Sex in Exchange for Travel

According to an article in www.wantchinatimes.com, a young woman who appears to be Oriental is seeking  temporary "boyfriends" to fund her travels around China. She has apparently already been able to find some in certain parts of the country.

Not just any sugar daddy will qualify. The applicants must be at least 1.75 metres tall, under 30 years old, affluent and generous. The girl describes herself as pretty, and from the picture seem to be quite thin --her face is obscured.

This gives a whole new meaning to the idea of budger travel. It is of course nothing new--women and men have been exchanging sex for various benefits from time immemorial. Even famed British travel writer Lesley Blanch admitted in one of her books to taking a ticket for a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway from an admirer, and I suspect there are many other people who have done similar things.

Some critics claim that journalists who accept press trips (or bloggers who accept partnerships and sponsorships) are prostituting themselves, but it is usually not so blatant. As a journalist who has taken press trips, I believe they have a point. However, with the cost of travel being what it is, this is often the only way for journalists (and even more for bloggers, who tend to be unpaid) to make ends meet.

The girl who wants to travel around China has apparently generated a lot of comment in that country. It's just my opinion, but I think she is taking too many of chances. Better to wait until she is a little older and can afford to pay her own way. I'm all in favour of saving money on travel, but not at any cost.