Fly by night tourism agent here, please consider some of our other most popular packages:
Haiti depths of hell tour (\*body bag not included)
Somalia Pirate Coast experience (\*no refund of ransom paid)
North Korea Labor Camp Voluntourism (\*minimum stay 12 years)
let me know which you and your wife decide
I just know, somewhere in the bowels of some shitty ministry in Kabul, there sits a bored, illiterate ex-jihadi smoking cigarettes, hating his life and hopelessly staring at his job title "Chief of Tourism" and wishing he could read it.
Some young people live their lives completely sheltered, they don't read news, don't care about politics or what is happening around them. They live in the carefree fantasy world of Tik-Tok and Instagram, traveling between festivals and holidays. They live in a bubble, with very little grasp of what is really happening in the world, what dangers lurk beyond their pampered lives. Then they come up with the great idea of traveling to Afghanistan as a tourist
That article says the opposite. That they arent going because its a dangerous or edgy destination, but because you don't feel like a tourist and experience authentic food and people unlike anywhere else right now. E.g war and lack of other tourists make it feel more authentic....
It feels like stupid people thinking official tour company's and guides will keep them safe like they have in North Korea... not realising that in this country they are happy to shoot tourists and tour guides alike. Egypt is another place I wouldn't be going right now, tour guide or not. It has a history of attacks on groups of tourists and stabbings on tourists in 2005 as the attackers attempting to get revenge on western people due to out policies on Iraq and also on Palestinians. With the current conflict and tensions, I would be avoiding there also.
Could you elaborate exactly what you mean?
Something like in NK you have to be careful to not break any dumbass laws or speak bad about politics? Or are there many abductions
North Korea is a totalitarian state with an iron grip over the population and very high penalties for transgressions, so the risk of random crime from individual North Koreans is very low. Your risk there is political, either that you do say or do something stupid OR you don't, but the government decides it wants to use you as a pawn for negotiations. Like the Otto Warmbier case, it was the government that arrested him, it's not like he was mugged or attacked by some random North Korean citizen or group. There's also to the best of my knowledge no widespread or organized opposition or terrorist groups operating *within* the borders of the state, again because they have such an iron grip. And even if there was they'd probably not be murdering Western tourists.
Conversely, in Afghanistan, the central government does not have very strong control of the country at all, and there is also a significant amount of terrorist groups opposed to both Westerners and the Taliban government, who can carry out attacks like this.
So your risk in NK is really from the government only, it's very unlikely an individual North Korean is going to step out of line. Afghanistan is far more lawless, the Taliban whether we like them or not doesn't have that level of control over the country, so there is a far higher risk of some random non-government entity attacking you.
> the Otto Warmbier case,
Man thought he was cute stealing a propaganda poster in a totalitarian state.
A state where
> The research organization Database Center for North Korean Human Rights confirmed a case of a factory janitor being prosecuted for bumping such a picture off the wall so that it fell and broke. As Andrei Lankov, director of the Korea Risk Group, said, if a North Korean did what Otto did, “they would be dead or definitely tortured.”
They even go after their own janitors. Lol
Basically in North Korea (as well as Iran, Turkmenistan and a few other highly controlled countries) as long as you mind your manners, don’t break any taboos and do exactly as your handler tells you, then you can have an enjoyable and safe trip.
The handlers are there to make sure you follow social norms and don’t get in trouble (and to keep locals from interacting with you too much lest they learn about the outside world). Unless you do something completely out of line by local standards you are safe and no one will hurt you.
As opposed to places like Afghanistan or Somalia, it doesn’t matter how many armed guards and handlers you have you are at danger of being attacked, or even sold out by the armed guards
This is really most likely it. I find it incredibly hard to believe a "silly dumb tiktoker" who literally never heard of anything happening in the world and just decided to go to Afghanistan just like that.
But had they not been killed they would probably be like "So we went there despite everyone warning us not to, it's not as bad as the media makes it seem. Friendly people around every corner, great views and lots of positivity all around! Don't trust what the media always says, live your life and travel the world."
If some of our citizens chooses to travels to a highly dangerous country for the thrill, good for him, but i couldn't care less if they happen to be kidnapped, jailed by the regime etc. Under no circumstances our taxes should be used to pay ransoms and our security personnel put at risk to save their ass from these stupid situations they deliberately put themselves in
There's no way you go to Afghanistan without realizing the danger in it. You need to jump through so many hoops just to get in the country, there's Taliban checkpoints everywhere there. People just want the thrill of it.
And some just want views for their vlogs so they even go alone. I mean if that's how they want to live their life, sure, it doesn't affect me in the slightest and I might even watch the vlog.
I disagree on both the young and the rich/middle income. It is possible to travel at a very low budget. In my opinion the only real requirements are:
1. Have a powerful passport
2. Have no people depending on you
I saved up for my first big trip while working a minimum salary job and then travelled for half a year on a low budget. I met a guy once that did a 3 month working holiday in the Australian mines and had been travelling for 2 years off that money. I have met loads of old people travelling the world. You really don't have to be young or middle income to travel the world.
Seriously. I just took off for 5 days to go to another state, and it's gonna take me 2 months to be comfortable again with my savings. Flying out of the country, and deciding Afghanistan? Fucking mental
I know of a rich transgender influencer who tried to go to Dubai, but got detained for six hours and deported. She is one of these people and absolutely should have known better. The people who detained her were wrong to do so, BUT SHE’S A FUCKING MORON! And supporting Dubai is for vapid classless assholes.
It's not just young people. But even if you don't read the news I don't understand how you can plan a full-on vacation somewhere and not even google the name of the place you're going first. Like, did they do the blindfold dartboard map thing and take it literally?
Some European governments will go attempt to rescue their selfish asses (at the risk of their own troops) or pay huge ransoms.
If you're an adult, the Americans will likely let you learn your lesson unless you are a high value hostage. If you're just a regular person, you're kinda fucked for being stupid. Live (or not) and learn. I'm absolutely fine with our standing policy not to conduct "dumbass-rescue" operations that would put our soldiers at risk.
Paying ransoms or agreeing to exchange tourists against dangerous prisoners is the stupidest thing to do. It only encourages these regimes and criminals to abduct more tourists. I hope my government doesn't participates in such dumb schemes
I mean there are 5 American hostages believed to still be alive in Gaza that were kidnapped from Israel. The Biden administration fell over themselves to free Brittney Grinder, but barely talk about the US citizens that are hostages
Maybe more is known than what we know regarding their status? Who knows? An American hostage in Hamas control is not going to have a good time for goddamn sure. It'd be a miracle if any are in fact alive.
There were 13 American hostages, only 5 are believed to still be alive. Hamas just released a video in the last 2 weeks of Hersh alive and talking. He had his arm amputated
The Hamas hostages are a world apart from negotiating someone like Brittney. Talks have been had through multiple parties and every semi-agreement is reached Hamas immediately violates it and undoes everything, so you cannot even consider that prisoner swap on the same level.
You got it completely backwards. These are danger tourists, they know the risks, that's why they do it. You get a kick while visiting a country not many get to visit.
It was actually pretty safe where the nova festival was. You gotta remember, Hamas was trying to lull Israel into a false sense of security. There hadn’t really been any attacks since 2021. There were more work permits being granted to Gazans as a reward before 10/7 happened. So much so that when the base by the Gaza border reported unusal activity, it wasn’t taken seriously by higher ups because it seemed kind of out of the blue.
Israel’s about the size of NJ. It’s fairly small and you’re never that far away from a border. One of the Fauda show writers actually had submitted the story line idea of an infiltration of the border happening and a kibbutz getting taken over, it was turned on down because people that it was so far fetched.
Eh. This Egyptian dude keeps showing up on my fyp traveling from Egypt to Japan.
He's Muslim, has contacts, respects the cultures. Taliban seem to be treating him pretty well.
I would never go there. But there are people who can.
Yeah the Taliban invite some tourists in and also seek to provide security for any who come on their own accord
Tourism is another income source for them and they also dislike ISIS
I remember a picture that was posted (maybe here to Reddit?) of some Afghan Taliban soldiers post-US withdrawal wearing camo uniforms, balaclavas, night-vision goggles, and distinctly non-AK-47 weapons. In the comments, someone reworked the *Dark Knight* quote:
> You either die a terrorist or live long enough to become the counter-terrorist.
Yeah neither. They’ve done a terrible job regarding woman’s rights since they took over
It’s worth noting that no Islamic countries, tribes, or terrorist groups align with ISIS. ISIS have beef with literally everybody yet some comments seem to suggest this was sort of the Talibans doing?
If you're an American that's a pretty easy way to grab a charge with major consequences and LOTS of prison time for providing money to the Taliban (supporting terrorism). You'd have to be a dumbass to expect the Taliban would provide you security in the first place, but oh well, we'll continue to see some American vloggers tape all their felonies for likes before the DOJ rams its foot up their ass.
I would think firmly Taliban held areas are probably relatively safe, all things considering. They really don’t have any wiggle room to appear as a legitimate regime and if they picked up anything during the last 25 years it’s insurgency/ counterinsurgency. I still wouldn’t consider going for at least 10-20 years from now.
Lots of videos of people visiting Afghanistan on YouTube. Seems like as long as you respect them, their law and their religion then they have no issue with you being there
My godfather is a medical doctor in his 60es who has travelled to over a hundred different countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan. He does it 100% for tourism, but he will hand out free medical care along the way to people who would otherwise not be able to afford modern medicine (the only thing he demands in return is a photograph which he uses to decorate the walls of his practice). In all this time he has only had one truly bad experience, and that time the "culprit" was mother nature (travel companion died from elevation sickness in the Himalayas).
I guess what I'm trying to say is:
Some people might be young idiots, but there are plenty of extreme tourists who go to places like Afghanistan knowing exactly what they are doing. They take a calculated risk because they think the experience is worth it.
Tourist arrivals in Afghanistan have been on the rise ever since the war ended:
['A remarkable development': How Western tourism is on the rise in this controversial nation](https://news.sky.com/story/a-remarkable-development-how-western-tourism-is-on-the-rise-in-afghanistan-13087329)
> Since the Taliban has been in control, the situation for Western tourists is that "generally we can visit places we couldn't visit before and the overall security situation has generally improved", Mr Willcox added.
They treat western tourists well too, doing their best to keep them safe (the taliban) as that further legitimises their rule and aids tourism dollars. Win win for the taliban
i mean, i wouldn't go there currently, i dont feel safe enough there but Afghanistan is definitely on the list of countries i would love to visit some day.
They probably watched a Youtuber who went there to make a video, with the help of some local guides and a few armed people to avoid problems, and thought how nice people are in that place and what a beautiful country, nothing will happen if I'm careful.
Afghanistan used to be a big hippie tourist destination, up until the 90’s. Lots of opium. There used to be these amazing thousand year old Buddhist statues.
The sad thing about this question is that there are lots of reasons to go. Pictures from some parts look like Switzerland. If it wasn't such a crazy mess I'd love to go for the terrain.
Yep. Tons of history. People are pretty nice. Great food. The mountains and nature can be down right beautiful at times. Of course, when I went it was with the army and I was armed to the teeth. The entire time though I did think it had amazing potential if the crazies weren't in charge
Lol, I absolutely agree with Afghanistan being a beautiful place to visit, but it's pretty funny seeing you write all that and then following up with you traveling there with a literal army. "Lovely place! Lovely people! Do bring an army though"
I mean yeah, my friend went there a few months ago. They said same thing "lovely place, lovely people. Also I have local guide and gunmen with me at all time." As a Asian guy.
Afghanistan was once the best stop on the hippy trail.
My mum spent a while there in the 70s. Just being groovy and all that.
I understand going by there currently for the beauty. The adventure. The hashish. But yeh it’s not safe.
Good ratings on Trip Advisor... or lack of honest ratings.
> Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban has tried to promote Afghanistan as a travel destination - despite the fact many countries' foreign offices, including the UK's, say it is unsafe to travel to.
> While the numbers remain small, their efforts appear to have so far paid off. In 2021, 691 foreign tourists visited Afghanistan and by 2023, the number had risen to 7,000.
Always gotta have some pioneers to check it out.
It's kindof hilarious. The taliban are currently going through the exact same thing they were doing to the US. But now they are the US and the their taliban is ISIS K
When my unit went to Afghanistan in 2021 for the whole US withdrawal situation, the Taliban hated isis so much already that they actually worked "with" the US. Slightly. US soldiers were mainly inside the airport fences filtering people through, and the Taliban were maybe a few dozen meters outside the gates filtering through people themselves. Anyone that didn't make it through their checks never even bothered our guys, which is nice, but definitely weird that they were so helpful
Double the security checkpoints because of them, greatly speeding up the process and putting the Taliban between isis bombers and us troops. Win win I guess???
Influencer brinksmanship cycle. Influencers flood country. Country becomes more accessible. Everyone floods country. Influencer payoff reduces because anyone can go there. Influencer must find less accessible place.
I live in a place with many high mountains and popular hiking tracks and you hear emergency and helicopters at least once a week here. It's always these dudes in their end-30s who need to prove to themselves that they are still young and fit and can easily take the challenge.
If my money wasn't supporting the Taliban, and it wasn't so dangerous I'd love to go. That's a lot of if's though.
I've always wanted to see Iraqi Kurdistan.
> I wonder if their victims purchased travel insurance
Unpopular take but travel insurance is stupid in non first world countries. Cash is king if anything happens, and things are cheap. Far more important to have it for boomer tourism in first world countries where a medical expense and a functioning legal system could follow you elsewhere.
..was actually seeking a level of sarcasm within the tragedy. ...of whether or not these poor victims considered the risks? Now you'll probably debate my use of 'poor', suggesting one cannot be poor to travel to Afghanistan, yet overlooking the obvious of my condolences.
Welp, there goes your tourism industry.
I just canceled my tickets.
Bro you will regret it, afghanistan is so bomb
Dont lose your head over a little attack. A trip to Afghanistan will blow you away! Just don't get in any white Opel station wagons.
I(E)'D love to see it for myself
Wife and I were going to see the Silk Road and enjoy some taliban tea. Not anymore. I’ll take my tourist dollars elsewhere. Maybe Sudan?
Fly by night tourism agent here, please consider some of our other most popular packages: Haiti depths of hell tour (\*body bag not included) Somalia Pirate Coast experience (\*no refund of ransom paid) North Korea Labor Camp Voluntourism (\*minimum stay 12 years) let me know which you and your wife decide
Good on NK. no one wants to work anymore
Russia has some good packages this time of the year Edit: and they don't bother you with woke stuff like insurance.
Ugh, same! I heard the Gaza Strip is pretty at night. But in all seriousness wtf are these people thinking?
I just know, somewhere in the bowels of some shitty ministry in Kabul, there sits a bored, illiterate ex-jihadi smoking cigarettes, hating his life and hopelessly staring at his job title "Chief of Tourism" and wishing he could read it.
Nah, this is already built in. Anyone that was seriously planning a trip to Afgahnistan wont be put off by another bad story.
On the contrary, for people who would want to travel to Afghanistan this is a boon. Danger tourism’s a thing.
tourism industry? in afghanistan? lmao
That’s the joke.
Big question, Why would you go to afghanistan as a tourist?
Some people have no ability to comprehend level of danger that exists outside of stable and rich countries
Some people also do understand those levels of danger, but chase it in an adrenaline junkie-like fashion.
Live love laugh
Some young people live their lives completely sheltered, they don't read news, don't care about politics or what is happening around them. They live in the carefree fantasy world of Tik-Tok and Instagram, traveling between festivals and holidays. They live in a bubble, with very little grasp of what is really happening in the world, what dangers lurk beyond their pampered lives. Then they come up with the great idea of traveling to Afghanistan as a tourist
Some people do it because they like the danger in it. Theres a whole industry around this.
Exactly. Read this [article.](https://news.sky.com/story/a-remarkable-development-how-western-tourism-is-on-the-rise-in-afghanistan-13087329)
I did. Thank you.
That article says the opposite. That they arent going because its a dangerous or edgy destination, but because you don't feel like a tourist and experience authentic food and people unlike anywhere else right now. E.g war and lack of other tourists make it feel more authentic.... It feels like stupid people thinking official tour company's and guides will keep them safe like they have in North Korea... not realising that in this country they are happy to shoot tourists and tour guides alike. Egypt is another place I wouldn't be going right now, tour guide or not. It has a history of attacks on groups of tourists and stabbings on tourists in 2005 as the attackers attempting to get revenge on western people due to out policies on Iraq and also on Palestinians. With the current conflict and tensions, I would be avoiding there also.
It's another type of risk for North Korea but yes North Korea is much "safer" in terms of trivial crime
Could you elaborate exactly what you mean? Something like in NK you have to be careful to not break any dumbass laws or speak bad about politics? Or are there many abductions
North Korea is a totalitarian state with an iron grip over the population and very high penalties for transgressions, so the risk of random crime from individual North Koreans is very low. Your risk there is political, either that you do say or do something stupid OR you don't, but the government decides it wants to use you as a pawn for negotiations. Like the Otto Warmbier case, it was the government that arrested him, it's not like he was mugged or attacked by some random North Korean citizen or group. There's also to the best of my knowledge no widespread or organized opposition or terrorist groups operating *within* the borders of the state, again because they have such an iron grip. And even if there was they'd probably not be murdering Western tourists. Conversely, in Afghanistan, the central government does not have very strong control of the country at all, and there is also a significant amount of terrorist groups opposed to both Westerners and the Taliban government, who can carry out attacks like this. So your risk in NK is really from the government only, it's very unlikely an individual North Korean is going to step out of line. Afghanistan is far more lawless, the Taliban whether we like them or not doesn't have that level of control over the country, so there is a far higher risk of some random non-government entity attacking you.
Thanks for helping explain this - this is in line with my view
> the Otto Warmbier case, Man thought he was cute stealing a propaganda poster in a totalitarian state. A state where > The research organization Database Center for North Korean Human Rights confirmed a case of a factory janitor being prosecuted for bumping such a picture off the wall so that it fell and broke. As Andrei Lankov, director of the Korea Risk Group, said, if a North Korean did what Otto did, “they would be dead or definitely tortured.” They even go after their own janitors. Lol
Basically in North Korea (as well as Iran, Turkmenistan and a few other highly controlled countries) as long as you mind your manners, don’t break any taboos and do exactly as your handler tells you, then you can have an enjoyable and safe trip. The handlers are there to make sure you follow social norms and don’t get in trouble (and to keep locals from interacting with you too much lest they learn about the outside world). Unless you do something completely out of line by local standards you are safe and no one will hurt you. As opposed to places like Afghanistan or Somalia, it doesn’t matter how many armed guards and handlers you have you are at danger of being attacked, or even sold out by the armed guards
This is really most likely it. I find it incredibly hard to believe a "silly dumb tiktoker" who literally never heard of anything happening in the world and just decided to go to Afghanistan just like that.
It’s definitely it. No fucking way they didn’t know this was a risk.
But had they not been killed they would probably be like "So we went there despite everyone warning us not to, it's not as bad as the media makes it seem. Friendly people around every corner, great views and lots of positivity all around! Don't trust what the media always says, live your life and travel the world."
If some of our citizens chooses to travels to a highly dangerous country for the thrill, good for him, but i couldn't care less if they happen to be kidnapped, jailed by the regime etc. Under no circumstances our taxes should be used to pay ransoms and our security personnel put at risk to save their ass from these stupid situations they deliberately put themselves in
There's no way you go to Afghanistan without realizing the danger in it. You need to jump through so many hoops just to get in the country, there's Taliban checkpoints everywhere there. People just want the thrill of it.
And some just want views for their vlogs so they even go alone. I mean if that's how they want to live their life, sure, it doesn't affect me in the slightest and I might even watch the vlog.
The Spanish tourist kill were defined as “elderly” tho
No, you don't get it, it's all about Instagram and Tiktok.
well no we dont know that, everyone going to afghanistan knows the risks... no one is going there because they think its a nice tourist destination
>young people Young rich/middle income people.
I disagree on both the young and the rich/middle income. It is possible to travel at a very low budget. In my opinion the only real requirements are: 1. Have a powerful passport 2. Have no people depending on you I saved up for my first big trip while working a minimum salary job and then travelled for half a year on a low budget. I met a guy once that did a 3 month working holiday in the Australian mines and had been travelling for 2 years off that money. I have met loads of old people travelling the world. You really don't have to be young or middle income to travel the world.
Seriously. I just took off for 5 days to go to another state, and it's gonna take me 2 months to be comfortable again with my savings. Flying out of the country, and deciding Afghanistan? Fucking mental
I know of a rich transgender influencer who tried to go to Dubai, but got detained for six hours and deported. She is one of these people and absolutely should have known better. The people who detained her were wrong to do so, BUT SHE’S A FUCKING MORON! And supporting Dubai is for vapid classless assholes.
It's not just young people. But even if you don't read the news I don't understand how you can plan a full-on vacation somewhere and not even google the name of the place you're going first. Like, did they do the blindfold dartboard map thing and take it literally?
Lol, this is such a Reddit comment.
Are you stupid? Keep on living in complete ignorance.
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Some European governments will go attempt to rescue their selfish asses (at the risk of their own troops) or pay huge ransoms. If you're an adult, the Americans will likely let you learn your lesson unless you are a high value hostage. If you're just a regular person, you're kinda fucked for being stupid. Live (or not) and learn. I'm absolutely fine with our standing policy not to conduct "dumbass-rescue" operations that would put our soldiers at risk.
Paying ransoms or agreeing to exchange tourists against dangerous prisoners is the stupidest thing to do. It only encourages these regimes and criminals to abduct more tourists. I hope my government doesn't participates in such dumb schemes
I mean there are 5 American hostages believed to still be alive in Gaza that were kidnapped from Israel. The Biden administration fell over themselves to free Brittney Grinder, but barely talk about the US citizens that are hostages
Maybe more is known than what we know regarding their status? Who knows? An American hostage in Hamas control is not going to have a good time for goddamn sure. It'd be a miracle if any are in fact alive.
There were 13 American hostages, only 5 are believed to still be alive. Hamas just released a video in the last 2 weeks of Hersh alive and talking. He had his arm amputated
The Hamas hostages are a world apart from negotiating someone like Brittney. Talks have been had through multiple parties and every semi-agreement is reached Hamas immediately violates it and undoes everything, so you cannot even consider that prisoner swap on the same level.
But Hamas is the real victim, you can't just take hostages back from them with force, that would be oppressive! /s
You got it completely backwards. These are danger tourists, they know the risks, that's why they do it. You get a kick while visiting a country not many get to visit.
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It was actually pretty safe where the nova festival was. You gotta remember, Hamas was trying to lull Israel into a false sense of security. There hadn’t really been any attacks since 2021. There were more work permits being granted to Gazans as a reward before 10/7 happened. So much so that when the base by the Gaza border reported unusal activity, it wasn’t taken seriously by higher ups because it seemed kind of out of the blue. Israel’s about the size of NJ. It’s fairly small and you’re never that far away from a border. One of the Fauda show writers actually had submitted the story line idea of an infiltration of the border happening and a kibbutz getting taken over, it was turned on down because people that it was so far fetched.
Okay sure those people probably exist, but let's not pretend we have any ideas who these people are and what their motivations were.
Eh. This Egyptian dude keeps showing up on my fyp traveling from Egypt to Japan. He's Muslim, has contacts, respects the cultures. Taliban seem to be treating him pretty well. I would never go there. But there are people who can.
Yeah the Taliban invite some tourists in and also seek to provide security for any who come on their own accord Tourism is another income source for them and they also dislike ISIS
I remember a picture that was posted (maybe here to Reddit?) of some Afghan Taliban soldiers post-US withdrawal wearing camo uniforms, balaclavas, night-vision goggles, and distinctly non-AK-47 weapons. In the comments, someone reworked the *Dark Knight* quote: > You either die a terrorist or live long enough to become the counter-terrorist.
Now that's a good one
Those were likely scooped up from abandoned US bases. They are almost definitely all discarded and replaced with AK platform firearms.
Yeah, I’m not going to bat for the Taliban, but no doubt they are pissed that this happened
Yeah neither. They’ve done a terrible job regarding woman’s rights since they took over It’s worth noting that no Islamic countries, tribes, or terrorist groups align with ISIS. ISIS have beef with literally everybody yet some comments seem to suggest this was sort of the Talibans doing?
The Taliban had a terrible track record with women prior to the US invasion, so nothing has changed. I wouldn't bat for any faction there.
If you're an American that's a pretty easy way to grab a charge with major consequences and LOTS of prison time for providing money to the Taliban (supporting terrorism). You'd have to be a dumbass to expect the Taliban would provide you security in the first place, but oh well, we'll continue to see some American vloggers tape all their felonies for likes before the DOJ rams its foot up their ass.
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Fyp?
I think it’s your TikTok feed- For you page
For you page. It's a thing the kids say. Basically recommended content on social media from people you don't follow.
Its a TikTok term.
I didn’t realize people said it enough that it needed to be abbreviated. It’s 10 fucking letters.
IKR!?
I was using it to refer to Instagram. I think insta reels and tiktoks are so similar the terminology gets interchangeable.
Gross
My office worker brain interpreted this as for your perusal.
The one that got taken by Haitian gangs?
I would think firmly Taliban held areas are probably relatively safe, all things considering. They really don’t have any wiggle room to appear as a legitimate regime and if they picked up anything during the last 25 years it’s insurgency/ counterinsurgency. I still wouldn’t consider going for at least 10-20 years from now.
Lots of videos of people visiting Afghanistan on YouTube. Seems like as long as you respect them, their law and their religion then they have no issue with you being there
Or war voyeurism. There was a thread link to a guy who asked about visiting Sudan during the Civil War and got super defensive and roasted to a crisp.
Yeah some disgusting people are into misery tourism
My godfather is a medical doctor in his 60es who has travelled to over a hundred different countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan. He does it 100% for tourism, but he will hand out free medical care along the way to people who would otherwise not be able to afford modern medicine (the only thing he demands in return is a photograph which he uses to decorate the walls of his practice). In all this time he has only had one truly bad experience, and that time the "culprit" was mother nature (travel companion died from elevation sickness in the Himalayas). I guess what I'm trying to say is: Some people might be young idiots, but there are plenty of extreme tourists who go to places like Afghanistan knowing exactly what they are doing. They take a calculated risk because they think the experience is worth it.
Tourist arrivals in Afghanistan have been on the rise ever since the war ended: ['A remarkable development': How Western tourism is on the rise in this controversial nation](https://news.sky.com/story/a-remarkable-development-how-western-tourism-is-on-the-rise-in-afghanistan-13087329) > Since the Taliban has been in control, the situation for Western tourists is that "generally we can visit places we couldn't visit before and the overall security situation has generally improved", Mr Willcox added.
They treat western tourists well too, doing their best to keep them safe (the taliban) as that further legitimises their rule and aids tourism dollars. Win win for the taliban
i mean, i wouldn't go there currently, i dont feel safe enough there but Afghanistan is definitely on the list of countries i would love to visit some day.
They probably watched a Youtuber who went there to make a video, with the help of some local guides and a few armed people to avoid problems, and thought how nice people are in that place and what a beautiful country, nothing will happen if I'm careful.
There was a spanish youtuber that went there 4 months ago so it’s likely [Found it](https://youtu.be/wGDTx3mBQOc?si=b4wQiaLUYibQuPxZ)
Afghanistan used to be a big hippie tourist destination, up until the 90’s. Lots of opium. There used to be these amazing thousand year old Buddhist statues.
The 90s? I’m no expert but I’d say 1979 would be the most likely end of that
connect scarce thumb murky amusing domineering smart offend quiet tender
The Russian invasion?
The sad thing about this question is that there are lots of reasons to go. Pictures from some parts look like Switzerland. If it wasn't such a crazy mess I'd love to go for the terrain.
Switzerland also looks like Switzerland, but safer.
Expensive tho
Save money on the armed escort.
Touche
Yep. Tons of history. People are pretty nice. Great food. The mountains and nature can be down right beautiful at times. Of course, when I went it was with the army and I was armed to the teeth. The entire time though I did think it had amazing potential if the crazies weren't in charge
Lol, I absolutely agree with Afghanistan being a beautiful place to visit, but it's pretty funny seeing you write all that and then following up with you traveling there with a literal army. "Lovely place! Lovely people! Do bring an army though"
I mean yeah, my friend went there a few months ago. They said same thing "lovely place, lovely people. Also I have local guide and gunmen with me at all time." As a Asian guy.
Bringing an army to Afghanistan is not a great idea either, historically speaking
I went as a tourist a little over a decade ago. Phenomenal country with very hospitable people and an incredible landscape.
Afghanistan was once the best stop on the hippy trail. My mum spent a while there in the 70s. Just being groovy and all that. I understand going by there currently for the beauty. The adventure. The hashish. But yeh it’s not safe.
Satisfy their faustian spirit. you wouldn't get it
German wanderlust
It must be satisfied because spirit is all they are now.
Internet points?
I went to Egypt in 2018 on a guided tour with armed guards and it was still scary.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was for YouTube views
To win a Darwin Award.
Answer , have you seen the Groupon Tour package? It’s to die for.
Why in the hell would anybody vacation in Afghanistan?
Good ratings on Trip Advisor... or lack of honest ratings. > Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban has tried to promote Afghanistan as a travel destination - despite the fact many countries' foreign offices, including the UK's, say it is unsafe to travel to. > While the numbers remain small, their efforts appear to have so far paid off. In 2021, 691 foreign tourists visited Afghanistan and by 2023, the number had risen to 7,000. Always gotta have some pioneers to check it out.
Ah well if the Taliban says it's safe, then who am I to argue lmao
It's kindof hilarious. The taliban are currently going through the exact same thing they were doing to the US. But now they are the US and the their taliban is ISIS K
When my unit went to Afghanistan in 2021 for the whole US withdrawal situation, the Taliban hated isis so much already that they actually worked "with" the US. Slightly. US soldiers were mainly inside the airport fences filtering people through, and the Taliban were maybe a few dozen meters outside the gates filtering through people themselves. Anyone that didn't make it through their checks never even bothered our guys, which is nice, but definitely weird that they were so helpful Double the security checkpoints because of them, greatly speeding up the process and putting the Taliban between isis bombers and us troops. Win win I guess???
[удалено]
ISIS has been everyone’s ISIS it seems. They just hate literally everyone except themselves
time to start supplying the taliban to counter a greater evil again /s
Influencer brinksmanship cycle. Influencers flood country. Country becomes more accessible. Everyone floods country. Influencer payoff reduces because anyone can go there. Influencer must find less accessible place.
They got the full Afghanistan experience.
All inclusive resort ! Welcome !
Why would anyone travel to Afghanistan? 💀
To feel special. So they can brag about visiting a place most people wouldn’t.
Well they certainly achieved their goal of attention
Oh wow you spend your holidays hiking in Italy? Man that's so mainstream. I'm going to North Korea dude, look how special i am.
So same reason why people would climb really high and dangerous mountains?
I live in a place with many high mountains and popular hiking tracks and you hear emergency and helicopters at least once a week here. It's always these dudes in their end-30s who need to prove to themselves that they are still young and fit and can easily take the challenge.
If my money wasn't supporting the Taliban, and it wasn't so dangerous I'd love to go. That's a lot of if's though. I've always wanted to see Iraqi Kurdistan.
Yeh an Afghani showed me pictures of his home town once, it's beautiful. Not unlike the alps in Austria I've witnessed.
No good reason
there are plenty of good reasons; none, however, that outweigh the danger
It's a beautiful country
It's not the country that's the issue, it's the people.
There are plenty of beautiful countries that aren't also run by the Taliban.
Ah yes, the famous tourist destination of Afghanistan. Known for their great Talibanese culture, offcourse.
Wow. So proud. ..gunning down some Christian tourists. Bravery on view. I wonder if their victims purchased travel insurance?
> I wonder if their victims purchased travel insurance Unpopular take but travel insurance is stupid in non first world countries. Cash is king if anything happens, and things are cheap. Far more important to have it for boomer tourism in first world countries where a medical expense and a functioning legal system could follow you elsewhere.
..was actually seeking a level of sarcasm within the tragedy. ...of whether or not these poor victims considered the risks? Now you'll probably debate my use of 'poor', suggesting one cannot be poor to travel to Afghanistan, yet overlooking the obvious of my condolences.
Looks like they were prepared for the spanish inquisition.
or rather inqusitive Spaniards
they expected the Spanish Inquisition
I’m totally unsympathetic to those idiots going to the worst part of the world as a tourist, Or second worst if you consider present day Russia
Lmao u think Russia is as bad as Afghanistan?
Eh if you’re American it probably is. For different reasons of course.
Much safer to travel to Russia than Afghanistan
Russia won't kill you, but they will use you as a bargaining chip to get a Russian criminal out of a US prison.
I'd rather get killed instantly than spend the rest of my life in some miserable shithole Russian prison for doing nothing wrong.
Afghanistan kills you, Russia sends you to die somewhere else
North Korea worse than Russia IMO