[vc_row type=”full_width_background” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” text_color=”light” text_align=”center” scene_position=”center” layer_one_image=”2518″ top_padding=”0″ bottom_padding=”0″ layer_four_image=”2655″][vc_column width=”1/1″]

Flashpacker HQ

Experience the world with me.

Travis Ball

Photographer & Traveler

Say Hello

Start a conversation!

Flashpacker HQ

Inspirational photography and stories for the independent traveler.

It's Here

Download the latest copy today & never
be unprepared for the weather again.

We Are Salient

A creative agency that builds awesome stuff all day, every day

Travel Photography

Spectacular images from home and abroad.

Explore

Come experience the world with me.

1
1
[/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” top_padding=”30″][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

Welcome to Flashpacker HQ!

My name is Travis Ball and these are my images, stories and tips meant to inspire you to travel.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” bottom_padding=”30″][vc_column width=”2/3″ animation=”none” column_padding=”no-extra-padding” background_color_opacity=”1″ column_padding_position=”all”][vc_column_text]My first trip abroad was a 3-month backpacking trip through Europe in 1999.  For the 8 years following that trip I tried out numerous jobs seeking a career that would make me happy.  After some soul searching in 2007 I made the decision to set off for a 5-year trip around the world on the belief that I was happiest while traveling.  With that goal in mind, I picked up a second job and worked hard for two years to pay off my debt, eliminate my possessions and create a travel fund.  I left in May of 2009 and haven’t looked back. Flashpacker HQ initially came into being as a way to keep everyone back home up-to-date with what I was up to while teaching English in Japan.  I stumbled upon the term Flashpacker and instantly knew that described me – a traveler in his early 30s who loved traveling with the mentality of a backpacker but without the dorm rooms or self-made dinners in the hostel kitchen.  My intent with FPHQ is to create a conversation about travel through my photography, tales of travel, guides and resources. More Details [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″]Travis at TBC Asia[/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” bg_position=”left bottom” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”light” text_align=”center” bg_color=”#000000″ top_padding=”50″ bottom_padding=”40″ bg_image=”3143″ parallax_bg=”true”][vc_column width=”1/1″ animation=”none” column_padding=”padding-7-percent” background_color_opacity=”0.6″ column_padding_position=”all” background_color=”000000″ background_color_hover=”FFFFFF” font_color=”FFFFFF”][vc_column_text]

What is a Flashpacker you ask?

Think of a flashpacker as an evolved backpacker – a traveler who focuses on local experiences and adventure but without the dorm beds and pasta from the hostel kitchen.  More money and more gear leads to a similar, but different, style of travel than your typical backpacker.

Flashpacker Defined [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_content” vertically_center_columns=”true” bg_position=”left bottom” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”light” text_align=”left” parallax_bg=”true”][vc_column width=”1/3″ animation=”none” column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color=”#000000″ background_color_opacity=”0.4″ font_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”3139″]
[vc_column_text]

My Photography

Travel and event photography from home and abroad.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″ animation=”none” column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color=”#000000″ background_color_opacity=”0.4″ background_image=”3137″]
[vc_column_text]

My Blog

Travel tips and regular updates from my travels.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″ animation=”none” column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color=”#000000″ background_color_opacity=”0.4″ background_image=”3138″]
[vc_column_text]

Travel Resources

Everything from planning your trip to working abroad and more.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_color=”#ffffff” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”center” top_padding=”40″ bottom_padding=”50″][vc_column width=”1/1″ animation=”none” column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color=”#ffffff” background_color_opacity=”1″] [/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left”][vc_column width=”1/1″]
The elder monk leads the prayer as part of the Songkran new year alms presentation.

Songkran Festival

Chiang Mai, Thailand

This tuk tuk tried to speed through this attack and almost made it.

Worlds Biggest Water Fight

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Cattle market at in Bac Ha, North Vietnam

Full Of Color – Bac Ha Market

North Vietnam

The Youngest Contestant

Kite Festival

Zilker Park, Austin

[/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” top_padding=”30″ bottom_padding=”30″ bg_color=”#d0e6ea”][vc_column width=”1/1″ animation=”none” column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″]
Toronto Chinatown

Toronto’s Kensington Market and Chinatown

| Featured, Spotlight:, What To See / Do | No Comments

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Most major cities around the world have distinct areas that are known for great people watching, amazing food, and a distinct vibe that gives…

Alaska Glacier Hike

Travel Photo Roulette #92: Viewpoint

| Photography | 37 Comments

I am happy to announce I have the privilege of hosting the Travel Photo Roulette contest for the third time.  Having previously won rounds #3…

Beetleguise costumes

Halloween Hostel – Problems at a Party in Prague

| Music and Travel, What To See / Do | 4 Comments

With Prague’s macabre tourist attractions and reputation for being a party city you’d think it would be a good choice for a Halloween visit.  This…

[/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” bg_position=”left center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_color=”#000000″ scene_position=”center” text_color=”light” text_align=”left” top_padding=”10″ bottom_padding=”10″ bg_image=”3142″ parallax_bg=”true”][vc_column width=”1/1″ animation=”none” column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”0.4″ font_color=”#ffffff” background_color=”#000000″]

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do."

− Mark Twain

"The more places I travel to the more I see, the more I learn, the less I know, and I love it!"

− Burt Robertson

"Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going."

− Paul Theroux

"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of lands remote. To travel is to live."

− Hans Christian Anderson

"Travel penetrates your consciousness, but not in a rational way."

− Milton Glaser
[/vc_column][/vc_row]