I think I am!
Focusing on the market of interesting and creative hoteliers priced from $15 to less than $100 usd per person.
I am not a 5* girl, never have been. I like meeting people, engaging with the cultures of those I am visiting. I don’t like those generic hotels that could be anywhere in the world, I like character, engagement, a window on the country I am visiting.
The term Poshpacker is derived from the concept of an “upscale-backpacker” or as wikepedia defines it, “Poshpacking: a portmanteau of posh and backpacking, refers to backpacking with more style and money.” Poshpacking is for the discerning traveler looking to submerse themselves in unique and authentic environments.
It is about being social, meeting new people and being inspired when you are away on your travels. It is about leaving away with a great experience and story to tell. The Poshpacker, poshpacking and poshpackers encompass a new travel attitude and movement that is both aspirational yet affordable. Taken from theposhpacker.com
theposhpacker.com was founded by Anna Kojzar and Tania Cruz Morales, appealing to all generations of travelers who want to discover hand-picked “under the radar” hoteliers that stand out for their character, quirkiness, quality and experience. People love and book with Poshpacker, because of their signature P’s Factors
Presence – Privacy – Perks – People – Price – Peace of Mind
Poshpacker reminds me of my own vision behind setting up the Women’s Accommodation Network on Women Travel – connecting women to women owned accommodation around the world, that is safe, quirky, local and memorable. What do you think?
Comment from Sonya from Womens B&B in India http://www.womentravel.info/profile.php?id=919 I found your article of particular interest, Rosemary, not only because I myself run a homestay (mentioned on your womentraveltheworld website), but also because I have just had a guest who fits the category of ‘posh backbacker’, a category unknown to me until your article enlightened me on the subject. The client in question, a female traveler of average means with an inquisitive nature, checked out of her New Delhi hotel prematurely (despite being told she would NOT be reimbursed her advance payment), asked me to accompany her to Agra and Jaipur (after sight-seeing with me in Delhi), and spent one night at my homestay on her way out of the country (instead of at her ‘reserved’ hotel room). Judging from the time we spent together and the message of thanks I received from her yesterday, I would say a ‘posh’ backpacker’s reasons for preferring a homestay to a hotel could go well beyond the price issue since my homestay tariff matched that of the budget hotel my client had initially chosen to stay at: thoughtfulness, receptiveness and warmth of the host family, their attention to hygiene, an opportunity of ‘engaging’ with the local culture (as you yourself seem to have a preference for) and unique places, delicious and healthy home-cooked local dishes, decent and tranquil ambience offered by the homestay and its residential locality, the host family’s gentle administration of home remedies for a cough or a cold caught while traveling or for an upset stomach from eating restaurant food etc. In short, it’s the nurturing cadre a homestay offers that no hotel in the world can match.