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I researched this question since posting it this morning. According to travelers on YOUTUBE, you are stared at constantly in rural Africa and huge groups of people will surround you and stare in Bangladesh. One traveler showed how he was approached 19 times in 30 minutes by con men, touts, beggars and fake guides while walking in a tourist zone in India.
(To the poster who said there is no Third World: If that is true why are so many Africans risking their lives going on small overcrowded boats to get to Europe?
In some such countries you will be hassled and scammed to high heaven by louts in the street. Also, in some such countries the begging situation is really bad, particularly very young kids that will hassle you to no end. Some better than others. Sure, it can also happen in many places in America, but not to the degree it does in other places. That may not be PC for some but that's how it goes.
Good grief, where do these ideas come from? We've never had any issues, respect is universally understood.
Maybe the OP's question is a bit exaggerated, but come on - you've never even heard of Westerners (or anyone with the appearance of having money) being inundated with children, beggars, and panhandlers? You're saying it never happens?
Rather than dismissing the question outright, how about some realistic and thoughtful answers of specific countries/cities/situations in which it is likely to occur?
My understanding is that in some third world countries one may encounter touts, pushy panhandlers, or self-appointed tour guides who approach you with varying degrees of eagerness hoping to solicit your business or money.
I've run into the pushy tour guides at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris and at the Parthenon in Athens. They may have been officially certified- I think both countries offer that credential- but they sure were aggressive. The would-be guides at Pere-Lachaise were helpless in telling me how to find the grave of Marie-Sophie Germain, who did groundbreaking work on Fermat's Last Theorem, although they were well-briefed on where to find Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Abelard and Heloise, etc. In fairness, NO ONE can memorize every grave site at Pere Lachaise, but with my HS French and the help of someone in the cemetery office who looked up the info and marked a map for me, I found it.
Just a couple of data points agreeing with the observations others have made that touts are everywhere- but more prevalent in cities where people have few other ways to feed themselves and their families.
Someone already mentioned Bangladesh, the problem there is it's not much on tourist radar so folks that don't look like them are really interesting and they don't have the same sense of appropriateness for attentions. You put a blonde woman in many parts of Bangladesh and you'll have 20 local man standing in a group staring, following down the street, etc. They don't mean any harm it's just a new interesting thing for them, they've only seen on TV.
Some parts of Africa can be really bad for begging because they can be grabby. It's not like the person in Asia who's asking but not touching, I've had dudes in Namibia literally grabbing my arms and pulling on me to ask for money, it's quite annoying.
However "3rd world" is huge and it's hard to apply a standard to all of it. Generally speaking your average traveler in a 3rd world country will not have problems, just as a traveler arriving in Barcelona probably won't have problems either. They might get their wallet pickpocketed by the gang of Romani on the bus but that doesn't mean a question about Spain and lawlessness would be answered as yes people in Spain will rob you. It's a lot more nuanced than that.
Maybe the OP's question is a bit exaggerated, but come on - you've never even heard of Westerners (or anyone with the appearance of having money) being inundated with children, beggars, and panhandlers? You're saying it never happens? :
Beggars, panhandlers and children, of course it happens. Some of the best are right here in the USA!
If I walk up and down the streets of third world countries will I be hassled, bothered or even attacked? Will people stare at me and make getting around difficult?
If you spend enough time in a 3rd world country, there is no question that people will try to get money from you in different ways.
The owners of small stores and service shops will charge you 10 times what they charge the locals because you're a foreigner. Beggars are much more numerous and persistent. House servants will demand extra money from you - sometimes, hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
This is all par for the course. Some people know how to deal with it and some people don't.
There are lots of street urchins who need money to eat. They are generally polite and grateful. Help them.
Not generally.
Many street urchins are ruthless and will hassle you nonstop both verbally and physically.
Not only that, but in some countries like the Philippines, it is actually against the law to give to beggars on the street. Many beggar kids in these places and also others like Thailand, are used by criminal elements to beg for money. So giving money to them is actually contributing to their abuse.
Sure, give them some food if people out there still insist on being a 'saviour' to these poor kids, but don't give them any money.
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