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McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

whoismcafee.com

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Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#31

Post by dmmalam »

Most of this irrelevant if your a tourist, I've backpacked through 40+ countries and have only a few times needed to provide any 'documentation'. However the word is needed, you can take the initiative and get away with things your not supposed to do, like bringing alcohol into Columbia's national parks, or bumping long ticket lines!

Where the OP is completely accurate is doing any business (illicit or not). I have much family in India, who own several large businesses and level of corruption needed just to run the company is insane. After a certain size, you pretty much need to be a little socialite, keeping several dozen relationships well greased. It's completely pervasive and everybody knows about it - to western eyes it's insane.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#32

Post by dmmalam »

eshvk wrote: post #11
melling wrote: post #9

I spent 9 months backpacking from Guatemala to Buenos Aires. There are thousands of people who do this sort of thing every year, and you'll meet lots of expats. In fact, until you hit Colombia, you probably can get by without knowing much Spanish. Personally, I would just skip this article, buy the Lonely Planet and live a little. Some places that I'd recommend seeing: http://wikitravel.org/en/Antigua_Guatemala http:…

I would be interested in visiting some or most of these countries in a few years time. At the risk of sounding cliched, I don't obviously want the touristy experience but want to experience the country(ies) and am prepared to do that for a few months. I currently know zero spanish, do you suggest picking up a guide book or should I invest time learning it at a school (I live in SF)?

I spent 6 months in S america a few years back. Definitely learn spanish! Luckily spanish is probably the easiest language to learn, and you don't really need much. Once your there your skills will get exponentially better due to the immersion.

I did a 3 month after work course (1 3hr lesson per week, plus lots of hw), and then dived in.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#33

Post by mahmud »

Do this if you want to be an abrasive dipshit who the host community rejects. This guy is a colonialist-tourist, not a traveller. You can feel his contempt for the people and the lands he is "visiting" seething through.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#34

Post by omarchowdhury »

stevoski wrote: post #26

I've been to 93 countries. All continents. Places travellers would normally not contemplate visiting. All independently. I've _never_ had to bribe someone. In all the years of doing this, I've had an official try to shake me down maybe 5 times. I think McAfee's advice is way off.

Wow, how old are you? How long did the 93 country journey take? Average time of stay per country? That's amazing, really.

You should an reddit AMA.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#35

Post by eli »

Flashing bogus press credentials is not cool. It makes it that much harder for actual members of the press to do their job when there are fake reporters running around working on self-serving fake stories.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#36

Post by pelle »

stevoski wrote: post #26

I've been to 93 countries. All continents. Places travellers would normally not contemplate visiting. All independently. I've _never_ had to bribe someone. In all the years of doing this, I've had an official try to shake me down maybe 5 times. I think McAfee's advice is way off.

I've never bribed anyone but have lived and travelled extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean. I've never paid a bribe, but have been close to it on a couple of occasions. I have generally avoided it by playing a dumb tourist or talking Danish to them. (I'm fluent in Spanish) but from Denmark.

It depends really much on how you travel. I don't know anything about you, but from the sound of it my guess is you backpack. If you're a backpacker, you probably don't have a problem as cops rightly don't see you as a good source of income. If you look really touristy you're probably fine as well most places.

If you're a resident expat, traveling in your own or a rented car you're right smack in their target market. And yes anyone can tell the difference between backpackers, tourists and expats. If you hang around in any expat watering hole you will hear all the worst stories (likely somewhat exaggerated by Rum).

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#37

Post by CamperBob2 »

mahmud wrote: post #33

Do this if you want to be an abrasive dipshit who the host community rejects. This guy is a colonialist-tourist, not a traveller. You can feel his contempt for the people and the lands he is "visiting" seething through.

How am I supposed to have anything but contempt, if even 25% of what he writes is true?

Don't want my contempt? Don't run your country like a corrupt shithole. Seems simple enough.

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#38

Post by cristiantsara »

stevoski wrote: post #26

I've been to 93 countries. All continents. Places travellers would normally not contemplate visiting. All independently. I've _never_ had to bribe someone. In all the years of doing this, I've had an official try to shake me down maybe 5 times. I think McAfee's advice is way off.

I don't understand your comment. Obviosly from what you say you were not involved in any ilegal activity, so how does your experience compared to the one from the guy from this blog??

Re: McAfee’s Third World Travel Guide

#40

Post by curiousDog »

stevoski wrote: post #26

I've been to 93 countries. All continents. Places travellers would normally not contemplate visiting. All independently. I've _never_ had to bribe someone. In all the years of doing this, I've had an official try to shake me down maybe 5 times. I think McAfee's advice is way off.

Have you been to DRC ? What he says applies to borders at such countries. Having been in similar situations (minus the drug dealing), I think His advice is spot on
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