Stingy or Street Smart?
On travel, trust, stinginess, and the fear of being taken for a fool.
On my first day travelling, we got pulled into a “festival”.
A friendly man approached us, made conversation, and walked us down the street, before pushing us into a tuktuk. It felt natural. Not at all dodgy.
Half an hour later, we were being pressured into a tour we didn’t want, before being asked for £20 after being driven in circles, being shown sites we didn’t care about. It wasn’t a huge amount; I paid because I felt pressured. It was my first interaction away and it made me feel stupid.
On social media, as I am in a foreign country, I get loads of content about the tourist scams where I am.
“Tour guides” saying attractions are closed.
Taxis overcharging.
The more I had to deal with it, the more I expected it. When we got to less touristy countries, it was so nice to let my guard down.
I wrote in an earlier essay about cultural differences and learning to say “no”.
I really don’t like the “tours” where you are taken to commission shop after commission shop.
Because of the few bad instances I have had, I feel like I am now aware and determined not to have the same experience again.
I am aware that I am (especially in India) treated as wealthier. Beggars run over to me, not focussing on the hundreds of other people around. Taxi drivers approach us. Conversations with people lead to them talking about how great England is, and how much they want to go there, after asking if they can take a picture with me.
But I still don’t want to be treated like an easy target.
I also hate the idea that I am giving money to someone who thinks I’m an idiot.
When tourists “swarm” an area, locals miss out. A taxi ride that costs 50p, might cost £3-5 for tourists. Taxi drivers will therefore not drive around locals—what is the point in doing ten trips when you can earn the same in one?
I don’t want to participate in inflating prices for locals. Another reason for not paying an inflated price.
It is hard sometimes, arguing in currencies I don’t understand over principle, to end up only saving pennies. It feels petty and stingy. People in South and Southeast Asian countries can earn a few pounds a day.
Money that seems insignificant to me, could mean so much to them.
The differences between local and tourist economies are already dramatic. Touristy establishments like bars and restaurants already charge multiple times the local price, but it doesn’t feel like I am being scammed. It feels like something I have agreed to.
The overcharging isn’t exclusive to Asia, and it’s not just happening to Westerners in foreign countries. I see it happening in London to our tourists. I see people in pedicabs not realising the trip will cost them upwards of £50. When people from less well-off countries visit the UK, and are ripped off, it not only has an aspect of hurting one’s pride, but it also can cost much more.
For me in Asia though, the problem is mainly ego. Not wanting to feel naive. Not wanting to feel like the one being played.
Going back to my point about giving money to the right people, those in a position to charge more are often already more privileged. They have established themselves in touristy areas, or they own a car, or they speak fluent English or know a skill.
Or they are good at sales and are good at getting the most money out of tourists.
This leaves out the locals who are working 12+ hour days for a few hundred quid a month.
Driving past loads of rice farmers, bending over in the hot sun, I couldn’t help but think about how much more I would be happy to give them money. It felt unfair that someone working the fields all day might earn less than someone steering tourists into shops.
I don’t want to be an easy target. I don’t want to inflate prices. I don’t want to be stingy either. I want to help people less fortunate than myself.
But travelling like this means you are constantly forced to decide what is fair, in places where fairness is hard to define.
And most of the time, the decision has less to do with money than with pride.
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