How to handle beggars when travelling

[Foreigner]

At home and when travelling we come across beggars of all ages. How to handle them?

Here's how to handle beggars when you travel | Sunshine Coast Daily

 

[Boca68]

I think the author has a rather broad idea of what a beggar is. And the article is titled 'Here's how to handle.....' Actually, they don't give you any ways to handle them.


I think it should be re-titled 'scam artists' not beggars as well.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

It would be better if they promoted this article

JETSTAR will fly direct from the Sunshine Coast to Adelaide three times a week from September this year.

New Sunshine Coast to Adelaide flights announced | Sunshine Coast Daily

SO that those poor Adelaideans can come and visit

 

[JohnK]

There's an elderly Thai couple in Pattaya that wear tattered clothing and do a round of the bars with huge sacks collecting plastic and glass bottles.

Even though they are beggars they are believed to be one of the richest couples in Pattaya. Don't let anyone fool you with their appearance.

 

[RB]

We liked how this couple in Barcelona had put some thought into things rather than just holding out the coke can-not sure of the breaking strain of the line!

 

[Moody]

I never give to beggers. Anywhere. Ever.

If everyone did the same, begging would stop globally within a week.

 

[medhead]

A mob of young boys where feeding a sea lion at a marina near Cape Town. Got a couple of excellent photos. So gave them 50 rand (<$5). They were ecstatic. I had great pictures. Call it a scam if you like.

As for dealing with beggars. How hard is it to ignore them?

 

[opusman]

If everyone did the same, begging would stop globally within a week.

Nah, it takes longer than that to starve to death. Say 2 months.

 

[gaz0303]

There are beggars and they are those who are afflicted and in poverty. A land mine victim in Pailin is different to the restaurant beggar in Siem Reap, a homeless boy in Balikpapan sleeping by an ATM is different to a child asking for money in Kuta. I find discretion rather than absolute rules work best. The most confronting level of homelessness/beggars I have encountered travelling (SE Asia - non-tourist spots/Sub sahara Africa) is in Cairns.

 

[Moody]

Nah, it takes longer than that to starve to death. Say 2 months.

Fat Australians? Fine - with enough hydration they could last 2 months, but I suspect that well before a week was up they would abandon begging as a dead-end career. (Boom - tish!)

 

[AnnaB]

It all depends on the beggar I say. I have offered countless homeless people that hot cuppa coffee and sandwich they wanted money for, just to be turned down and called names because I didn't want to give them cash.

In Russia once I did bring a homeless beggar into the store and bought him food and groceries and other items. He got to choose what he wanted and there was not one unnecessary item. He was so thankful I could hardly believe it but he really needed what he picked, and he was thankful to get the items rather than the cash.

I seldom give cash to beggars of any kind.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

There's an elderly Thai couple in Pattaya that wear tattered clothing and do a round of the bars with huge sacks collecting plastic and glass bottles.

Even though they are beggars they are believed to be one of the richest couples in Pattaya. Don't let anyone fool you with their appearance.

Somehow I doubt that...on the couple that is being the richest couple in Pattaya.

Yes there are "professional" beggars of all ages...but there are also genuine beggars.

I have no doubt that on my trip to India many moons ago that some of the beggars that approached me where indeed starving.

Similarly on my trip to Nepal last December, post-earthquake but crippled more by the Indian fuel blockade, I came across I believe a number of genuinely destitute people. The sheer hoplessness in the eyes reveals a lot.

While the world has many scammers, and particularly in tourist areas, there is also much genuine poverty.

However having said that directly providing money often creates more problems that it solves. ie it can encourage youngsters to skip school.

In genuinely poor areas charities and aid organisations can often be corrupt or have wasteful administrations or have government officials skimming off the top. But equally there are many genuine people working for the betterment of others. I certainly saw this in my recent overland trip through Africa as well. It is a dilemena of which I have no real solution to. But it is a matter of much moral agnst.

 

[juddles]

very first step is to STOP guesting them into the lounge :/

 

[Renato1]

I read the article, what struck me was that the woman stupidly feels and expresses guilt for something she did not directly or indirectly cause.

The easy way to deal with beggars is to say "Not Interested". They all understand that.

And don't engage in any conversation. If someone gives you a sob story about how hungry they are, or how they need the fare to Ballarat (as happened a lot when I used to work near Spencer St station) I say "Not Interested", though if I felt like playing with them I'd have said "And why exactly, is that my problem?".

On a related issue, if one ever goes to Hong Kong, there are thousands of people on the street putting pieces of paper in front of you to buy suits/shirts/clothes etc. As you walk around the outstreched hand and say "Not Interested", they keep following you and keep asking you to buy their stuff no matter how many "Not Interested"s are said. Then I realized what I had done wrong - by walking around their outstreched hand in front of me, I had shown courtesy. I then just started walking straight through their outstreched hand with their brochures, pushing it aside with my body like it wasn't there. Then they immediately stopped nagging me.

Last year on a hop-on-hop-off bus in Kuala Lumpur, we met another Australian couple who after chatting for several minutes, related how bad crime was in Kuala Lumpur. They had met a New Zealander earlier in the day, who had had his back pack stolen by a passing motor bike, and now had nothing on him, and they had helped him out of his predicament with money. When my wife and I got off the bus and away from them, we both said to each other that they had plainly been scammed - I said, "Had someone come up to me like that chap, I'd have said "Why is that my problem? Why have you come to me instead of to the Police? - Get lost.""
Regards,
Renato

 

[Isochronous]

Never donate to beggars. I always ignore them. Same rule goes for charity collectors - although I did have fun once calling the Greenpeace promoter a racist with blood on his hands.

 

[moa999]

As for dealing with beggars. How hard is it to ignore them?

Worst I had was in Beijing almost 15yrs ago...
Young kid couldn't have been more than six held onto my leg as I kept on walking for about 20m

But I agree - simply ignore them.
much as I do to those in my area of Sydney...

One older guy is a regular - albeit he will never get anything from me as he once swore at me when I didn't give him anything.. Albeit I think he is somewhat of a professional as I saw him one day out in the other suburbs doing the same thing

 

[tuapekastar]

I do potentially have some real sympathy for those who may be 'genuine' (whatever that is) but it is too difficult for me to determine who is and who is not, so I have a blanket refusal policy. I did see one chap along Venice Beach near Santa Monica who was saying 'Don't want no espresso, just want some Gallo' (Gallo being a major wine brand in the US) - I guess at least he was being honest about it! Also recall in Lonsdale Street Melbourne walking past one beggar set up for 'business' with another standing over him angrily exclaiming 'this is my spot'!

 

[bPeteb]

It would be better if they promoted this article

JETSTAR will fly direct from the Sunshine Coast to Adelaide three times a week from September this year.

New Sunshine Coast to Adelaide flights announced | Sunshine Coast Daily

SO that those poor Adelaideans can come and visit

I chuckle every time I see your FF Programme mrs.dr.ron - Black Belt shopping

Love it!

 

[dajop]

It all depends on the beggar I say. I have offered countless homeless people that hot cuppa coffee and sandwich they wanted money for, just to be turned down and called names because I didn't want to give them cash.

Tend to agree that if anything this is the way to. Noticed several times in the US people begging to that effect outside food stores or fast food chains. At least you know the money isn't going to a syndicate then.

Worst I had was in Beijing almost 15yrs ago...

I had a girl follow me for 45 mins in Mumbai about 8 years ago. I had just gone for a walk from hotel shortly after arriving, and forgot to transfer my local currency to my wallet. After 45 mins I relented and gave her some either $2 or $5 SGD (can't remember) - all that I had in my wallet was SGD. After that I enjoyed my walk in peace.

Another great one was in Beijing, "blind" man complete with cane and all walking slowly along street (I was sitting observing) with accomplice = begging. Noticed him turn around and walk back in other direction unaided, still carrying but not using cane and walking much faster.

 

[Pablo]

Please never give to beggars, they are often scams, and a significant number of human trafficking rings operate with beggars. You can take a child and force them to beg, because the trafficker knows that westerners are more likely to give to a child, than to an adult. Or even to someone who is disabled. In many parts of the developing world, there are plenty of people who have been physically harmed so they do better with begging (i.e., eyes burned, limbs cut off etc). You'd be horrified to know the truth.

And don't think that buying someone groceries is doing the right thing. I was once with a very well respected international charity in Mumbai, and I was talking to the worker about begging and as we sat in the cafe/corner store, a beggar came in with a westerner to buy groceries. They got all the essentials, including baby food, flour, salt, cooking oil etc. the westerner felt so good about it. Around 10 minutes later, the beggar came back, gave all the items back to the shop keeper, and they split the difference. The friend of mine, who had worked in downtown Mumbai (behind the Taj Hotel) said this was their most common scam, and was in partnership with the shop owner.

If you want to do something that has value and makes a real difference, donate to a charity that works there and is actively trying to change the situation. They know the reality of what is happening on the ground. And are often making real change to problems.

Westerners feed the begging culture, and often prevent children from going to school as its more profitable for the parents to send them out to beg rather than to get an education.

The other thing that always amuses me is the comments around charities trying to rip people off, and spending too much on administration. Yes, some charities are like this, but there are plenty of charities who are great stewards of their donors funds, and the people who are often the most critical of these charities are also the ones who will happily give money to a beggar that might be the victim of human trafficking or slave labor/debt bondage and there is absolutely no return on the investment - you will never change the situation of that child/person, and you would have been better to throw your money on the ground.