RE: Be a Budget Traveler, Not a Cheapskate
Not sure if I can agree with this though. Being a European resident doesn't mean that we pay $50 for a coffee and a muffin. I still live at home and I saved up for a year to travel through Asia and NZ, but it's not enough to cover my entire trip and hence am on a budget.
I sometimes get the feeling that it is assumed that Europeans traveling through Asia are rich. I wish they were, lol. I'd won't be sleeping in hostels then!
Though I still am lazy and have some basic 'requirements'. I like to have a local sim, a nice bed, not live on the cheapest snacks on the block. And hell no I am not walking 2 hours - I will just take an Uber. I do not couchsurf and rather sit in hostels or a hotel room for similar costs. When I haggle (eh Tuktuks in Bangkok), I compare to other local prices and know I'd probably pay more than the local, but things are how they are. I rather eat streetfood rather at restaurants, cause it saves me (right now in Malaysia) 15 RM for a dish. And I can eat a lot extra if I have a spare 15RM.
Well if not rich, just better opportunities in life. The white privilege. :)
Yeah we are speaking in relative terms here...
e.g. living standards in Europe are far higher than in Asia...e.g. Per capita income of the European countries is yet way higher than Asian...(when I speak of Asia I mean south Asia, not the Arabs or Japs)
@sjennon again I declare that I meant no disrespect...
And you are right that most Europeans tourist are perceived as rich here, for obvious reasons..