Recently, our class was assigned to watch “Gringo Trails,” a documentary that comments on the implications of tourism. Although the film is geared more towards disclosing the exploitation of natural environment and native communities, it also implies the idea that tourists often put their well-being at risk when travelling. At any point during travel, people are subject to three main threats:

1. Abiotic Factors: all the non-living elements of an environment including climate, and landscape.

When travelling, many backpackers gravitate towards some of the more extreme locations along the “Gringo Trail.” They seek adventure, and would rather explore an uncharted island than, for example, a well-walked beach. In these types of places, the natural ambience is often not something that they can immediately adapt to, which can easily leads to distress and other detriments.

Treacherous paths like the one shown are common along the Gringo Trail.

In 1981, Yossi Ghinsberg was backpacking across a remote region of the Amazon when he was swept away by a massive flood from an unexpected storm. He spent 25 days in complete isolation, struggling to find food and water – basically to survive in the dense forest. In the end, he narrowly survived, but not without some serious wounds and mental trauma.

2. Wildlife: *They are not all that cute and cuddly*

This anaconda can wrap tightly around adult humans and strangle them to death. At the same time, they are sensitive to and often harmed by sunscreen, a substance that is highly toxic to snakes.

Often, travellers are enthralled by the wildlife they meet on their journeys and forget that some animals can potentially kill them. The Amazon, for example, is populated with mambas and vipers that can unexpectedly drop down from a tree. They a highly venomous and a single bite would probably do the trick. Yet some people actively search for these snakes, claiming its all part of a natural experience. In the film, we saw a bunch of people wading around in a marsh, looking for anacondas. They were all super excited upon finding one, and wanted to touch it. Anacondas are constrictors and a full grown one can physically strangle an adult. Similarly, in Timbuktu, venomous scorpions come out at night to hunt. However, the tourists think its fun to sleep on the ground, protected only by a sleeping bag and a mosquito net. At almost every tourist destination, encounters with wildlife are inevitable. What constitutes the bad situation is that people neglect to protect not only the animals, but also themselves.

3. People: Robbery, Fraud, and Harassment

Two very common crimes that travellers report are robberies and fraud. Because most are new to the culture and environment, they become easy targets for thieves. Likewise, greedy locals or con-artists can try to sell something of little value at ridiculous prices, simply because many tourists can’t distinguish real from fake. Unfortunately, many do end up paying the price, thinking that they have purchased a meaningful souvenir.

In conclusion, when people travel, they often have a mindset that the more exotic or extreme something is, the more value there is in getting close to it. Consequently, they often put thrill seeking before their own well-being.