Keep “budget travel” in perspective

“Few things are more ridiculous than the spectacle of a “budget traveler” losing his temper at a rickshaw driver over $0.10, while negotiating a ride to a bar where he’ll blow $10 on beer.”
–Rolf Potts, Vagabonding (2003)

Posted by | Comments (5)  | August 1, 2007
Category: Travel Quote of the Day


5 Responses to “Keep “budget travel” in perspective”

  1. brian Says:

    Ironic that a website of Rolf Potts would quote a book by Rolf Potts but posted by someone else. Speaking of which, where is out travel guru? It’s been a while..

  2. Henry Says:

    Hi Brian, he’s on the road right now…so I’m filling in the space!

  3. Eric Daams Says:

    I recently read quite a debate about whether tourists should tip “excessively” to people like rickshaw drivers and street vendors.

    I was shocked to read that people actually were against it. The kind of tipping I’m talking about is 10 cents: sure it’s not much money, but it’s a 400% tip on a 2 cent samosa…

    Personally, I say “tip away”, even if it means the prices are inflated by a whopping 8 cents for the next tourist who comes along.

  4. Eva Says:

    I agree, Eric – people get funny about the tipping thing. A friend of mine was horrified in Cambodia last year to watch one of her companions lecture a waiter about how they couldn’t afford to tip him, because they were “only poor students”. She actually used the sentence, “In our country, we’re poor too…”

  5. brian Says:

    As a former waiter who had to live on the tips provided, I always tip well unless the serivce has been AWFUL. Then they get a lecture as to the vagaries of service work instead. Anyone who wouldn’t throw their server or tuk-tuk driver or whatever a few pennies (and as Rolf said, the amount might be a dime…) while on vacation is obscene. They wouldn’t dining with me again. I hope that Eva’s friend made up for the miserly ways of her dining companion.