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moment it’s slightly dubious as to whether it’s safe totravel there, and I think that’s what’s going to attract a lotof people there next, all your hard worn travellers. Imean Cambodia had the Khmer Rouge all the waythrough the seventies, so ooh! Bit more danger there, youknow that’s a bit more up to date. There were killingfields there more recently. That possibility of kidnap inthe mountains – oh what a thrill that would be. (FullMetal Backpack, [Vietnam and Cambodia]Channel 4,2.2.99)Having explained their interest in thrill-seeking andthe desire to experience an element of risk on theirtravels, there was a moment in the war remnantsmuseum in Saigon where the two men are stopped intheir tracks by a black and white photograph of a GIholding a Vietnamese child upside down by the feet:I find it frankly very disturbing. It makes me feel quiteguilty in many ways when I come over here and treat itall as a laugh... think it’s a great joke to wear a G.I. helmetand pretend I’m a soldier. But it wasn’t fun. (Full MetalBackpack, [Vietnam and Cambodia]Channel 4, 2.2.99)Following this moment of reflection, they entered thenext room in the museum, where guns are displayed. Thetwo travellers immediately resumed their previousattitude:Having said all that about how serious the war is, youcome in here and just want to pick up the guns and playwith them again. It’s irresistible... You just want topretend that you’re shooting down helicopters and youare Charlie Sheen. But when you get here you’re still justyou – you can’t suddenly transform yourself into a starfrom one of the Vietnam war films and it’s slightlydisappointing to come all this way and still be yourself.(Full Metal Backpack, [Vietnam and Cambodia]Channel 4, 2.2.99)The fleeting reflection on the reality of the horror ofthe war does not interrupt the agenda of trying torecapture gritty Hollywood images of GIs on the edge ofexistence. While sitting on a boat getting stoned with anolder Vietnamese woman holding a large pipe, theycommented on their surprise at how different it all isfrom the movies:..in Vietnam nowadays it’s just party city all the time. I’dno idea. Everything’s been geared towards keeping thetourists drunk, who’ll spend lots of money. It’s hardlyFull Metal Jacket. (Full Metal Backpack, [Vietnam andCambodia] Channel 4, 2.2.99)Others who appeared in the documentary had aslightly different agenda. One lone traveller was waitingfor his girlfriend to arrive in Saigon. He was sitting on asmall boat with other people planning to go to a nearbynight-club. There was a close-up of two clear packetscontaining brown substances on the boat. A youngwoman’s voice could be heard asking if anyone has gotany ‘Charlie’. Commenting on the activities on his travelsthus far, he said:I’ve done nothing really mate. I’ve been here for four daysand all I’ve really done is sit on my backside and justdrink. I’m really waiting until my girlfriend gets hereand then I think we’re going to explore a bit more ofVietnam.Warren who is a night-club entrepreneur hadtravelled to Vietnam with his girlfriend Ali, a barmanager. Again, this couple spent most of their time inthe country getting drunk. Warren and Ali’s one attemptat a cultural experience resulted in disappointment. Theytook a boat to Angkor Wat to visit the Buddhist temple:Without proper guides this is almost as nonsensical asdrinking ourselves stupid every night.None of the people on this programme mentionedthe word holiday; they all viewed themselves as travelling,and as having a separate agenda from holidaymakers.Each of them referred to their cultural expectations fromthe area. The two male travellers had clearly chosenVietnam because of the Hollywood movies on the warthere. They initially expressed disappointment that thereality is at odds with their expectations of experiencingrisk and personal challenge. However, they later appearedvery content to join the drink and drugs culture of thetraveller community there. The other contributors to theprogramme had a concept of ‘exploring a bit of Vietnam’or ‘having an intense cultural experience.’ However, againalcohol and drugs featured more in their activities. Whiletravellers have been viewed as more adventurous andculture seeking than holidaymakers, Full Metal Backpacksuggested that there is little difference in reality. FullMetal Backpack focused on travellers rather than on thedestinations to which they travelled.By contrast BBC2’s The Edge of Blue Heaven, (14January 1999, 20.00) was not simply about ‘travelling’,but more about exploration of both territory and the self.In the series of which this episode was a part, adventurerand presenter Benedict Allen made a 3,000 mile trekaround the edge of Mongolia. Allen chose to journeyaround a country relatively untouched by the touristindustry. He did not have fixed preconceptions aboutwhat he would experience on his journey. At the beginningof this episode, he summarised his progress so far:102 DFID – July 2000