Name: Begpackers.

Age: Young.

Appearance: Grubby, down on their luck, not from round here.

Do you mean backpackers? They’re often rather grubby. Not quite. Begpackers are western backpackers, most often travelling in south-east Asia, who beg for charity from the locals.

Because they’ve lost their passports or had their wallet stolen or something? Sometimes that happens.

Couldn’t their embassy help, in that case? Unfortunately for begpackers, no embassy will donate money so that they can “fulfil their dream” of travelling. A few local people will, though.

That’s very generous of them. Do you think they might also donate so I can fulfil my dream of having a lot of money? Doubtful. But, of course, you’re not young and good-natured.

Damn right. Nor do I think that paying for someone richer than me to have an even longer holiday sounds like a very good cause. Perhaps not. Although some begpackers do sell photographs or play music in return.

I’m fairly sure that music and photography are already available in south-east Asia. Yeah. And it’s generally not legal to work on a tourist visa. Which is why it does seem as if patience with begpackers is starting to wear thin.

How so? They’re being elbowed out of Hong Kong by new busking rules. New arrivals in Thailand are being asked to prove they have enough money to support themselves. And a policy in Bali means that anyone caught begpacking will now be taken to their embassy for a ticking off.

It’s not big, it’s not clever, you’ve let the school down, and so forth? Something like that. “We have seen many cases of problematic tourists, lately they are either Australian, British or Russian,” an immigration official in Bali called Setyo Budiwardoyo told local reporters. “Foreign tourists who run out of money or are pretending to be beggars, we will send them to their respective embassies.”

Do begpackers really think that what they’re doing is acceptable? Yes. A few are street entertainers with a real skill that people enjoy.

I see. And it seems like others just find something romantic about travelling the world with nothing, living on your wits …

… Guilt-tripping people who work hard all day into paying for your lifestyle as a rootless adventurer? That’s one way of looking at it. But I suppose there is a tradition of this kind of thing, going back to medieval monks.

And how’s the monk business these days? Fair point.

Do say: “Sorry to bother you, ladies and gentlemen. But if you could spare any change so I can get a bed in a hostel for the night…”

Don’t say: “… and a plane ticket to meet some friends in Kuala Lumpur.”