i don't doubt the truth here.

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/qa-with-leon-logothetis-a-5-a-day-traveler/#comment-2557

I thought "wow, how cool would it be to travel the Western hemisphere on a shoestring budget by depending on the benevolence of strangers?" Then I remembered that I am Black and that it wouldn't strike people as quirky and bohemian as much as panhandling. Interesting article. Double your travels and your standards all at once. — iduknoweither

I don't doubt that one bit.