Travel Bums

Is "bum" a derogatory term? Perhaps it would be more dignified to refer to them as "global nomads," "earth wanderers", or "lazy fucking hippies," but I think that "bum" most apt in describing a fairly small but growing number of people around the world who have left their homes, jobs, and schools for extended travel and exploration. To be fair, there are many different classifications of travel bums, and for some the term is well deserved. While others simply harbor and insatiable curiosity for adventure and learning about peoples, languages, cultures, histories, geography, cities, customs, etc. and who generally thrive on the challenge of it all. Many others (as one astute bum once pointed out to me) seem to be of the eternal misfit variety -- people with problems of a personal nature -- social, emotional, family -- which compels them to wonder constantly in places where there are always distractions from the self and relationships are rarely permanent. You will know them by their terrible personalities and poor hygiene. And still, others fall into this category by profession. They the the NGO employees, Peace Core volunteers, tour guides, and scholars who work and study in the nether reaches of the globe, attempting to shed light in some of the world's darker regions, although their motivations may not be entirely different from what drives amateurs.

I will be profiling some of these in the coming weeks, and I will reserve my more acerbic observations for people I plan to never meet again...ever. So if you're reading this, and you find yourself profiled but not insulted, I am probably whitewashing it, you dingy tosser!