Understanding the phenomenon of Beg- Packing: Travelling with out Money- Opportunism or Ideology

The controversial phenomenon of travelling without money, known as ‘beg-packing’, challenges conventional notions of travel. Our study explores the evolving landscape of beg-packing, including its digital manifestation as ‘e-beg-packing’. We explore the connection between drifters and beg-packers, emphasizing strategies like selling photos, staying with locals, and eliciting sympathy. To do so, we delve into how beg-packers construct narratives on crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and the public perception of the practice on Instagram

This study looks at the growing trend of people travelling the world with little or no money, often asking strangers for help along the way—a practice known as "beg-packing." It's a controversial way of travelling that challenges the usual idea that you need money to explore the world. We also look at how this has moved online, with some travellers asking for donations through websites like GoFundMe—something we call "e-beg-packing."

The research explores how these travellers, who are similar to old-school drifters, get by using different strategies—like selling photos, staying with local families, or sharing emotional stories to gain sympathy. We also look at how they tell their stories online to attract support and how people on social media platforms like Instagram react to them, which often includes both support and criticism.

The study indicates that beg-packers face stigma akin to drifters, with comments favouring working and saving for travel, raising questions about deservingness and privilege. Gratitude plays a role in donor perception, with an expectation of continuous updates fostering social media relationships. However, the potential for exploitation and vulnerability in e-beg-packing

This project used a very cheap research method- Netnography. So no additional resources were required