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European backpackers receive backlash for “taking advantage” after hitchhiking to Gerik

HITCHHIKING is not a common practice in Malaysia due to safety concerns.

Two backpackers from Europe attempted to hitchhike to Gerik from the East Coast however, not many took kindly to their methods of travelling.

A TikTok video by @miquelrudy showed one of the travellers holding a cardboard sign with Gerik spelt in capital letters in an effort to get a ride from a kind stranger.

After much waiting, a young man driving a pickup truck stopped by and kindly offered to drive the two to their destination.

In a YouTube video, it was confirmed that the ride took approximately five hours.

ALSO READ: ‘Begpackers’ draw scorn of city residents

Netizens did not take their video well and told them to save up their money and take public transportation instead since many Malaysians do not hitchhike but the backpacking duo replied and told them many drivers gave them rides many times before.

The account added that travelling with public transport is “boring”.

Some even claimed the duo were taking advantage of Malaysians’ kindness, even claiming that Western countries may not reciprocate the gesture.

On the flip side, other users commented on their experiences of offering rides to travellers.

ALSO READ: M’sian traveller recounts mistreatment faced in South Korea, swears never to return

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