The term ‘First World Problems‘ refers to the ‘issues’ that a lot of us complain about because there is nothing worthwhile complaining about. You know, having a bitch fest about how the latest gadget you bought didn’t meet your expectations, and how you ordered something from a restaurant and the wrong dish came out.
Boo hoo. It’s gonna kill you..
First World Problems – Something The Third World Wishes They Had!
Actually, this now global term has been turned numerous and humorous memes that are floating around the internet. Here is one as an example:
Now I consider myself very grateful and lucky that I was born in a first world country that gave me a lot of opportunities that most people in the world don’t have – and will never have. Things like a decent education, a good health care system, and the means to travel a lot which is something I love doing. I’ve travelled to many third world countries, and I have a learned a lot about the crap that other people have to put up with in the rest of the world is significantly more than I will ever have to deal with.
If I am having a ‘bad’ day, well I am scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of problems that are faced by most people in the world. Things like where the food on the table is coming from, whether that the water you are drinking is going to make you sick, and if there is any way out of this hell hole. It’s amazing how someone’s fortune can be determined based on which country you were born in!
Think you’re doing it tough? If you are reading this, you are a wealthy person because you have access to a computer and an internet connection. Just remember, even if someone is on welfare in a first world country, they are still within the top 10% of the world’s richest people. That’s right. The vast majority of the poorest first world people are still a lot more wealthier than most who live in the third world. There are even a couple of funny websites that highlight these terrible ‘problems’ – First World Problems and White Whine.
Other articles on this silly website that illustrate the disparity of wealth in the world are Miniature Earth, the Washing Machine and Coffin Workshops. They definitely make you think!
You should also check out this funny video that parodies first world problems! It’s gold!
I love the play on words that happens towards the end in this video!
Anyway, I’ve put together a list of some of the things that affects travellers and how they are problems in the first world and the third world. Yes, we all have different priorities!
Did you ever wonder why sometimes that if you are travelling in a third world country lugging your ridiculously big and heavy backpack around with you, that you are being stared at for some reason? Well the locals are gob smacked that you’re able to travel because you have a choice to do so, and you have the means and finances to do this! It’s a totally foreign concept to them!
You are a millionaire (or sometimes, even a billionaire) in comparison to them.
This was brought home to me once when I met a lot of kids in Malawi on a day trek. They never asked me for money. They asked me if a had I spare pen so they could write on scrap paper at school. Had I known they were going to ask this, I would have bought as many cheap blue pens and given them away.
But anyway, lets check them out. The travel version of first world problems versus those in the third world.
| Problem | First World | Third World |
| Destinations | I don’t know if I want to go to the beach or the snow this year | I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to leave this shanty town |
| Apple | I wish I had the money to buy a new Apple iPhone for my travels | I wish I had the money to buy an apple to eat |
| Transport | I hate waiting hours for aircraft delays | I hate waiting weeks for the bus to arrive – if at all |
| Vaccinations | I wish vaccinations for travelling overseas didn’t hurt | I wish I could have some vaccinations so I don’t become sick |
| Passports | My passport photo looks terrible | I wish I could afford a passport to get out of here |
| Food | I’m starving, I’ve been hungry for half an hour | I’m starving, I’ve been hungry for days. I don’t know where my next meal is coming from |
| Appliances | I’d kill to be able to use a hair dryer | I’d kill to be able to use electricity |
| Coffee | This coffee is way too expensive | They pay me nothing to pick these coffee beans |
| Communications | I wish my phone battery would last for a day so I can call home | I with I could call my relatives, I have spoken to them since I left the refugee camp |
| Accommodation | I don’t think I could afford a hotel over a hostel | I don’t think I could afford a bed over these cardboard boxes |
| Long Term Travel | I’m tired of being on the road for so long and living out of a backpack | I’m tired of being on the road for so long looking for food and shelter |
More First World Problems Stuff!
How about you – what other travel related ‘First World Problems‘ have you come across? Leave a comment to share with the world!
Check out more at First World Problems: 63 things that totally suck. I’m sure it’s pretty depressing..
This is splendid, and your list is spot on. It’s become quite a joke to many in the first world category, but it’s anything but on the other side. Here’s what I would add:
Shower: 1st world – I wish my hot water lasted longer than 20 minutes – it’s not long enough to wash my hair.
Shower: 3rd world – I wish I didn’t have to walk miles to the river/pond just to take a bath in dirty water without soap.
Yep, so true. My worst bad day is probably someone else’s best day!
Great article Anthony! My only comment…. pencils are more environmentally friendly than pens 😉 but a much desired commodity none the less.
Knowing Africans, they would find a way to recycle the pens! They’re pretty much find any way to use whatever they have – which is usually nothing!
You don’t know what you have until you lose it…