Is third world travel for you?

 

Travel to exotic destinations can be an amazing experience. However, if you haven’t been to the third world before, then the first thing you should do is a very honest self-assessment to determine whether it's really for you. Specifically, consider whether you can handle things like:

  • Having to dress more conservatively, even if you think a tank-top should be just fine.

  • Some foods can be unsafe, and can make you very sick

  • Toilets may be different (“squatters”) and public toilets are often revolting

  • Simple tasks that may take a few minutes at home (e.g. buying a train ticket) can take hours on the road....for reasons that are inexplicable.

  • Difficulty in communications, as the whole world doesn’t speak English

  • You probably can’t get the types of food, quality of services, and types of goods that you can get at home.

  • Stray dogs, some of which probably have rabies, may be wandering the streets.

  • Cars are less safe, there are no speed limits, roads may be poor, drivers seem insane, there may be animals on the roads, and in general the roads seem like total chaos.

  • Given the above, simply crossing the street can be terrifying and dangerous.

  • In large cites, the crowds, traffic, noise and air pollution may be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced at home.

  • Mosquito bites aren’t just uncomfortable, but can cause serious, and even deadly, diseases.

  • Merchants and/or hustlers may be constantly hassling you.

  • Quality medical attention may be hours or days away. If you have a medical emergency, then it’s a very serious problem.

  • You may need to bargain for things you buy, and if you’re not good at it, you can get completely ripped-off.

I could go on with this list for a long time, but above should give you an idea of what you need to be prepared to deal with. If you can’t deal with these things, then you should vacation in the US, or Europe, or Australia; or go on an escorted tour where you’ll be shielded from more of the unpleasantries. There’s no shame in this, and you’ll certainly save yourself a lot of money!

However, if you can handle the above, then your first step will be to decide where to go and when.