“Other people don’t notice, but there is a reason why fig trees in public spaces never bring fruit. The homeless pick them for food before they are even ripe enough for eating.”
Nowadays, the appearance and rise of homelessness is a growing issue all over the globe. People become homeless for a number of reasons – unemployment, poverty, relationship break down, mental or physical health problems, substance misuse etc. Rich or poor countries, old or new places, young or old people, it doesn’t matter – they seem to be everywhere. And yet, they are invisible. If you think about it, do you really know how many homeless people are there in your city? Do you know how they spend their day? Where do they sleep, where do they eat, where do they „kill“ all the 24 hours? Their integration into society (and space) is utterly complex. They are the people on the margins. In order to cope with this growing issue, the tourism industry provided an answer – homeless people tours. These tours are guided by the homeless people and, unlike usual city tours, they are not shaped around popular tourist attractions and sites, but provide a unique insight on a side of urban life that is greatly overlooked – the lives and rough experiences of the people who live on the streets. These tours are not overly dramatic, they are profoundly realistic and thought-provoking. They are given by real people who wish to tell their story, to connect, to raise awareness. Majority of the money earned goes to the guide himself. Being down to Earth and off the beaten tourist track, they quickly spread all over Europe and became very popular among tourists. Here is the list of homeless people tours you can join in Europe:
Amsterdam – Amsterdam Underground
Athens – Shedia Invisible Tours
Barcelona – Hidden City Tours
Berlin – Querstadtein
Edinburgh – Invisible Edinburgh
London – Unseen Tours
Ljubljana – Nevid(e)na Lublana
Manchester – Invisible Manchester
Prague – Pragulic
Vienna – Shades Tours
Zagreb – Invisible Zagreb