Budget travel is a popular means of making one’s way leisurely around the world even when economic times aren’t as tough as they are now. But when does budget travel cross the line into exploitation?
Photo: World Resources Institute Staff
At a hostel a few hundred kilometers inland from the famous city of Salvador, Brazil, the owner asks me to translate. Fluency in many languages is a boon and a bane. On this occasion it is the latter, for I am translating for two budget travelers, so frugal that I would not hesitate to call them cheapskates.
After first traveling and now living in South America, I’ve begun to wonder why some travelers are obsessively cheap. I admire anyone who seeks to travel independently, but question those who turn thriftiness into a sport.
Is extreme frugality ethical? Is it even worth the trouble? Here are some of the scenarios I have encountered that led me to question the thrifty intentions of some travelers.
Budget accommodation
Photo:krebsmaus07
A foreign couple stayed in a room costing R$40 per night (at that time, approximately $20 USD). When checking out, they offered to pay R$30 instead. The room did not live up to their expectations and, in their opinion, was worth R$10 less. They had stayed two nights, so their intention was to save R$20 ($10 USD).
Their savings would have amounted to a measly five dollars per person.
The travelers lost the argument and almost missed their bus out of town. They left cursing at the owner, as if a great fortune (and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of victory) had escaped their grasp.
Still, it’s hard for me to imagine that those five dollars would have had a catastrophic effect on their long-term finances. On the other hand, multiply that amount times many travelers, and the effect on the local economy is huge.
Sadly, this was not the only time I encountered the scenario. It repeated itself in other cities, in and out of Brazil, suggesting that the phenomenon is not uncommon. And that fact makes the traveler’s handful of saved dollars gain considerable importance in local economies.
Brazilian Carnival
Budget travelers struggle with Carnival in Brazil. Travel during the biggest party in the world, logic dictates, is more expensive than normal, but many foreign travelers are surprised by this fact.
Photo: Luciano Guelfi
They want to visit Rio de Janeiro or Salvador, and are astonished at the price hike in airfare and lodging, destroying their South American budget travel fantasy.
If the budget is so tight, travel in low season, or spend Carnival in a small town, away from state capitals and the most famous parties. Remember, Carnival is celebrated everywhere in Brazil. If someone chooses to attend some of the biggest parties in the world, such as those in Rio and Salvador, they should expect to spend a couple of extra dollars.
Work to extend your holiday?
Photo: Meanest Indian
Budget travelers who wish to find service industry work in order to support their extended vacations, such as waitressing or working in a hostel, are often unaware of how that decision affects local economies.
The first consideration is that work permits are usually easier to get if you have a formal education and skill set in a high-demand area. People who don’t have these skills seek countries that are relaxed in the enforcement of their work visa laws, and thus become havens for foreigners.
But you could find yourself being deported from certain other countries, like Brazil, if you lack the proper authorizations and get caught. Some people will idealistically argue that breaking work visa laws hurts no one…but there is one reality you’ll quickly encounter: jobs are scarce everywhere.
In Buenos Aires, foreigners looking for work are as easy to find as qualified Argentines living on the streets. Is it fair to compete with the locals in a country with high levels of unemployment and where the minimum wage is about a tenth of the cost of your airfare?
Budget travelers are not destitute migrants looking to support their families or going abroad because they’re unable to find work in their home country. They are seeking to extend their holiday. Competing with lowly paid service workers definitely hurts someone.
Hitchhiking
All cheapskate travelers attempt to justify their stingy ways, and one practice I especially tend to question is that of hitchhiking. While trying to hitchhike in a country where you don’t speak the local language could be considered an adventure, it’s rather silly.
I’ve heard the argument repeated like a mantra: “I want to meet the locals.” Every traveler seeks some form of contact with “the locals,” but how do you expect to establish a significant connection with “the locals” if you can’t communicate with them?
This is not a reason to hitchhike, but an excuse to justify being a cheapskate.
Hitchhiking in a developing country raises another interesting dilemma. In some countries, the person providing the car ride might earn, in a year, what the traveler earns in a month back home. Is that fair? How about at least giving the driver some money for gas?
Photo: Zach Klein
Would it be more responsible to catch a bus and contribute to the local economy? While traveling in South America, I have met interesting and kind locals who, by sheer luck, were sitting next to me on the bus. Meeting people is more about attitude and personality than the means of transportation.
Frugality as a lifetime commitment
Why save five dollars in a hostel in Brazil only to spend four times that on a DVD you don’t really need back at home? Why hitchhike in a developing country while making payments on an expensive new car? Why seek cheap meals on the road while eating and drinking at fancy restaurants and bars back home?
Thoreau put it best: “Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.”
Life is the biggest trip of all, and that’s why I’m a budget traveler at all times, not just while on the road. Being frugal at home means I can avoid being cheap while traveling.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Have you encountered cheapskate behavior on the road? What are YOUR thoughts on these and other practices?
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56 Comments... join the discussion!
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Well said!! I understand budget travel – it's how my husband and I are able to stay on the road. But, you've got to keep your perspective on how your actions affect local people, your hosts. I've seen people argue over $0.50 about accommodation…when it's only $2 to begin with. It's really sad.
Thanks for bringing up this topic!
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"Why save five dollars in a hostel in Brazil only to spend four times that on a DVD you don’t really need back at home? "
Better yet, why not spend the same amount of money you'd pay for a bed in a hostel -generally overpriced and over rated- and seek out a local to stay with? Of course this requires you know the language, which most insular -time starved- budget travelers don't fully grasp the concept of.
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Thanks for this post… I found myself haggling with a cab driver over 1 Peruvian soles yesterday (about $.33) because I knew the ride should have cost 3 soles instead of 4 soles. I walked away, frustrated. And then completely ashamed!
I really appreciate your post. I'm not the only one who needs a better perspective.
Cheers,
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And if you can't afford to tip a dollar, you can't afford the beer
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I think this is a really solid article and you've hit upon some big issues here–especially when you talk about the sense of "victory" that travelers feel saving money, and the sense of entitlement one sometimes witnesses from travelers haggling for a dollar or two. In these cases I think an obsession with frugality is usurping the actual travel experience…travelers get so obsessed with saving money they lose sight of why they're actually on the road.
However, I think you confuse frugality with a particular travel ethic. You ask "why seek cheap meals on the road while eating and drinking at fancy restaurants and bars back home?" I don't think all budget travelers seek cheap meals simply because they're cheap. I think many seek cheap meals because they offer the chance to sit in a steamy, loud, local dumpling restaurant elbow to elbow with a bunch of Beijing locals, or stand at a taco stand and chat with the Mexicans on their way to work. They offer an experience; an experience that one could argue is closer to the local culture, and more vibrant, than eating at a fancy, more expensive, more distant restaurant. Rolf Pott's talks a bit about that in this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/feb/07/rolf...
Also, I don't think hitchhiking is a question of exploitation or fairness. Following the line of reasoning that says that it is unfair for a person from a wealthy country not to pay for something, one could assume that a traveler should never accept a free meal, or a free ride, or the ability to be able to travel for months on a time on money saved up by working back at home. I don't agree with this logic. I don't think that simply because someone comes from a wealthy country he/she should automatically have to pay double the price for something or should have to pay for everything everywhere he/she goes. If a traveler wants to hitchhike, anywhere in the world including the U.S and Europe, I think he/she should definitely offer to help with gas. But I don't think hitchhiking is merely an act of selfish frugality. I hitchhiked all across Patagonia and had wonderful long conversations with all sorts of people, in semi-trucks and VW vans. I didn't do it because I couldn't pay for the bus but rather because I enjoyed the experience (and, as a side note, because there was almost no public transport going to where I wanted to go). I think the people I met enjoyed it too, and I don't think they'd have described it as unfair or exploitative.
Finally, I totally agree with you that the couple who wanted to pay less after staying for two nights at their hotel were expressing ridiculous, insulting behavior. But I think sometimes people do try to take advantages of travelers in ways that are unfair and should be contested. Mexican taxi drivers will often try to get me to pay nearly triple the going rate for a ride. I make barely enough to live on here in Oaxaca and I don't think simply because I'm from the U.S that I should be forced to pay triple the price. Nor do I think that other tourists should be forced to pay it. Perhaps this is a controversial point, but I think asking for the actual price is fair–haggling to the death for minute sums, however, seems to me insulting.
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Tipping is a practise that really pisses me off. In most European, Asian and South Pacific countries that I've travelled through, tipping is a bonus given for excellent service…in many places it's considered rude. That's because service staff actually get paid a reasonable wage: they aren't being exploited and told to make it up on tips.
I firmly believe the price on the menu should be the price one pays. If you want to give more, that's up to you. I'm saddened by the structures that make tipping compulsory and the poor pay of service staff that make it otherwise necessary.
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Never having been to a country in which tipping isn't the customary practice, I can only speak of my experience travelling within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
I think you're right in saying the structure is at fault. The institution of tipping in the United States requires that a tip be left so that a server may reach that reasonable wage. I am doing research on this subject for my upcoming trip through Europe, making sure to respect regional customs and not offend anyone. However, stateside, tipping is a long lost art that hurts those of us in the service industry. We only get paid on average $4/hour, and a 15% tip isn't too much too ask, or one dollar a drink. Everything above and beyond that can be a reward for exceptional service, but anything less is cheap
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I whole-heartedly agree with Craig and love living in a country (Australia) now where tipping is not in the culture. The problem with "mandatory" tipping in NA, is that servers just start to EXPECT it. If the culture is that of tipping, then I have no problem if I get EXCEPTIONAL service. Normal service is, well, normal and the price I pay from the menu is for normal, standard service. I get normal service at McDonalds or any other number of establishments, but tipping is not customary there. Why not? They aren't making very much either, but I have no doubt they work as hard or harder than many servers in restaurants.
I have always wanted to try this: Put a pile of coins at the edge of the table, and as the service degrades start taking coins away…then the server will physically see how much their bad service is costing them. I hate feeling guilty for not tipping when the service was crap.
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An important topic well introduced. Thank you.
Sarah said, "I think asking for the actual price is fair–haggling to the death for minute sums, however, seems to me insulting." I must agree.
In the case of the first couple in the story, do they really think that's the time to negotiate? If they were really unhappy with the room they should have negotiated another room or a cheaper price then. It's not as if that would be the only accommodation in town. Once you've accepted the agreement, that's it.
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Great article. I hadn't thought of cheap versus frugal. You gave me alot to think about when planning my own travels this year.
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Leon Logothetis takes exploitative budget travel to its teleological extreme – http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/1... – and gets rightly criticized for it, in my opinion.
The concepts of economizing, being a budget-conscious traveler, and spending thriftily are all fine and good. Warping local economies or sucking all the goodwill out of a kind individual or whole village, however… that's another story.
*As much as we would all like to be, no traveler is the only traveler on earth.*
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I'm not sure that I agree with the portion of the article which discusses taking employment from locals. I live in a New York City suburb and have watched thousands of jobs be snapped up by immigrants who are willing to work for less than the average american. Why is their need to feed their families any greater than my neighbors to feed his? I have no problem with competition, because it is the basis of the US economy, but then to ridicule someone for competing for a job overseas in, say, a market such as Buenos Aires or Santiago is a bit absurd. At the time the person is traveling, they must provide food and shelter for themselves which the proceeds of this job will provide, so again, why is the locals need any more real then the American's who happens to be traveling? These travelers account for large portions of the jobs that are present in these areas such as Buenos Aires. Without Tourist dollars being pumped into these areas, there would be an even larger surge in unemployment, so the few jobs that may be taken by travelers would certainly not offset the benefits of having the travelers in the city.
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I think you touch on an interesting paradox here. If you follow this line of logic that foreigners should not look for jobs overseas, than you're also suggesting that immigrants should not look for jobs in the U.S.
I also think that very few foreigners are competing with locals for service industry jobs for exactly the reason the author points out–wages are so low. Most foreigners are looking for jobs teaching English or working as tour guides or whatnot. I cannot see how working in a minimum wage service position would really interest or be beneficial to a traveler, unless they're planning on working in the U.S or Europe.
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US workers face immense competition for high end jobs as well. IT jobs go to India, and jobs in Tech and Finance are sought after by educated immigrants from Asia and Europe. Its not that immigrants only affect US workers for minimum wage jobs. So again, I do not feel that the traveler looking for work abroad is wrong in doing so.
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Ugh, the hitchhiking is the one that really makes me nuts. Admittedly, I did it once when stuck on the east end of Hvar Island in Croatia where there is no bus service along the 100km to the west end. Lesson learned. But, when in Kauai, Hawaii I thought I'd return the favor only to find some cheap woman from NYC who wouldn't spend the wickedly small amount it takes to ride the bus from north to south when I was the one in getting dinged for the "totally awesome" Saturn rental car. I guess lesson learned again.
@Sarah_Menkedick In regards to taxis, I think everyone should get taken to the cleaners as a tourist when using them. This is such an American mentality to take taxis. Unless there is no bus or metro where you are, why on earth are you taking taxis?!! They're a scam based on the premise of false luxury and convenience and if they scam you, shame on you, not them. I'm going to DF next month and plan to never take a taxi anywhere with such a massive Metro system. Of course, I have no hope of ever changing any American's mind on this issue as the country is so car-obsessed and public transit-adverse.
-miquel
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While I think the article and many of the subsequent comments touch on important issues, I have to disagree with the point about seeking cheap meals on the road when one dines high-class at home. I’m traveling throughout South America for 10 months, give or take or when my money runs out, and I purposefully seek out cheap, street food because I think it offers an authentic experience. In many places I’ve visited so far on this trip, the expensive restaurants are geared towards tourists. I don’t want a menu in English, and I don’t want to eat over-priced, bad pizza. Furthermore, for me, the length of my trip is dependent upon how much money I have, so if saving $5 a day lets me have three more weeks, I’ll take it.
As far as the taxi issue, sometimes it is absolutely necessary to take a taxi over public transportation. In Brazil, for example, when I was couchsurfing and staying with locals, I was told never to take a bus after dark. Also, I agree with Claudio88 who writes of great conversations with taxi drivers. For me, it’s an opportunity to practice my Spanish and learn a little bit about the new place I’ve just entered. I won’t even begin to comment on the ignorance of the commenter who wrote of Americans’ obssession with cars…↵ -
Working abroad can teach companies and people new skills you've learned from your home country. Most holiday workers are looking for temp work while the locals are looking for something long term.
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Ugh, the hitchhiking is the one that really makes me nuts. Admittedly, I did it once when stuck on the east end of Hvar Island in Croatia where there is no bus service along the 100km to the west end. Lesson learned. But, when in Kauai, Hawaii I thought I'd return the favor only to find some cheap woman from NYC who wouldn't spend the wickedly small amount it takes to ride the bus from north to south when I was the one in getting dinged for the "totally awesome" Saturn rental car. I guess lesson learned again.
@Sarah_Menkedick In regards to taxis, I think everyone should get taken to the cleaners as a tourist when using them. This is such an American mentality to take taxis. Unless there is no bus or metro where you are, why on earth are you taking taxis?!! They're a scam based on the premise of false luxury and convenience and if they scam you, shame on you, not them. I'm going to DF next month and plan to never take a taxi anywhere with such a massive Metro system. Of course, I have no hope of ever changing any American's mind on this issue as the country is so car-obsessed and public transit-adverse.
-miquel
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Interesting perspective on taxis. I agree about the states being "car-obsessed and public transit-adverse." However, I don't think you can automatically label me as some sort of "false luxury"-seeking lazy elite American for taking taxis. In Oaxaca, I almost always take the bus unless there is no bus going where I want to go, or unless I am with a group of friends and the cost of taking a taxi (which gets to a place about ten times faster than the bus does) is equal to that of the bus. This is still ride-sharing and is ten times better than owning a personal car and taking it everywhere.
Taxis are ubiquitous here and are by no means a luxury item. There are plenty of areas where buses do not go and many people take taxis and colectivos (which look like taxis but are more like public transport, taking up to six people to different destinations.)
Mostly I take taxis at night, when there is no other public transport and roaming around the city is not safe, and during the rainy season when there will literally be pouring torrential rains all afternoon and I am trapped somewhere and need to get home. I do not think at all that I should be "taken to the cleaners" for doing this.
As far as DF is concerned, the taxis there are extremely dangerous and I would never take one anyway because so many people have been kidnapped, robbed and worse.
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Like I said in my first response, "Unless there is no bus or metro where you are…" so yes, I know that there are times when you really have no choice. I've been in them such as traveling in Central Africa and you just take what you get there. I get overcharged because I'm obviously not African and that's how it goes. That's the cost of the taxi.
"which gets to a place about ten times faster than the bus does" You see, this is my problem. It is a luxury that you choose to take in that instance and so if they charge you more, that's the choice you're making. You had an alternative, public transit option, you took the taxi, and the taxi overcharged you. I fail to see how one can complain about that or think it's unjust. That's the cost. You pay it and that's that. Take the bus or other public transit options if you don't want to be overcharged. Public transit is quite fair in that regard and then you're actually contributing to the greater good of the place you're staying/living in, since supporting public transit benefits everyone, as oppose to paying a taxi driver, which only benefits him, contributes to congestion/pollution, etc…
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Actually, my point was that I take a taxi only when I am with a group of friends and the cost is equivalent to that of the bus. I also mentioned that this is still ride-sharing, and is better than taking a private car. And, to throw an interesting twist into your argument, buses in Oaxaca pollute the city ten times more than taxis do. A recent article in a local paper showed that the city's buses are the number one cause of air pollution, since they are old and decrepit and the politicians are uninterested in remodeling them. The bus driver's union also recently held a protest to prevent updating them, as it would apparently cost too much money.
I don't really understand the reasoning that because I take a taxi I deserve to be overcharged. I understand your point that taxis cost more than the bus or public transport. That makes sense. What I don't understand is why you feel that foreigners deserve to be charged double or triple the price of locals for taking a taxi. Do you feel that because you decide to, say, eat a steak instead of a hamburger on the side of the street, you should be charged double or triple the price for that steak because you are foreign? Or because you decide to go to a theater performance abroad you should be charged double or triple for that performance because you are foreign?
I simply don't agree with the idea that you should be charged a great sum extra because you are a foreigner. If that were true in every instance–you pay extra for food, for lodging, for transport, because you're a foreigner, than many people who travel now would not be able to travel. I, for example, can afford to travel in Guatemala and Mexico, but there's no way I'd be able to travel in Europe. I can travel in the former countries because I make enough money to afford those prices. Following your logic, I should pay more for everything because I'm foreign. You seem to be arguing for a sort of Cuban tourism structure, wherein Cubans pay in pesos and foreigners in dollars.
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I should have known better than to engage an American on this topic as the result is always the same…
The only thing I think anyone can ask is not to gripe about being overcharged by taxis. They're a luxury no matter how you look at it. They aren't food or shelter (ie necessities) and so the steak vs. hamburger argument is null. And yes, you are charged more for theater performances in places such as Russia (and others) because as a foreigner, you aren't paying the state taxes that fund the arts. I really have no problem with this. There is a price to travel and this was the whole reason for the original article. But please, respond back and argue how I'm still wrong. Have the last word and enjoy. It's not going to make taxis any cheaper or ridiculous.
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Honestly, I think it poses a safety issue in many places. I'm young, defenseless, and foreign with weak language skills. Trying to hail a bus at some wee hour in the dark at some nearly-deserted stop is a questionable practice. Furthermore, tourist spots are logically more practical for muggings and assault. So rather than wait God knows how long for the bus system that doesn't run on time (schedule says every 20 minutes, but I often wait over an hour), I'd opt for the taxi for safety reasons.
I'm in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and American, and I actually do use the local transit daily–I actually know it better than a lot of locals, but I certainly wouldn't trust it in the middle of the night or unfamiliar territory out of safety. And this is after extensive time living here and the added bonus of appearing like a local. So, I can imagine it worse for an average tourist, who wouldn't know one neigbourhood from another in the first place.
So, I wouldn't call it "car-obsessed" but more "safety-obsessed", I guess I can't help myself as an American, and I certainly still can't grasp yet why I have to pay so much extra, there's already consensus that the cab will cost more, no reason to push it to extremes or take a million extra turns to get to the destination. Not all foreigners are rich, but every one still thinks that way anyway. But I'll take the cab, since I'm more worried about the shady guy lurking at the bus stop that thinks I'm rich, than the cab driver.
Heck, I'm black and in Salvador which is almost half people of African descent., when I'm dressed normally, people think I'm just another poor local, but one day when I wear my uniform from the private school is the day I got robbed.
But I can just dress normal and blend in again, but it's not so easy for other foreigners, so I certainly don't blame them for taking the taxis rather than running around on the streets.
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I live in DF and take both the Metro (which, other than being hot and really crowded is pretty fantastic and super affordable) and taxis (both the regular street taxis and the reputedly safer radio taxis). My husband wrote up a pretty good primer to DF taxis, which you can find here: http://collazoprojects.com/2008/08/26/from-a-to-z...
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if you come from a first world nation and travel to a third, you are undoubtedly going to run into The Look. you will see it on the face of a young boy begging for change outside a gas station or in the eyes of a vendor at an outdoor market. The Look hates where you come from because of the financial separation that is implied, and oh me oh my if you travel as a cheapskate – as outlined in Ernesto's article – good luck in overcoming this Look, good luck in overcoming the dividing line at all.
but unless you want to be a tourist for the duration of your travels, not only paying the tourist prices everywhere you go, but worse, getting treated like a tourist, you've got to shoot The Look down somehow.
and from what i can see it comes down to two things: morals and learning the language.why are you traveling lightly? if you're trying to spread a little bit of coin over a big chunk of earth then it's absolutely necessary. just do it under your own power. don't haggle for hostel prices or not tip in restaurants, turn the sacrifice on yourself. it's like not going out for drinks on a friday night when you were trying to save money in the first place. eat fucking hot sauce and crackers for breakfast and sleep under the stars every once in awhile.
as for learning the language just prepare yourself for a whole lot of smiling and nodding and people being incredibly helpful. necessary article Ernesto.
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I agree, Darren, that I don't want a "week long lobster-fest of a vacation." I don't buy expensive DVD's, own a car, or eat at fancy restaurants at home, and I don't on the road. I think this article assumes that people are frugal or "cheapskates" on the road simply because they are trying to take advantage of local prices or because they're traveling and are for some reason extra-paranoid about money. But in my experience people who live luxurious lifestyles at home also look for them abroad (hence the success of magazines like Travel and Leisure) and people who do not live, or want to live, luxurious lifestyles at home do not look for them abroad. Sometimes, it's not so much about money as it is about a particular ethic. I say sometimes because I agree with the author that sometimes budget travel also becomes a perverse sport or challenge for travelers.
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I love these articles that get everyone fired up like this. Like so much in life, this is not a black and white issue. While I agree on the general idea that you shouldn't fret so much about what amounts to a few cents to you whereas it might mean a meal for a local, there are many exceptions and it depends where you are. Longterm budget travelers are not the same animal as those who take holiday from work for 2 weeks, a month or even a couple months. A lot of budget travelers don't have jobs to go back to (if they even know where they will end up) and are living on what is in their bank account. Of course, locals won't understand this and think all foreginers are made of money. Sometimes travelers will be living on a budget probably not far off what a local might be living on, I imagine.
I don't mind paying more than a local pays, but when it gets to ridiculous levels like charging ten times that, then it stops being acceptable. There is also the feeling of being taken advantage of, no one likes that. That's also when it stops being about money.
It's a tough issue to comment on, as I write this I am going back and forth in my mind about it. I think it's something that you can only judge when it's actually happening, given all the immediate factors. Of course, some of those examples in the article are bad, like the couple who agreed on a room rate then tried to pay less. If they thought badly of the room they should have said something right off the bat, not wait until check out. They are not budget travelers, they are scam artists.
Everything in moderation, right?
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Thanks for the stimulating conversation, everyone. We decided to publish this article because it hints at some important considerations that should concern all travelers–regardless of their own nationality and regardless of their destination.
Personally, I don't think it's necessarily useful to parse Ernesto's argument to death by noting all the exceptions or anecdotes that make him "right" or "wrong." Better, don't you think, to take a closer look (as some of you obviously have as a result of the article, based on your comments) about your own choices, both at home and when you're traveling about fairness, the value of a dollar (or whatever currency) to you and to others, and how you can get a fair deal while treating others fairly, too?
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Couldn't have put it any better myself, Julie–It's all about self-awareness and moderation
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For what it's worth, those staff at McDonald's make a (sometimes substantially) higher hourly wage than servers. A separate (lower) minimum wage applies to servers across most of North America, because of the assumption of tips. In theory, the price you pay for your meal reflects the reduced labour cost to the restaurant, though obviously that's a big "in theory"…
I agree that the tipping culture has gotten out of hand, and that restaurants probably shouldn't have been allowed to force servers to rely entirely on tips (for many, it's far, far more than 50% of their income) but since that IS the way it is right now, it always worries me to hear people talking about boycotting tipping or objecting, etc. The system needs to be changed (if it's going to be changed) at a higher level, rather than simply punishing servers.
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Eva, thanks for putting that a little more gracefully than me. I get especially angry because my tips, in all reality, ARE what I live on. Every cent I make at my other job goes into the travel fund savings account.
Institutionalized tipping is wrong, I agree. But as Eva says, it is not in anyone's best interest to punish the server (we remember you…). Service quality increases with food quality and there is a reason tipping is usually based on a percentage: a $40 dinner yields more than a $4 breakfast. But your server at Denny's isn't telling you about the "roast duck with mango salsa" that would go great with such and such wine.
The pathetic part is that if food prices were raised to compensate for say….the equivalent of a 15% tip across the board server salary, and you no longer had to add any money at the end of the bill, there would be OUTRAGE because those cheapskates that leave 5-10% are now held accountable regardless.
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I wouldn't be outraged. I would welcome that, actually. I don't like feeling hostage to something that, in theory, is supposed to be optional and is supposed to be incentive for the staff to provide great service.
It's getting a bit off-topic now, but I just researched quickly Eva's comments about min. wage. I couldn't find anything that said servers in Canada are paid below min. wage, but in the States that is true, although it varies state to state (e.g. in Washington they are paid min. wage). But I also saw a comment from someone who said servers are supposed to keep track of their tips, because if the tips don't raise the wage to min. levels then the employer is supposed to compensate. Is this true? (as an aside, do you claim all your tips for taxes??)
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I wouldn't be outraged. I would welcome that, actually. I don't like feeling hostage to something that, in theory, is supposed to be optional and is supposed to be incentive for the staff to provide great service, but don't (and I have to reward them? – this is especially true for attractive servers, who think just by being hot they deserve a tip). And I have to disagree that service is proportional to food quality. I've had both horrendous and excellent service right across the spectrum.
It's getting a bit off-topic now, but I just researched quickly Eva's comments about min. wage. I couldn't find anything that said servers in Canada are paid below min. wage, but in the States that is true, although it varies state to state (e.g. in Washington they are paid min. wage). So I don't know if "most of NA" is exactly true…so now I have to research where servers don't get min. wage before eating out?! This is getting complicated
But I also saw a comment from someone who said servers are supposed to keep track of their tips, because if the tips don't raise the wage to min. levels then the employer is supposed to compensate. Is this true? (as an aside, do you claim all your tips for taxes??)
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In Ontario min. wage for servers is at least $2 less per hour. Unless it's changed since I quit my last waitressing job in '07…
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For someone with travel experience that has apparently been so informative and broadening, and who comes off sounding so ethically and morally superior, you really have a way of making immature sweeping generalizations about a particular culture. I know many, many Americans who bike to work every day, use public transport, and work for organizations devoted entirely to lessening the use and impact of cars. But anyway. I just wonder how you can express this paradox of worldliness and small-mindedness so unabashedly.
As for the steak vs. hamburger and theater arguments, my point was exactly what Eva is asking below–why should someone be overcharged for a service that doesn't keep one alive, or that could be considered a "luxury?" I'm not questioning the fact that these services might be expensive, but why should foreigners be overcharged? You missed the point of the hamburger vs. steak argument entirely. My point was that the steak is a luxury, and just as you may opt to take a taxi instead of a bus, you may opt to eat a steak instead of a cheap hamburger or a plate of rice. Similarly, you may opt to see a theater performance instead of hanging around reading in your hotel. Both experiences could be considered "luxuries" and neither is necessary. (Also, calling theater "shelter" is stretching things a bit.) So therefore, should you be charged ten times more for this experience than a local? I don't see the reasoning and you seem to be resorting to huffing and puffing about "Americans" rather than explaining it.
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good thoughts, Carlo!
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well said, Julie.
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This is a great article Ernesto, for the simple reason that it forces people to think about the impact of (budget) travel in ways that they wouldn't before. I think traveling is one of the ultimate highs but just like everything in life, there are pros and cons to it. Not to veer too much off topic, but I just read this interesting article detailing how tourists are threatening the ecological livelihood of the Galapagos Islands. Some advocate people visiting it only once in a lifetime, while others argue that the tourism industry is what sustains the islands.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/459243...
Does this mean you should never visit the Galapagos? No. But it does remind you of a very simple truth: for every action, there is a reaction. Even when that action is something as innocent as traveling the world.
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See, this is a great article becomes it forces us to examine assumptions that we assume are beyond reproach. It forces us to question things we hold for granted. It's good to remind ourselves that for every action there is a reaction. I jst read an article about how tourists are damaging the Galapagos Islands.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/459243...
Should tourists be banned from the Galapagos? No. But maybe, as one of the people interviewed in the article suggest, there should be limits on the number of times people are allowed to go there. I think that logic is the central idea of this article. While it is intelligent to travel on a budget, it doesn't give one the excuse to be a cheapskate for its own sake.
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Interesting article.
I think the 'cheapskates' that you have come across, are of a certain genre. It sounds to me as if they are the cash-flashers back home, but when they travel, they want to be the backpackers, or more accurately, the flashpackers, and so they regard it as somewhat 'trendy' or 'cool' to try and do everything on the cheap.The hitchhiking section was interesting. Seeing as words only communicate 7% of what we as humans are trying to get across, I think that hitchhiking and not speaking the language is a great way to get a feel of the locals.
Haha, in a way you contradict yourself. You say it is all about the attitude? Of course it is. On the public bus you can sit with your iPod in and not talk to anyone, or you can hitchhike and make an effort. Or vice versa.
Most hitchhikers usually chip in something, a beer, food, cash, whatever. And for those that don't? That's on their book.There are other ways to earn, such as teaching the locals English (if you speak it). For those that require to be taught, often travelers can teach at a fraction of the price for what it would cost elsewhere for a private lesson.
I do agree with 'Frugality being a lifetime commitment' for sure. I think for a lot of real travelers, and not the flashpackers, frugality becomes second nature back home, after seeing what we see whilst on the road.
As for always paying the right amount… Well that would make the world a little boring without a haggle or two, wouldn't it?
Nice one on the article, it has inspired thought and reaction!
Good jobHazardousPioneers dot blogspot dot com
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This is such an important issue–thank you! I lived abroad for many years, and saw it happen so many times–tourists haggling over an issue of a few cents, getting angry, losing face…an all around bad scene. There's a fine line between traveling on a budget, and being a cheapskate, and that line is mostly mindfulness. In my experience, courtesy goes a long way, and knowing when to pay that 50 cent "tourist tax" without making a scene.
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Definitely agree with you on budget accommodation – simple bungalows in Thailand usually cost about $5-20/night, but I've still seen people haggle over a few bucks.
As far as hitchhiking is concerned… well, I did it in Japan, where no one should ever need to hitchhike – trains and buses run to every corner. I just wanted to see how Japanese would react to a hitchhiking foreigner. Very hospitably.
No tipping in Japan, either, but I've tried to wrap my brain around what to do at a Japanese-owned and operated restaurant in Auckland… the service was great… but do they want, or will they accept tips?
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Just to insert something into the debate here…
So, if people have more money, in say, Japan, when they come to Canada where I live they should pay more?
And if they come from a country which we regard as "poorer", they should pay less money?
Aren't we making a few silly generalizations here? Untimately, a two-tiered pricing system is racist. It paints certain groups as being uniformly "privileged" or "downtrodden"…oh, the old oppressors and victims trap! This doesn't help to erase social divisions, particularly. And it's just untrue…are all white people rich? Are all Western travelers rich? Are all "brown people" poor? NO. I don't like demoting others to useless symbols.
I lived in India for a long time. Some locals would see my little white face coming and the price would go up ten fold. I was writing for a living, even in India, and not even being paid properly because some of the publications I was writing for in India already felt I had "enough money", based on my skin colour. I got this ALL the time. It became exhausting, on my mind as wella s my bank account, to the point where I no longer wanted to work in India. I am not saying ALL of India is like this- mentalities of "uniform anything" are a total disaster, but some of my experience was this exact problem.
When visitors come to my country, I see them as valuable as I am. That's called true hospitality. They should respect me and I should respect them- as PEOPLE first, not nationalities, or dollars and cents, and part of that is charging a fair price, even if I know they have more money than me. My contribution to this equasion is not being an ugly traveller and bartering over the last dime. I mea, let's all agree to be decent here.
I'm NOT defending the cheap-ass jerks who haggle over TWO CENTS, but I don't appreciate being charged double for everything in some places I've travelled. It's garbage logic.
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good points, Emily!
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While the piece makes some gross generalizations, it's a worth starting point for the discussion.
I find that grossly overpaying for services is extremely damaging to international relations and local economies. When a taxi cab driver in Delhi demands double the tourist rate for a ride which is already quadruple the local rate, and gets it they just assume that the next tourist to come along will pay those rates as well. Very quickly you get a situation where taxi cabs extort ridiculous rates from tourists and further refuse to drive locals around. The same if true, and even worse, in Goa FWIW.
Haggling for the best price is standard practice in many cultures and failing to do so just strengthens the idea that all foreigners are rich who can waste money.
One needs to remember that plenty of travelers have fixed budgets and choose to travel to low cost destinations because they are low cost destinations. I have several times found myself trying to explain to locals in India that I spent most of my budget on airfare and came to India because it's somewhere I could afford to travel.
Regarding seasonal prices, this is true tourists don't have a valid right to complain when prices go up or down according to demand.
Regarding working (presumably illegally) I think the ethical ramifications very much depend on the specifics of the situation. Rarely are travelers truly taking jobs from the homeless masses on the streets, in fact they are probably helping employ them in a macro view. For example If I take a job as a English speaking tour guide and in the processes employ a non-english speaking driver who gets paid out, as well as I teach a little english to so that maybe someday he'll be able to drive tourists around on his own, is this not beneficial?
Regarding hitchhiking, I consider it no differently than hitchhiking back home. It's certainly always appropriate to contribute something in return, whether it be monetary (paying for gas) or service (helping out to unload the truck).
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Thoughtful comment – thanks. I think that hitch-hiking can work out more expensive than public transport – see guide, below:
http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/01/04/guide-...
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A few months ago some friends and I decided we’d take a autorickshaw back to our hotel after an evening bollywood film. There were no buses running at that hour, and our hotel wasn’t very close.
One autorickshaw driver approached us offered three times the price our hotel manager suggested was a fair amount. We refused to go with him based on mere principal, though the equivalent was just a few bucks. We started walking in the direction of our hotel.
Another autorickshaw driver pulled up and agreed to our suggested price. I found this to be totally brave and cool of him. He said he understood tourists were being scammed and he didn’t think it was right.
Suddenly, driver number one rushed up. Hollering, pointing, fist-pounding on the roof ensued. Driver 2 didn’t react, and though he appeared a little shaken up and scared, he stuck up for us. Driver 1 yelled in hindi and driver 2 answered in English, allowing us to somewhat follow the scope of the argument.
Driver 2 later explained to us that taxi and autorickshaw drivers in the town of Jaipur cannot offer tourists local prices. The taxi mafia (?) will come after them at night, busting up their vehicles and beating them, and sometimes their families.
I’m grateful for this example of a brave man standing up for what he believed in. My friends and I ended up paying him way more than the rate the first driver was asking. Respect.
And for this article… It’s really interesting to hear each unique voice defending what they believe to be ‘truth.’ In my opinion, each situation is circumstantial. Ultimately, people will do what they will do.
Those of us who feel we have more ‘right’ opinions than others should simply lead by example. Hopefully the masses will catch on.
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I'm confused by your initial argument, Miquel — that it's legitimate to overcharge, no matter how grossly, for any service that doesn't physically keep people alive? Am I understanding you right? Anyone who ever spends money on something optional, deserves to be scammed?
Please don't tell me I can't possibly understand because I'm American. (For one thing, I'm not an American.) Try me. I want to understand what you're getting at here.
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Don't leave, Miquel! There's so much I can't possibly understand about taxis!
If only I could think good. Maybe you know why brick is square, but splash is round? Stupid American genes! Need more hamburgers.
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I'd say the comment "I should have known better than to engage an American on this topic as the result is always the same… " has lost him any credibility he may have had.
In Russia, they tell you straight up that you, the foreigner, will pay this amount, and that locals will pay this amount. Two-tiered pricing. While it stinks, it's fair and I appreciate knowing in advance. What chaps my hide is when I'm in Vietnam trying to board a public bus where there is a clear-as-crystal sign stating the fare price, and the driver is gouging me by ten times that price. (There you go Miquel…I tried to do the "right thing" by taking a local bus, but I'm still getting ripped off. Is it OK to get mad now?)
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Good point. I think having an argument about whether or not taking a cab is ethical or makes you a lesser human being is absurd. I mean, really? Some of the most intriguing, informative, or just funny conversations I've had in another country have been with a cab driver. I love finding out where they're from, their craziest clients, how they got to where they are, etc. Some of them have great stories. What's the fuss?!
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I'd forgotten about that aspect. This is very true. I had a 6 month job where i had to fly around Australia and I had to take cabs everywhere (on the company's dime of course). I used to have very stimulating conversations with the drivers as they were from all over the world and got very good insights on the places they were from, and their personal stories (always interesting).
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