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I would never waste my money or vacation time visiting a place LESS nice than the area I live in. Why do we continue to be fascinated by the 3rd world, as much as they are fascinated by the 1st world?
Its true. Earlier I used to think all foreign visitors were rich. Now I know the truth after spending time in both worlds. Unless you are staying in those $300+ a night hotels, you are not rich. And also rich people dont spend time exploring 3rd world.
As someone else pointed out, rich is relative. A middle class American who spends $900 on a flight to to a 3rd world country to go stay in $100/night hotels is wealthy to locals who are earning $3/hour. They aren't flying thousands of miles anywhere on vacation.
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Originally Posted by TwoByFour
The scariest country I have been in was Honduras but it had little to do with poverty. There are (or were) lots and lots of guns in the country from America's proxy war with El Salvador. It was downright unsafe to walk the streets at night in most towns. We did, not knowing, and were told by locals not to do that but to take a taxi everywhere. Caracas was almost as scary.
That's same throughout much of Latin America, and yeah poverty does have a lot to do with it. Lots of gangs + not much opportunity = insecurity.
I would never waste my money or vacation time visiting a place LESS nice than the area I live in. Why do we continue to be fascinated by the 3rd world, as much as they are fascinated by the 1st world?
1. There are lots of cool things to see happen to be located in third world countries. Sure there are also things in 1st world countries too but until they decide to move Angkor Wat, Petra, Victoria Falls, Tikal, Giza Pyramids, The Great Wall, Taj Mahal, Terracota Warriors, etc. to Cleveland you're missing out on lots of fascinating stuff by limiting yourself. I've literally seen tourists crying when the sun came up and mist cleared for their first view of Machu Picchu, who's to tell them they wasted their time because it's in a 3rd world country.
2. Many people find one of the best parts of travel is encountering a different experiences and types of life and seeing different things that are considered normal. Sure this can also be done in 1st world countries but by shutting off most of the world the opportunities shrink considerably. Experiencing local food is in itself enough motivation for me to travel, and lots of the best food in the world is in 3rd world countries.
3. Experiencing nature, folks who are fascinating by different ecosystems and enjoy exploring natural environments different than their own often find themselves in 3rd world countries. From large areas like the Amazon rain forest, jungles of Borneo, Galapagos Islands to pursuing a specific things like bird watchers in Costa Rica, big game viewing in Africa, seeing Komodo Dragons in Indonesia, for some people the San Diego Zoo just doesn't cut it.
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.
Doesn’t seem like a deal-breaker to me, though. You know how to ignore strangers who try to get your attention or say “no,†presumably?
And being attacked seems incredibly unlikely.
I wouldn’t worry about it.
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Originally Posted by Chava61
I agree with this statement although one can also hassled by the same type of individuals in big cities in the USA. So if one can handle it domestically, one should be able to handle it when traveling elsewhere as well.
What percentage of intl tourists who arrive in 3rd would countries would you guess are there for the prostitutes and easy women? I submit it is a very tiny fraction.
We recently took a cruise to Mexico. In one of the towns I was approached by a man who offer cheap tequila and young women. I told him I didin't drink that early in the day and I didn't want to die from a heart attack.
In the US poor neighborhoods, I mostly get asked for cigarettes, followed by bus fare.
Do you think squandering their window of opportunity to ask for help on a vice, and not a need, is a factor in why they are in such a predicament in the first place?
Do you think squandering their window of opportunity to ask for help on a vice, and not a need, is a factor in why they are in such a predicament in the first place?
That's a discussion for a different thread and don't forget there is extreme poverty in many parts of the US. It's not just big cities.
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