Traveler's Edition
A new phenomenon has taken over the travel world, especially in Asia: it’s now common to see young western tourists begging on the street…to finance their travels.
Labelled “begpackers”, the phenomenon sees tourists who are backpacking around the world, usually on a shoe string budget, take to the streets to ask for money from passersby in order to fund their travels.
WHAT THE HECK??? Maybe there IS a syndicate. pic.twitter.com/xierIhcAt5
— Sarah Coldheart (@sarahcoldheart) April 4, 2017
While traveling on the lowest budget possible isn’t luxurious, it’s also a choice – to travel and see the world is a luxury many don’t have. This is just one of the reasons why the trend has shocked many.
In countries where countless people live in poverty and begging is a way to survive, tourists begging for money to fund a vacation can appear both insulting and inappropriate. It’s also seen as taking away from those who actually need the money earned from begging to get through the day.
What are your thoughts on the phenomenon?
