Flashpacker HQ

Experience the world with me.

Travis Ball

Photographer & Traveler

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Flashpacker HQ

Inspirational photography and stories for the independent traveler.

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Travis at Songkran

A little bit about me

Hello, I’m Travis. A photographer by trade, I’m a former corporate employee that gave up my cubicle job in pursuit of that which makes me most happy – travel.  I love the way that travel lets you experience the new and different, opens your mind, and teaches you things about the world and yourself.  There’s simply nothing like it.

Flashpacker Headquarters was born, initially, as a way to share updates with friends and family back home while teaching English in Japan.  It has since morphed into a way for me to engage with others using inspirational photography, travel stories from the road and travel resources that have helped me out along the way.

It seemed appropriate to focus on those to travel like myself: independently, long-term, and with a focus on local experiences and getting to know a destination. The term flashpacker comes from Australia where “flash” means money.  A flashpacker can be summed up as an older backpacker with more money and/or more gear, but that is a simplistic definition that doesn’t do us justice.

My Story

My first trip outside the United States was a 3-month backpacking trip to Europe with a friend.  We spent the summer traipsing around Europe and it was truly the best thing that I’ve ever done.  It got me out of my comfort zone in so many ways and introduced me to the world of travel.  Like an idiot, I spent the next ten years at home trying to make my way in the corporate world, all the while wishing I could be back out traveling.

I came to my senses in 2007 when I made the decision to take a 5-year trip around the world.  It took two years and a second job to pay off my debt and save up enough to get me started. From mid 2009 to late 2011 I worked as a photographer in Spain, taught English in Japan and tended bar in Sydney while traveling through 18 different countries.  The big take away was that I didn’t have to put an arbitrary limit on my trip – that travel will always be a part of my life.  Since that trip I’ve been setting temporary anchor in various places around the world based on work and travel opportunities.

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12
Kilometers Traveled
100
Photographs Taken
30
Countries Visited
2000
Days of Travel
Travis on the Great Wall of China

About This Site

The aim of Flashpacker HQ is to engage in a conversation about travel, inspire others through my photography and stories and provide useful information about photography, trip planning and more.  If you aren’t already on the road, or planning to be soon, I hope to use my travels to help stimulate that part of you that’s itching to travel.  I want to prove to you that all it takes is will and determination to make it work.  I will use this site to share with you information that’s helped me get where I am and new information I find out along the way.  Being a photographer, I hope that the images I take add to your sense of being here with me on this journey.

Photography  My Blog  Travel Resources