The Rising Travel Trend You Need To Know About

By Alicia Sharp published on 25 June 2019

Move over backpacking; there’s a different travel trend we’re into. It features comfy beds, and comes complete with stylish transport options (we had you at comfy beds right?) Welcome to flashpacker travel.

When it comes to planning an adventurous escape to New Zealand or Australia, here’s the travel trend you need to know about.

A New Way To Travel The World

Flashpacking started off as the term backpackers used when they splurged on accommodation just to get hold of a comfy pillow. That was the crunch of it, but it really encompasses the whole idea of backpacking with a comfortable twist. Whether that’s travelling in the upper-class cabin for an 18 hour train ride in India, treating yo’self to a hostel with hot showers in Thailand or kicking back in a sweet leather seat (with USB charger) while you watch the landscape transform on a road trip through New Zealand. Think what glamping is to camping, flashpacking is to backpacking.


Wild Kiwi vehicle in front of mountain landscape

Flashpacking New Zealand

Besides the fact that we provide a flashpacking adventure – the first of its kind here in New Zealand – there are a few reasons why we’re so passionate about flashpacker travel in New Zealand.

While travelling on local transport is great in some parts of the world – New Zealand and Oz are another story. Public transport isn’t really a thing outside major cities. Most places you’ll want to travel to in New Zealand are remote. This is awesome for the adventurous spirit but not so great with the logistics of public transport. Outside peak season, you can easily book coaches from one city to another, but you won’t be dropped off at that local off the beaten trackwaterfall or get whisked away to a locals’ favourite coffee stop with your bunch of new best mates.


Guests standing outside Wild Kiwi vehicle

Flashpacking With Wild Kiwi

Flashpacking Australia or New Zealand with Wild Kiwi is like renting a car that you don’t have to drive. Then add to that a brand new group of awesome humans, sure to be your tight-knit group of best mates by the end, and all the places you’ve dreamed of visiting in New Zealand without the need for a GPS to get you there. Think of it as a step up from backpacking where you’ll have just as much of an adventure, but in a little more comfort style – like a business class road trip, with quirky and comfortable accommodation. Bar buying a van and spending all your cash on gas! Flashpacking Australia or New Zealand is a sure-fire way to venture off the beaten track while still visiting all those iconic locations.


Leather seats inside Wild Kiwi vehicle

Are You A Flashpacker?

If you’re embarking on an adult gap year or you love the style of backpacking but you’re looking to have the same adventurous experience in a more comfortable environment, this is the best up and coming way to travel. If you feel excited about our itineraries, photos of our accommodation, luxe transport and more intimate group size, you’re ticking all the flashpacker boxes. Welcome to the Wolfpack!

You’re an adventurer, a seeker, you’re constantly curious about the world and you just love getting well and truly stuck into the experience. Huge coaches probably aren’t your jam and quirky accommodation gives you the warm and fuzzies for a good night’s sleep. That’s why we’ve created New Zealand’s first-ever flashpacking adventures, where getting off the beaten track is all part of the deal.

We believe that sharing your best travel moments is always better when there are other people there to laugh with, take photos with and pinch you just in case you think you’re dreaming (which you will in New Zealand, trust us!) So, even if the only option for you is solo adventures, you’re never truly alone when embracing the flashpacking way with Wild Kiwi.


Group of guests making human pyramid on the beach

Roam Wild With Us

If you’d like to explore New Zealand or Australia (or both!) on a flashpacker tour, then get involved on a Wild Kiwi adventure! Here’s a handful of our most popular tours which will have you returning home with memory cards full of dramatic landscapes, and a lifetime of actual memories etched into your brain. Did we mention that it is totally priced comparable to the backpacking options in New Zealand, Europe and Oz? Be sure to look at our pricing on each tour, find out for yourself or learn more about Wild Kiwi flashpacker travel here.

7-Day Southern Voyager

14-Day NZ Explorer

14-Day Absolute Aussie

21-Day NZ Discovery

  • Qualmark Logo
  • ETOA logo
  • TIA Sustainability Logo
  • TIA Member Logo