Notorious begpacker barred from entering S'pore, goes around the world begging

Begpacking, a play on backpacking, is a newly coined term which refers to a fresh breed of backpackers who go around the world begging for money to fund their travels.

For reference, here's a pair of tourists busking illegally and selling postcards at Tampines bus interchange on April 4.

They caught the attention of one Twitter user, who was irritated that they would put themselves in the same position as real beggars who actually need the money for survival.

WHAT THE HECK??? Maybe there IS a syndicate. pic.twitter.com/xierIhcAt5
— Sarah Coldheart (@sarahcoldheart) April 4, 2017

Ok but seriously got the non emergency line or email for @SingaporePolice or not. To just go see the nonlegal buskers like? pic.twitter.com/qQkVWtuJpP
— Sarah Coldheart (@sarahcoldheart) April 4, 2017

Hedonistic begpacker

Another begpacker, who landed on our shores, is a man named Benjamin Holst. Known for being a "professional beggar", the German traveller is infamous for running into trouble with the law in several countries.

While most begpackers go with the "spiritual-journey-through-the-world" appeal, Holst takes pride in spending the money he receives from locals on alcohol and prostitutes.

He arrived in Singapore on Feb. 24 and promptly made his way to Geylang in search of beer and girls, as he claims.

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Screenshot via Benjamin Holst's Facebook page

Photo via Benjamin Holst's Facebook page

A few days later, he paid a visit to Universal Studios, a place which he also seemed to enjoy a lot.

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How he begs

Born with an unusually large right leg due to macrodystrophia lipomatosa, Holst uses his unfortunate condition to gain sympathy from passers-by.

And judging from the photos he posts on Facebook, it seems like this move has certainly helped him financially, as he updates it frequently with photos of food and places of interest in different countries.

Denied entry into Singapore

When he tried to set foot into our country again on April 4, he was denied entry at Changi Airport and deported to Denmark.

The whole begpacking issue has been the focus of media attention lately as many people view the behaviour to be self-entitled.

The case of Holst, however, is slightly different from the rest as he openly spends the money he gets from begging on things that people normally see as unnecessary expenditure.

As such, multiple videos of him have surfaced as a warning to the public about his conning ways.

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Notorious begpacker barred from entering S'pore, goes around the world begging

Events

Law Awareness Week 2020

Notorious begpacker barred from entering S'pore, goes around the world begging

Events

Law Awareness Week 2020

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