White Begpackers, Who Are They? The White Begpacking Trend & FAQs.

Who are White Begpackers?

The White Begpacker has gotten a lot of press in the travel community and is a fairly recent phenomenon in the world of travel and tourism. But who are White Begpackers? White Packers are tourists from Western predominantly so-called, “white” countries like the UK, Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Australia and  New Zealand. 

These Begpackers, instead of backpacking and paying their own way through the countries they travel in, find themselves a corner on the street or a space on a sidewalk and beg for money to fund their travels. 

They really are an embarrassment, not only to their own home countries but also to their fellow citizens from those countries who are traveling and are legitimate tourists. 

They basically give tourists from Western countries a bad name. Which when you think about it, isn’t very hard to do. 

After all, you have the ugly loud American, the British stag parties, the rude Russian tourist and the partying down under crowd from Australia, New Zealand. 

In general these serial types are harmless enough and you must accept people for who they are and not based on some stereotype of course. 

However, White Begpackers are actually earning their notorious reputations. 

Let’s explore the whole world of White Begpackers as well as answer a few FAQs about the whole White Begpacking phenomenon.

Why do White Begpackers have such a bad reputation?

Tourists are considered guests when visiting another country. It’s as simple as that. And as a guest you are expected to behave properly. 

Begging on the streets of your host country as a guest is just plain wrong. What makes matters worse is white begpackers are normally found in countries that are much poorer and lower on the economic scale than their home countries. 

This makes it even more embarrassing not only to them, but to other tourists who legitimately come from those countries. 

Normally in poor countries, if you come from a richer country, the citizens of that country you are visiting will normally welcome you with open arms.

Most countries, whether they are rich or poor for that matter, like welcoming tourists to their country. They like to show off their country and are very proud of the countries. 

In turn, tourists are expected to show respect in the countries that are hosting them. If anything else, white begpackers are an unwelcome phenomenon. 

They basically exacerbate the poverty that is already in many of these countries unfortunately. 

It’s almost like white begpackers are mocking the very countries that are hosting them.

Why do White Begpackers bother travelling without money?

Many white backpackers travel without money because they had thought that money was just a minor detail while planning their trip and in their overall experience. They thought that something like money could be easily figured out while on the road. 

Unfortunately, life is rarely a very generous teacher. And despite some of the fantasy books they may have read, movies or YouTube videos about traveling the world they may have watched, the world can be a very cold and lonely place, especially without money. 

They have failed to learn the lesson that money cures all as far as the travel experience is concerned. It’s a cold hard reality of life in general. 

If you have money you will never have problems finding a place to sleep or food to eat or clothes to wear. 

Unfortunately white begpackers have failed to pre-plan and consider this. Many white begpackers feel that begging is a perfectly acceptable way of earning money while travelling abroad. 

Maybe it’s because they see so much poverty on the streets in many of the poor countries they visit, that they feel this is a normal profession. 

But I can assure you that begging, regardless of how poor the country is, is the lowest form of earning money. 

People beg out of desperate situations. Traveling and choosing to travel from a rich country to a poor country is hardly one of these desperate situations. It’s not desperate, but shameful.

Where do you find White Begpackers?

You will find most white begpackers in Asia particularly: Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines as well as Japan. These of course are the most popular spots on the Southeast Asian backpacker trail. And where you find backpackers you may also find white begpackers.

Why are White Begpackers bad for tourism?

As I’ve mentioned above white begpackers are bad for tourism because they simply lower the reputations of the countries that they come from. 

They failed to understand that in the eyes of the countries that they are begging in, their home countries have a certain amount of status and much of it is based on their economic stature in the world. 

So when locals from poor countries see citizens of richer countries begging on their streets, it’s not only unacceptable, but it’s downright bizarre. 

In addition, it actually lowers the reputation of other citizens from their home countries who legitimately travel well funded.

What do White Begpackers do for money?

White begpackers have been known to not only beg on the street. But they also do busking. Although busking is not begging, it’s simply one step above. 

You are performing some kind of service, but that service is not asked for or requested. And many buskers can be downright aggressive to those who pass by, which makes them just one step above a beggar. 

Other ways white begpackers get money is by asking other travelers for money, by making up all kinds of excuses. 

Many white begpackers have been known to even dumpster dive. Looking for scraps or food in dumpsters in the countries that they’re in. 

If that’s not disgusting enough, some white begpackers even resort to downright theft and pickpocketing. 

It’s hard to believe, but the scourge of white begpacking is alive and well in this world.

Where do White Begpackers sleep?

White begpackers usually sleep either in hostels, if they’ve had a good begpacking day, in tents on the street or in parks.

What can be done to stop White Begpackers?

First off, white begpackers should be deported immediately by the local police and officials in the countries they are begging in. That should be a given. 

Unfortunately, the police in many of these countries have better things to do than to scoop up white begpacking riff raff off their city streets. 

If anything, it might be because they don’t know what to do with them. Hopefully, this will change in the near future. 

Another thing that can be done to stop white begpackers is to shame them. If you see them on the streets, call them out for what they are, which are scum and entitled brats who should be sent packing. 

Other than these two more proactive stances to white begpacking, the next best thing to do would be to simply ignore them and walk by. 

Don’t encourage their behavior by helping them out or dropping a few coins. You’re just perpetuating the white begpacking problem.