The Notorious Stories of Backpackers

When you are reading an article about mishaps in foreign countries, you are often reading it from the perspective of an outsider – a foreigner who went into a country and had a bad experience with the locals and wrote about it on his/her blog.

What is often neglected and missing in these types of articles is the perspective of the locals. What do they think about us, backpackers going into their countries, exploiting however we can and treating them like they owe us the world?

I was born in Thailand, and I have backpacked through the region many times in the past 4 years. Throughout my journey, I had the opportunity to sit and talk to many locals who shared their bad experiences with some backpackers who came to Thailand just to exploit the Thai's easy-going and smiley attitude for their own excitement or gains. This article is a collection of those stories told from the perspective of the locals.

Table of Contents

The Missing Hundred Baht
- "Maybe 100 baht will extend my trip by 3 seconds"
A Beautiful House and a Stolen Bag
- "Can I take a photo of your house?"
Recreating a Crime Scene from a Hollywood Movie
- "Why pay when I can jump off the window?"
Perks of Having a Dual Citizenship
- "You are Free from any accountability"
I Steal. Deal with it!
- "For the lolz"
So What Should We Do?
Further Reading for Inspiration

The Missing Hundred Baht

"Maybe 100 baht will extend my trip by 3 seconds"

Due to the affordability of traveling in Southeast Asia, there has been a significant increase in the number of backpackers from all over the world. Among them are backpackers who are willing to do whatever it takes to save money.

One night in a hostel near the infamous Khao San Road, a lone backpacker from Finland woke up and readied himself for a long morning bus ride to the south. The day before, he had asked the owner of the hostel to leave a key by the counter so he could go to the bus station in the early morning. In typical Thai fashion, the owner trusted the backpacker and gave him access to the office so he could retrieve the key. The next morning, the owner came down and realized that a metal case where he kept his small change was gone.

Apparently, this Finnish backpacker thought that it would be a good idea to steal the metal case with only 100 baht inside, so that he could extend his Southeast Asia trip. The owner took a screenshot of him stealing the money from the security footage and sent it to the embassy of Finland in Bangkok, hoping their own government would teach him a lesson or two when he gets back.

A Beautiful House and a Stolen Bag

"Can I take a photo of your house?"

Late morning one day, an unknown backpacker walked along the streets of Khao Sok village in the south of Thailand. As he walked past this one house, he saw a local inside living out his usual day. This strange backpacker decided to walk into the house and start chatting up with the local.

As the strange backpacker praised how beautiful the house was, he casually asked the owner if he could walk around the house and take some photos. Excited to show his hospitality, the owner agreed, and while he was not looking, the backpacker decided to steal a duffle bag that was in the backyard, being dried on a hanger. When the owner realized what had happened, it was already too late, as the backpacker was in a van on his way to somewhere else.

What the backpacker did not realize was that everyone in that village knew each other, and they all kept in contact within a local chat room in an app called Line (WhatsApp for Thailand). They coordinated with hostel owners, van drivers, and eventually found out which van he was in. The van driver then stopped the car, humiliated him, and asked that backpacker in front of everyone to return the bag or face charges.

Recreating a Crime Scene from a Hollywood Movie

"Why pay when I can jump off the window?"

In a remote area of the South of Thailand, stood a cheap resort equipped with a pool and several private traditional bungalows scattered in a forest, all for less than 1,000 baht per night (30 USD). A group of backpackers decided that it would be fun to recreate a scene from a cliché Hollywood crime movie and not pay for the bungalow by tricking the hotel staff and escaping through the window.

They tied all the bed sheets together into a rope and jumped down from a window while having all the fans and lights turned on so that the staff would not be bothered checking.

Trusting that no one would ever take advantage of a resort that is already generously priced, the staff did not bother until the next day when they realized that something seemed wrong. Before they knew it, the backpackers were long gone. They had gone through all the trouble to create such an elaborate plan just to evade paying $30.

Perks of Having a Dual Citizenship

"You are Free from any accountability"

In Vietnam, it is common for backpackers to rent motorbikes and explore the country. It is also common to see reckless backpackers involved in accidents, crashing their motorbikes due to negligence. To hold these backpackers accountable, the rental stores have to ask for the renter's passport and hold on to it until the motorbike is returned in good shape.

One day, a reckless backpacker got himself hospitalized because he crashed the rented motorbike and completely wrecked it in the process. Out of good manners, the rental store allowed the backpacker to be treated and recovered before pursuing a damage claim. Once they got around to doing it, they realized that the backpacker had already gone back to his country without paying a dime for the damage.

Apparently, he had dual citizenship, and the passport he gave to the store was not the main one he used for travel. The store ended up having to report the incident to the embassy, wondering whether they will ever be compensated for the damaged motorbike.

I Steal. Deal with it!

"For the lolz"

In the north of Thailand, there is a small town called Pai where a local bartender serves drinks and attends to backpackers. To accommodate the many backpackers visiting her bar, she decides to lend her lighter to anyone who asks for it. After all, it is only a lighter, and she thinks no one will make the effort to steal such a small thing. However, she soon realizes she was wrong.

One night, a young backpacker walked in, and while she was sitting at the table with her friends, she saw a lighter that had been left by the bartender for sharing. The young backpacker decided that it would be fun and exciting to have it for herself, so she put it in her skirt and walked away.

A while later, the bartender came asking them if they had seen her lighter. This young backpacker, with the biggest poker face, lied straight to the bartender's face and ignored her. Apparently, she could afford to travel to Thailand but didn't have the money to buy her own lighter.

So What Should We Do?

I am by no means attacking all backpackers here. After all, I am also a backpacker. However, this small percentage of backpackers who believe they are entitled to everything and that the locals have to cater to their every need is as sickening as the locals who scam or rob tourists. The only difference here is that the bad backpackers are well-educated, whereas the bad locals are not.

The fact that these bad behaviors are coming from well-educated backpackers who have the money to fly all the way to Southeast Asia, whereas the locals have to scramble their way just to survive, makes it even more unforgivable.

Next time you travel to a developing country, before you start blaming the locals because they charged you double for those elephant pants, think about what we (as a backpacking community) have done to them and what they have to go through every single day. Treat them respectfully, and they will treat you the same way.

The backpacking community thrives because of the trust we place in each other, and when someone breaks that trust, the damage to the community, locals, and future backpackers may be long-lasting beyond imagination. Just as someone once told me:

If you think Thai people are nice now, try visiting Thailand 15 years ago.