I say thrifty not cheap though. I will spend money and sometimes a bit more, I just want value for my money. Having a little computer and an IPod won’t change me, it’s more about practicality than anything. I can’t be carrying around my CD collection everywhere. As for the computer it was bought on sale and for the purposes of writing. Old school does eventually need to move into the modern age. I am proud to say, My North Face rain jacket was bought at a second hand shop for $5, my rip curl bikini was 50% off and my travel hammock was a gift with purchase and I didn’t even make the purchase.
I will still travel for long stints staying in budget accommodations, meeting the real people of the countries. Now I will just be letting the world know a little more about it. There is a world of fantastic writers blogging their way through cyber space and well I hope maybe to join the ranks.