Before I begin this rant, a couple definitions and disclaimers:
For the sake of this discussion, a wealthy foreigner is anyone from a first world country who has the means to live/travel for an extended period of time in a poorer country without working. If you're spending US$1k/month in a country where the average wage is US$200-300/month, within this context you are wealthy - even if you earned that money flipping Whoppers at home.
I love living in a developing country and there's no question that at least part of the appeal is a lower cost of living.
Traveling to poor countries is great.
I mean, who doesn't love trading in a single Ben Franklin for a giant wad of quetzales or dong that will last you for a week?
From cheap eats to sub-dollar beers to crazy nights out that cost you less than lunch at Applebee's...it's totally freakin' sweet to take a few weeks of your 1st world salary to the developing world and totally ball out like you're a rock star.
Or to take that same money and rattle off 3 months of hostel beds and buckets of awful Thai whiskey without the terrible nuisance that is a job.
I love it and I don't think there's anything wrong with it.
With a few caveats.
Recognize How Lucky You are to Have this Option
It truly boggles the mind how many travelers/expats you meet in developing countries who are oblivious to the reality of being born a local within such an economy.
Don't be a douchebag and make ridiculous claims such as:
They're happier with less money.
They're happy in spite of this fact, not because of it.
For God's sake, don't behave as though favorable exchange rates and low prices exist solely for you to enjoy a kickass holiday on the cheap.
And don't perpetuate the farce that "they may earn less but things cost less so it evens out." It doesn't even out - that's why windows have no glass and people spend years to pay off their oven or refrigerator.
It's hard to get ahead on $3-$4/hour anywhere in the world. Getting by is not getting ahead and on that wage they'll never afford the minimal level of lifestyle that those from the first world would deem acceptable.
You need not feel guilty about the unfairness of the world - but don't be a dick and act as if you somehow deserve this better life "just because."
I hear it all the time here from the gringos in Mexico (I am one, too, just to clarify) - Oh, so and so earns $70/week! He's doing pretty good and shouldn't complain.
If you're living in the same country off $500/week then you know damn well that $70/week isn't "pretty good"...just because it's better than someone who's unemployed doesn't mean that it's not still a pretty tough life.
You don't need to pay them above market wage just because - but cut the crap about how good someone has it when they earn in a day what you earn in an hour.
It's fine to take advantage of the economic disparity but it's not OK to try and convince yourself that you're not fortunate to have that opportunity.
Haggle within Reason
There's a big difference between "being ripped off because you're a foreigner" and "paying slightly more than the price a local would pay."
If you go into a restaurant and they try to charge you more than the menu states, argue until you're red in the face.
If you are asked at the market for 12 cents for an unmarked banana instead of 8, pay 12 and be happy that you earn 20x what that banana seller does.
There's gray area here but it's pretty obvious when you're taking advantage or being a cheap asshole. Don't take advantage of people. Don't be a cheap asshole.
Don't stick it to someone struggling to get by over 25 cents to prove a point. You already won long before the negotiation began.
Stop Whinging when Something of Quality Costs Real Money
You see this one all the time...some artisan has the AUDACITY to ask 40 bucks for a high quality weaving they spent 20 hours making.
If you don't want to buy the good, fine...but don't complain that someone else values their time as you do.
Same goes for upgrading to better quality food or taking a bike tour with high-grade equipment or hiring the services of an English speaking local for something that the non-English speaking locals charge less for.
Not everything in the developing world will be dirt cheap so don't throw a temper tantrum or freak out when you're asked to pay 1/2 what you would normally pay for something instead of 1/10.
I'm not saying to throw your money around willy-nilly or to allow yourself to get screwed over by "in-the-know" locals - but with more and more people traveling to/living in places like Central America and Southeast Asia, it's important to bear in mind that these places are cheap because life is fucking hard there - not because the world owes you a vacation.
Submitted September 29, 2016 at 11:19PM by Oax_Mike http://ift.tt/2cOr8je travel
