Comments on: Are You A Holier Than Thou Traveler? http://www.vagabondish.com/are-you-a-holier-than-thou-traveler/ Dubious tips & essential ephemera for today's curious traveler Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:37:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: robmeyer http://www.vagabondish.com/are-you-a-holier-than-thou-traveler/comment-page-1/#comment-469 robmeyer Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:02:39 +0000 http://www.vagabondish.com/are-you-a-holier-than-thou-traveler/#comment-469 I actually agree with you guys 100%. As someone who has worked in the field of International Development field for the past two years (I am far from an expert, but do pretend to know a couple of things), I get really frustrated when I see travelers paying inflated rates, buying low quality goods, and paying for shitty service, just because it "helps out the people". As someone who has worked with "the people" for two years now, trying to teach small business development, community banks, etc., it is my opinion that all this does is teach locals to expect handouts, to base their entire well-beings on selling inferior goods to travelers, and to assume foreigners are idiots. Instead of studying and working their butts off to create a solid "bricks and mortar" that provides some kind of service to their fellow country-men, many communities just want to slap together a half ass tourism project, call it "Eco-Tourism", and rip off some foreigners because they are too "responsible" to complain. How does this help to develop the country, educate its people, and bring them closer to the developed world? In my opinion it doesn't. I actually agree with you guys 100%. As someone who has worked in the field of International Development field for the past two years (I am far from an expert, but do pretend to know a couple of things), I get really frustrated when I see travelers paying inflated rates, buying low quality goods, and paying for shitty service, just because it “helps out the people”. As someone who has worked with “the people” for two years now, trying to teach small business development, community banks, etc., it is my opinion that all this does is teach locals to expect handouts, to base their entire well-beings on selling inferior goods to travelers, and to assume foreigners are idiots.

Instead of studying and working their butts off to create a solid “bricks and mortar” that provides some kind of service to their fellow country-men, many communities just want to slap together a half ass tourism project, call it “Eco-Tourism”, and rip off some foreigners because they are too “responsible” to complain.

How does this help to develop the country, educate its people, and bring them closer to the developed world? In my opinion it doesn’t.

]]> By: ourman http://www.vagabondish.com/are-you-a-holier-than-thou-traveler/comment-page-1/#comment-455 ourman Mon, 02 Jul 2007 23:01:41 +0000 http://www.vagabondish.com/are-you-a-holier-than-thou-traveler/#comment-455 Half agree and half don't. They're better guidelines than rules but I don't disagree with them. As for sustainable travel I'd say it was a must - where possible and reasonable. Certainly you can enjoy a beautiful train ride across Thailand for less than a flight - but most people fly. Why? As regards RoadJunky: "...it is sickening to see an Israeli traveler bargain over the last 5 centavos with a poor Brazilian" Now, Israelis aren't always the most popular travelers, but that's a bit "Ouch", what about other nationalities? Half agree and half don’t. They’re better guidelines than rules but I don’t disagree with them.

As for sustainable travel I’d say it was a must – where possible and reasonable. Certainly you can enjoy a beautiful train ride across Thailand for less than a flight – but most people fly. Why?

As regards RoadJunky:

“…it is sickening to see an Israeli traveler bargain over the last 5 centavos with a poor Brazilian”

Now, Israelis aren’t always the most popular travelers, but that’s a bit “Ouch”, what about other nationalities?

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