
And then something like this appears in my email inbox (thanks Fausel), "#120 Taking A Year Off" - from Stuff White People Like.
"It is most common for the person taking the year off to use this time to travel (see Post #19 for reasons why). Generally, they will start off with a set amount of money that will use to travel for as long as possible. This explains why a white person with an $800 backpack will haggle with a poverty-stricken street vendor about a $2 dollar plate of food."
Problem solved.