Tramps, bums....
Originally part of Backpackers.
Have you experienced prejudice against yourself, as a backpacker in the US?
B Posts: 577
It isn't done. I remember it some as a kid, but it is not done now. The one I really remember were these two German guys who were going across the states and some farmer had dropped them at her drive way off the highway. This highway was never traveled much (I remember once driving it in June at 55 mph for 100 miles and seeing all of 2 cars in either direction) and it was about 30 miles to the next town and it was no more than a wide spot in the road. It was hot - probably in the high 90's. We picked them up. Reply to this
B Posts: 31
I'm really at a loss for words on this question Mell... traveller doesn't quite do it justice and vagabond has its own negative connotations similar to bum/drifter/hobo/tramp. I think backpacker may be the kindest word.
Curiously, I've "travelled" around the US but I've "backpacked" in foreign countries. Reply to this
Curiously, I've "travelled" around the US but I've "backpacked" in foreign countries. Reply to this
B Posts: 76
I am with Laure & David on this one...you "travel" across the USA but "backpack" in Europe or Oz, Asia, etc.
I like the term "nomad" or "traveler" :)
Low-budget travel in the US is completely different from the rest of the world. For example, the last time I was in Seattle, there was only 1 hostel, yet Seattle is certainly one of the places people aim to visit. You stay in budget hotels and Motel 6's, not in hostels. In fact, having been raised in the US, the whole idea of a hostel was foreign to me when I first set out on my own, and the concept was weird and not even considered for some time.
In my travels across the USA as a "backpacker" or "vagabond" or "nomad", only once did I experience any prejudice, by an old man who figured my partner and I must be some of those young trouble makers and told us to get lost when we parked our "home" (our 1989 station wagon that we had been sleeping in the back of...) next to his RV in a free campground in Arizona. He then apologized when he heard our accents and told us since we were "tourists" it was ok to travel like that.
And by the way, in the US, it is cheaper if you're traveling in pairs to stay at budget motels instead of hostels...$35 per night per room instead of $25 per person! Yet another reason why hostels are hard to find! Reply to this
I like the term "nomad" or "traveler" :)
Low-budget travel in the US is completely different from the rest of the world. For example, the last time I was in Seattle, there was only 1 hostel, yet Seattle is certainly one of the places people aim to visit. You stay in budget hotels and Motel 6's, not in hostels. In fact, having been raised in the US, the whole idea of a hostel was foreign to me when I first set out on my own, and the concept was weird and not even considered for some time.
In my travels across the USA as a "backpacker" or "vagabond" or "nomad", only once did I experience any prejudice, by an old man who figured my partner and I must be some of those young trouble makers and told us to get lost when we parked our "home" (our 1989 station wagon that we had been sleeping in the back of...) next to his RV in a free campground in Arizona. He then apologized when he heard our accents and told us since we were "tourists" it was ok to travel like that.
And by the way, in the US, it is cheaper if you're traveling in pairs to stay at budget motels instead of hostels...$35 per night per room instead of $25 per person! Yet another reason why hostels are hard to find! Reply to this
B Posts: 24.4K
...traveller doesn't quite do it justice
In Ireland, where I come from, travellers are gypsys. They insist that we call them travellers, because they dont like to be called gypseys or tinkers anymore.
Nomads to me are ethnic tribal people who move around as a way of life.
....only once did I experience any prejudice, by an old man who figured my partner and I must be some of those young trouble makers and told us to get lost when we parked our "home" (our 1989 station wagon that we had been sleeping in the back of...) next to his RV in a free campground in Arizona. He then apologized when he heard our accents and told us since we were "tourists" it was ok to travel like that.
He seems like the trouble maker to me. Must be really awful for people in the US, when they genuinely fall on hard times and have nowhere to live.
I think I might continue to call myself a backpacker. There are so many words that just die of abuse and have to be replaced by other words. Maybe those who put negative connotations on certain words are just ignorant, and nothing should be decided based on ignorance. Should it?
[Edited: 09:44 - Mell ]
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B Posts: 119
Backpacking is such an innocent hobby, and it broadens the peoples horizons who do it. Pity about this attitude in the US!
that's a shame ... I love the country side and my aimless walks ...
Good thing Lee Ann mentioned about this!
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B Posts: 24.4K
Is it in all US towns and cities that the prejudice against backpackers happens, or only in small relatively isolated communities? Lack of exposure to people from the outside world in certain communities might be a reason for the prejudice?
[Edited: 12:04 - Mell ]
Reply to thisB Posts: 31
As with any country/region/people, opinions differ and change greatly on an individual basis and wax and wane over time. But overall, there's a general dislike for backpackers which stems, at least in part, from our own history and culture. I don't see that as being prejudiced, but simply a different perspective representing a different set morals/values and different life priorities. While I can certainly understand that an outsider would hear some of these things and come to the conclusion that Americans are prejudiced against backpackers, I also don't think that it's the complete picture -- our reality is different and we have a different understanding of the world based on our own experiences and viewing certain events through the lens of our culture. While the same can be said about any country, there are reasons why drifters/hobos/hippies/backpackers are looked down on in America and some of those reasons are based on objective, empirical data (e.g., crime in America), not just local prejudices. Reply to this
B Posts: 260
This is interesting...
When I was going through immigration, last month in San Fransisco, one of the homeland security guys (impeccable uniform, razor sharp hair cut... you get the idea) clocked my tattoos (didn't even make it subtle) and pulled me to the side, where my wife promptly joined me and asked what I was doing, where was I going etc...
He then asked if I was backpacking? I then made a point of looking at my mound of luggage (You can't travel too light with a 1 year old), caught the eye of my wife, and looked down at the push chair with my kid I was pushing and said 'Well... NOT REALLY, look at all this stuff'... Thank god, I didn't say yes. We were staying in hostels and camp sites, so not much different to our usual 'backpacking' activities, just this time we had a car.
I wonder what would of happened if I'd said yes?
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When I was going through immigration, last month in San Fransisco, one of the homeland security guys (impeccable uniform, razor sharp hair cut... you get the idea) clocked my tattoos (didn't even make it subtle) and pulled me to the side, where my wife promptly joined me and asked what I was doing, where was I going etc...
He then asked if I was backpacking? I then made a point of looking at my mound of luggage (You can't travel too light with a 1 year old), caught the eye of my wife, and looked down at the push chair with my kid I was pushing and said 'Well... NOT REALLY, look at all this stuff'... Thank god, I didn't say yes. We were staying in hostels and camp sites, so not much different to our usual 'backpacking' activities, just this time we had a car.
I wonder what would of happened if I'd said yes?
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B Posts: 24.4K
[quoteI don't see that as being prejudiced, but simply a different perspective representing a different set morals/values and different life priorities.
But, backpacking cant be considered immoral, can it?
I wonder what would of happened if I'd said yes?
Goodness me! That immigration guy sure is over the top about a word. So calling yourself a backpacker would have turned your tattoos into more than bodyart then. A tattooed backpacker...
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B Posts: 31
But, backpacking cant be considered immoral, can it?
I don't think it is and I doubt you would find many, if any, Americans that would say backpacking is immoral. I also don't think that's the underlying issue. The operative difference between backpacking in other countries vs. the States is the type of person doing it. For example, when I was in college, I backpacked across Europe but when I "backpacked" across the States, it was in the form of a "roadtrip." The vast majority of people (not all, but the vast majority) I've met actually backpacking through the States were troubled youth, homeless, mentally deranged, and/or drug addicted persons. Hence the stigma against backpackers. Reply to this
B Posts: 24.4K
The vast majority of people (not all, but the vast majority) I've met actually backpacking through the States were troubled youth, homeless, mentally deranged, and/or drug addicted persons.
I suppose these would be the only types, if the rest of us feel unwelcome in the US.
I certainly feel put off visiting the US, after reading this thread. I actually thought Dympna was exaggerating, but looks like she isnt. If even the immigration hassle people for being backpackers.... All this, it is OK if you are calling yourself this instead of that, or if you avoid walking in urban areas with your backpack ....... to avoid the prejudice doesnt exactly make the US any more inviting for backpackers.
Im shocked! But, anyway there are always lots of countries to choose from, when one gets fed up with the disadvantages of travelling in any particular one. :) Reply to this
B Posts: 16
Looking over my notes from my last trip, this is what I wrote of backpackers:
Bratpackers? A bunch of huge pack lugging, Vang Vieng tubing, Luang Prabang trampling, Khao San slumming Peripathetics, misspelling intended..
Actually, that's an exaggeration, but hyperbole is what makes for good writing in my opinion, although not too many people appreciate the humor as much as I do.
It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that we Americans hate backpackers. We don't. We just find them amusing. And we love them too! As a matter of fact backpackers have been romanticized in American literature by such giants as Ernest Hemingway and Jack Kerouac. Try reading Dharma Bums, On the Road, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and other such books, which are essentially travelogues. And let's not forget Paul Theroux, one of the pillars of travel writing, backpacking style. Reply to this
Bratpackers? A bunch of huge pack lugging, Vang Vieng tubing, Luang Prabang trampling, Khao San slumming Peripathetics, misspelling intended..
Actually, that's an exaggeration, but hyperbole is what makes for good writing in my opinion, although not too many people appreciate the humor as much as I do.
It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that we Americans hate backpackers. We don't. We just find them amusing. And we love them too! As a matter of fact backpackers have been romanticized in American literature by such giants as Ernest Hemingway and Jack Kerouac. Try reading Dharma Bums, On the Road, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and other such books, which are essentially travelogues. And let's not forget Paul Theroux, one of the pillars of travel writing, backpacking style. Reply to this
B Posts: 24.4K
We just find them amusing.
Amused in a good way, or a bad way? What is amusing about them? Reply to this
B Posts: 24.4K
Somehow, I dont think it is a good thing to generalise all backpackers(or any other group of people) as amusing. Generalising is what caused all backpackers to be put in the bums, tramps... box, by apparently most Americans, if what was said in this thread is to be taken seriously.
[Edited: 19:01 - Mell ]
Reply to thisB Posts: 31
I certainly feel put off visiting the US, after reading this thread.
I would hate to tarnish the wonderful reputation the US has abroad (ha ha), but really, how would you travel around the States if you were here? There's a good chance you would rent a car and stay in cheap hotels. And if you did that, you wouldn't be considered a backpacker, and thus your concerns become moot.
Somehow, I dont think it is a good thing to generalise all backpackers(or any other group of people) as amusing. Generalising is what caused all backpackers to be put in the bums, tramps... box...
The reality is that everyone generalizes and makes conclusions based on how you look, what you do, what you say, etc. How would you prefer backpackers be seen? Reply to this
B Posts: 102
I'm not sure that all these generalizations are 100% accurate.
I'd say the perception of someone with a backpack varies quite a bit depending on the situation.
I'd venture to guess that if you look like a proper backpacker - meaning that you're not loitering & actually look like you're doing something or going somewhere - most people understand what that means & there's no negative perception.
There's certainly no negative perception if the backpacker is anywhere near hiking trails for that kind of backpacking.
The one thing I'd agree with is that in general if someone is hitchhiking, there's certainly a negative perception - along with hitchhiking indeed being illegal.
Overall, I'd say there's more to the perception than just the presence of a backpack. It would depend where you are and what you're doing. In some situations, no issue whatsoever...in others, people may keep an eye on you. If you're walking through a small farming town 500 miles from any city...you'd be viewed with skepticism (partially due to the attitudes that prevail in those areas and partially b/c why the crap are you there in the first place?). If you're walking through a city on your way to a hostel/hotel/bus station/etc, I doubt there would be any issue.
Then again, I'm a hippie bum backpacker, so perhaps my understanding of the issue is different than that of the average Joe.
Umm...as people who are traveling in a low cost manner with a different travel style than what some others may prefer...not as amusing, bums, etc. Reply to this
I'd say the perception of someone with a backpack varies quite a bit depending on the situation.
I'd venture to guess that if you look like a proper backpacker - meaning that you're not loitering & actually look like you're doing something or going somewhere - most people understand what that means & there's no negative perception.
There's certainly no negative perception if the backpacker is anywhere near hiking trails for that kind of backpacking.
The one thing I'd agree with is that in general if someone is hitchhiking, there's certainly a negative perception - along with hitchhiking indeed being illegal.
Overall, I'd say there's more to the perception than just the presence of a backpack. It would depend where you are and what you're doing. In some situations, no issue whatsoever...in others, people may keep an eye on you. If you're walking through a small farming town 500 miles from any city...you'd be viewed with skepticism (partially due to the attitudes that prevail in those areas and partially b/c why the crap are you there in the first place?). If you're walking through a city on your way to a hostel/hotel/bus station/etc, I doubt there would be any issue.
Then again, I'm a hippie bum backpacker, so perhaps my understanding of the issue is different than that of the average Joe.
How would you prefer backpackers be seen?
Umm...as people who are traveling in a low cost manner with a different travel style than what some others may prefer...not as amusing, bums, etc. Reply to this
B Posts: 31
I'd say the perception of someone with a backpack varies quite a bit depending on the situation.
Absolutely.
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B Posts: 24.4K
I'm not sure that all these generalizations are 100% accurate.
Of course they are not. That is why they are prejudice.
If you're walking through a small farming town 500 miles from any city...you'd be viewed with skepticism (partially due to the attitudes that prevail in those areas and partially b/c why the crap are you there in the first place?).
Guilty, until proven innocent? Reply to this