Is Corruption Good Or Bad During Traveling? My Raw Truth

Intro

Over the course of my travels to over 123 countries, I have paid more bribes than taken actual taxis. I have paid more “hidden fees” to expedite immigration than I care to admit, and I always end up with people telling me, “Stop paying people, corruption is bad”. While I don’t believe corruption is the answer, there are some moments where it makes sense for both parties. Let me explain… 

Corruption Is Everywhere

In an ideal world, corruption wouldn’t exist. However, we do not live in an ideal world. Sometimes it is dressed up in suits, sometimes it is intelligence agencies involved in it, but oftentimes, as travelers, we view corruption as the bribes we end up paying. The smaller-scale corruption becomes more prominent because it is much easier to prove corruption on an individual scale versus a whole regime. 

Yes, in South Sudan, the UN is extremely corrupt. Why do you think they were pushed out of the Congo...

So, before I get into my argument about good vs bad corruption, it is important to note that corruption really is everywhere. Even in countries where you least expect it. As an example, someone I know (who will not be named) paid over 100,000 USD for a “get out of jail free card” in a certain country in Southeast Asia that is known for strict laws… It’s a sad reality of the world when even the United Nations is corrupt, and makes hospitals in Juba purchase medical supplies from the United States at a 10x higher price than Germany (as an example)…

Why Corruption Is Bad

As much as I am in love with the continent of Africa, whether it be traversing the beach in Mogadishu, or showering in cow piss in South Sudan, small scale corruption is everywhere. At the same time, large-scale corruption is also prominent, affecting citizens every day through a lack of infrastructure. 

Here are a few examples of how funding corruption during your travels is bad: 

• If the money is going to a regime that the country does not support, the government. As some examples, these would include the likes of Venezuela and Myanmar, to name a few. By paying money to someone in the government there, you are keeping that regime afloat step by step. 

• If you use corruption for excessive* (key word) privilege. Don’t get me wrong, most of the people who are able to travel to the places I mention are more privileged than most of the world. Considering most of this blog's readers are from the USA, even those on minimum wage make more than 95% of the population… Now, my point is, if you are paying someone on the side to go backstage at a club or wear flip-flops to a club, that is excessive. Yes, I have done it, I am not proud, but I have… 

• It creates long-term instability in many regions. By paying bribes or “lunch money” as a tourist, it can then** become normal for tourists going forward. 

• It creates more diversity within the locals. Obviously, as an American passport holder, I hold privileges compared to locals who don’t have the same resources. In addition, it is important to understand that many people who take bribes to speed up processes might become reliant on more and more, perhaps resulting in locals such as in Myanmar…

• Safety risks with the government, although if you are situationally intelligent, this usually won’t become much of an issue…

And no, I am not perfect. This is a picture from Shan State after we had to pay a bribe because I was stranded in Shan State and couldn't leave. I try my best, and to minimize, sometimes situations occur...

Now, I think it is critical to point out that these are solely for tourists and not for locals in the regions affected. Do I think it is fair that we visit a country like Djibouti, don’t follow the rules by taking pics with a camera, and get asked to pay the Police? Yes. For locals? No… 

Why Corruption Can Be Good 

After paying well north of 500 bribes, I would argue that most of the bribes I pay are actually beneficial, especially in Africa. 

Here are a few examples of why it can be good: 

• Weirdly, a bribe can basically be a transaction. If someone says you can skip the 2-hour line at immigration for 10$, is that any different really than paying for Global Entry? The only difference is that it goes into the officer's pocket instead of the government. Which brings me on to the next point… 

• Unfortunately, in a lot of “developing” countries, the wage is much lower than in the US or England, for example. By paying a bribe for a service, you can be putting money into the other person's pocket as a “tip”. If you are looking to know whether or not this is going to the person in the government, read the body language of the person… 

• But honestly? The number one thing about paying bribes is that it just speeds everything up. I remember sitting at the border of the DRC, and the man stamping people in was getting angry about my guide having a waterlogged passport. It still worked, but with a little “beer money” for him, we were through in minutes. I couldn’t get a visa to Djibouti without an invitation letter. Extra 15 USD later, and I had a visa… You see where I am going with this? It opens doors that otherwise would be closed…

• Survival. Now this isn’t for everyone, as I imagine Yemen or Somalia isn’t on your bucket list, but for those that like to travel to dangerous countries, bribery is your get out of jail free card. Unethical? Absolutely. However, when I was basically being held at gunpoint in Mogadishu, ethics go out the window, and it becomes about “how do I survive, while paying as little as possible”. 

Crossing the border into Bukavu put a lot of things into perspective for me...

My Advice/The Gray Area

If there is one thing you must know about corruption during travel to these regions, it is that you must factor it into your budget. Honestly, when I budgeted my first Africa trip (yes, I did), the cost came out to about 8,000 USD, with 500 USD in corruption fees alone. 

We can sit on the sidelines all we want and play “armchair expert”, but until you have lived in these regions, I don’t think it is fair to comment on small-scale corruption. I might be in the minority, but giving a couple of dollars to a man in the Congo is beneficial for both parties. 

Which brings me onto the gray area… Now I am not going to break it down, but here is an example…

Throughout my time in Afghanistan, I paid a total of 1 bribe of about 20 USD. I paid off a Taliban member. 

However, it is not quite black and white in this situation. This minister and I were sitting down and having tea, where he told me his story about how he used to work at the government before the Taliban took back control, and was forced to work for the Taliban. They hadn’t paid him in months and had to resort to bribes to feed his family. So I gave him 20 USD and it sped up the permit… 

Now, a lot of people would call what I did wrong, and fair enough. Read this story first, and then feel free to judge my decisions...

Now, to me, this sums up exactly why corruption occurs. Now, was this wrong? Personally, I would say no, as that money went to feed his family. However, a lot of people would argue that it was wrong since the Taliban have caused oppression in Afghanistan, harming children. Yes, homeless kids on the streets of Kabul, and an economy that has crashed. Women's rights, etc… I’ve seen it all first-hand, but if you were in the shoes of that member, would you do the same? Or would you let your family starve…

It’s all about perspective.

Final Thoughts

This wasn’t a post I wrote to make you think, “Corruption is good, I am going to start paying my way out of everything”, it was a post that was designed to make you see the reality of small-scale corruption in the likes of Africa and Asia. It happens, it’s messy, it’s raw. Can it be beneficial and necessary? Yes. Can it be harmful long-term? Also yes. 

Not everything is black or white, and corruption is certainly a gray area…

A lot of people will call me tone deaf through this writing, if you have read some of my other work, you will know that is the whole concept of this blog, and how my brain works. I constantly live in fight or flight, so sadly, this is my reality. You can read my stories about traveling during danger, my story of Afghanistan, and "The Purpose" page. I am pro-human, sharing the real side to travel. The messy, the raw, the unpredictable. Not "Top 10 pays way about how to avoid bribes".