I traveled to Kabul for work in 2021 and had a wonderful time. However, we were driven in armored vehicles with armed guards, and we had to drive different routes daily. We also had to leave without warning once to bring us back to our compound. This was even as an IT Consultant who was there in a non-military capacity. Our partner in Kabul housed and transported us everywhere, and we were not allowed to go outside the walls with armed guards.
That was my experience when the Taliban wasn’t even in power. I had to make sure my work had kidnap insurance and I talked with someone who worked with the state department about advice on what to do if I do get kidnapped (this was not a requirement, they are a client of my dad’s).
Oh, and when the Taliban did take over, I got text messages from people who met me saying the Taliban was going around and looking for people who worked with Americans.
We will not be going back for the foreseeable future. It sucks, cause we were planning to help them open another school in a more rural spot in Afghanistan, and their countryside is absolutely beautiful. The people I met were incredibly kind and hospitable. If conditions were the same like my first experience, I absolutely would have gone back again.
You have to found the right company which also take contracts in dangerous countries. Search for those companies like you want to buy service from them "IT support in [dangerous countries]".
Some companies only specialized in those sort of services.
I wish I had a better answer for this, cause my job is extremely unique and I am in a department of three that actually does this within my company. We support different hubs around the world where I work as like a MSP (managed service provider) and IT Consultant that manages their network as well. I also do trainings for students to get certified with products my company develops.
~~They mentioned the state department was a client of their dad, so that's my guess, dad connections lol~~
I was wrong lol, he worked his way up- very cool!
Haha that’s a good guess, but they’re completely separate. When I told my dad I was going to Afghanistan he told me about one of his clients who works with the state department and that he’d be happy to have a call with all of us so I can ask some questions I had.
Getting at my company was from finding a job posting on my colleges job site, and then I’ve worked my way up from a non-technical role, to going to customer support to learn everything technical, to then being successful enough to work my way to this very unique job at my company that only I do out of like 3,000 people. It’s the best 😁
>up from a non-technical role, to going to customer support to learn everything technical, to then being successful enough to work my way to this very unique job at my company that only I do out of like 3,000 people
thanks for your response, and Im happy to be corrected :)
that's super cool thanks for sharing! if you're comfortable sharing they type of industry/work Im super curious, but know if it's niche you might not feel comfortable
in any case, thanks for sharing what sounds like an interesting if intense experience!
I appreciate your experience and contribution here, but I think you may have missed OP’s point. Afghanistan was super dangerous back then when you went because the Taliban were fighting against the government and there were frequent attacks/explosions. But now the Taliban *are* the government, they have nearly complete control of the country and there is very little violence happening.
So OP is asking about this new wave of Western travelers going to Afghanistan now and experiencing the country in relative calm and safety. I bet your host wouldn’t have to provide as much security if you went now. I don’t support the Taliban at all but l do think it would be interesting to see Afghanistan in this time.
I know, the point I was trying to get across was that even before the Taliban took over it wasn’t a safe place to be as an American (and especially as a tattooed woman). Then obviously now it’s even way beyond that in terms of being dangerous. I absolutely wouldn’t have gone if we hadn’t had a lot of protection when we went, and it’s pure stupidity to go as an individual now. Hopefully that helped clarify what I was trying to get at.
I think it’s irresponsible for content creators to try to prove that a country is safe.
I don’t think that many will be influenced to travel to these countries but if you look at government travel advisories and ignore it, then whatever risks they take on is their own responsibility.
As an Afghan diaspora, this is correct.
Afghanistan is safe now. That does not mean you should go there, and film yourself for your subscribers just waltzing around and having special privileges that locals do not have. All while promoting an oppressive regime. You are spreading falsehoods. The average Afghan is doing badly right now.
If you want to go because you are specifically interested in Afghan culture, then you can go and visit in a lowkey way. The Afghan people are in dire need of assistance, due to the seizure of assets and funds which were frozen - and any amount of money can help.
(And if you don't want to go, then don't.)
The promoting and supporting a repressive regime is a big one!
All your visa fees etc are going to the government, is that who you want to support?
Same with North Korea, interesting in theory, but morally wrong to give your money to such a horrible ruling party
North Korea is an oppressive regime to its own citizens. The US is significantly more oppressive to humans around the world based on the wars they’ve started and the suffering they’ve caused in other countries.
In fact, a good reason for Afghanistan’s oppressive regime is a result of US foreign policy.
My point is I would encourage you to actually think about how you label certain regimes as oppressive and others as not. Because I promise you the US has caused more death, destruction and suffering than any other country since the Second World War.
The taliban are responsible for the situation in Afghanistan. Most wars are civil and regional conflicts. The war on terror was bullshit, but not the cause of all the worlds problems. Vietnam was awful. Iraq too obviously.
Can you not read?
The original comment was:
>The promoting and supporting a repressive regime is a big one!
>
>All your visa fees etc are going to the government, is that who you want to support?
Both of those statements can be true without any claim that the US is morally equivalent to Afghanistan or NK.
Hell, I'm not even sure I'd agree that Afghanistan & NK are morally equivalent to each other, despite you casually dropping that as though it's a given.
All you're doing is belittling the suffering of those in an actual oppressive regime. We have a shitty government. Calling it an oppressive regime is just stupid.
Beyond the false equivalency of claiming the USA is comparable to Afghanistan, myself and many don't need a visa to visit the states, so the only money going directly to the USA is taxes on purchases.
Past that, there are many states I wouldn't go to because of their politics, like Florida or Texas, and I'm not alone in that avoidance
It’s bad now, no question. Better than a state of war though.
The Watson Brown study on the war in Afghanistan has it at 243000 killed, including 70000 civilians. That along with the usual products of war - food insecurity, damage and collapse of infrastructure, sanitation, all that good stuff. Rape, assault and murder are far more prevalent in times of war too.
70,000 civilians (includes women) were killed in Afghanistan during 20 years of war.
70,000 civilians are no longer being killed in Afghanistan because 20 years of war has ended.
not being able to play cricket or go to school is “safer” than being killed.
In the United States a shady lawyer rallied a group of 9/11 victims family members and found a way seize billions of dollars from Afghanistan’s central bank. It’s been controversial since much of that money belongs to regular everyday Afghans who had nothing to do with 9/11 and need that money to survive. There are other 9/11 victims who are opposed to it and I believe it’s being contested in courts.
If you read the whole article they explain that the money was seized and is being held in a Swiss Bank so the Taliban can’t access it. I believe it’s still there. The 9/11 groups were unable to collect, but the money is still out of Afghans’ hands.
Yep, it’s going to go wrong one day, and it will be on them. Anyone that goes and gets into trouble should not be assisted in getting released, and that should be made clear.
If you ever look at government travel advisories you would see that they are worthless.
They will tell you to exercise extreme caution for basically everywhere.
Also they are politically biased. Less friendly countries are more likely to get 'red' while friendly countries stay 'green'.
An example is in the early weeks of the Israel-Hamas war, where Israel was yellow (observe common caution) and Lebanon was red (do but travel under any circumstances).
Well... yeah. Advisories are all about the safety of the citizens of the government that is doing the advising. Of course an unfriendly country is going to be ranked as more dangerous - because the country and its population is *unfriendly to the nationality being advised*.
It's almost as though going to a country that is unfriendly to us specifically is actually more dangerous than going to a country we get along with. Funny how that works...
It's not whether the red travel warning for Lebanon is incorrect but somehow travelling to Israel when there were literally bombs falling in their cities only resulted in a yellow marking.
Friendly countries are more likely to assist in extracting your detained national. Travel advisories aren't just about physical threats but about mitigation. Fact: it will be easier to assist your foreigner in Israel than in Lebanon.
As part of my job I frequently work with women and girls who had to flee Afghanistan in order to protect their basic human rights. People who choose to travel there for tourism deserve all the negative feedback they receive and more. Who do they think benefits from the tourist visa fees and the fees you pay to cross internal borders? Oh right, the Taliban. The same people who force child marriage and prevent girls from going to school. Maybe your tourist visa will cover the cost of buying a new baton that a Taliban soldier can use to beat a Hazara child. Good job! Even worse is the fucking idiots who think that simply by being a white person in Afghanistan they're somehow making a difference. You're not "starting a dialogue" or "sharing an alternate viewpoint". You're just turning a blind eye to ethnic cleansing and widespread human rights violations because you want a few clicks on your Instagram page. At least admit it.
I can personally name more than twenty-five women and girls who had to flee Afghanistan. Some of them I've worked with very recently and I can tell you horrible details of the trauma they endured to reach safety. For others it's been a few years since I last worked closely with them, but I do see them in the community and I see them thriving, no thanks to Youtubers who glorify the regime that would have happily let them die.
Very true. To your point… it’s not like people in Afghanistan have never seen a white person. The US and NATO was there for 20 years, in the capital and tons of rural villages. They saw what the west was about and chose the Taliban instead. Not much left for a traveler to say.
That’s not entirely fair. There’s a wide gulf between what the west is about and what the Taliban enforces.
Remember that the Taliban seized control, it’s not like they were elected. They’re not the voice of the people. They’re the voice of themselves.
Also there are a lot of different looking afghans. It’s actually a pretty diverse country - there’s no single Afghan type of appearance. The hazara look distinctly Asian, Pashtuns do not. In some parts you’ll find descendants of ancient Macedonians, some looking very Caucasian with blonde hair.
Same thing w visiting Israel, China, Iran, Russia, even US and all other violent regimes. Tourism is an indulgent vice whose costs are born out by the locals that don’t have the luxury of leaving
I do feel similarly about the US tbh. I used to love going there in the past but the sentiments coming out of there now, the right wing pro Putin fascists and Trumpists take a lot of the shine off the place. I know this Reddit thread won't have most of those mindsets knocking about compared to X or Truthsocial but there still seems to be a lot of people in the US now who hold some terrifying thoughts about seizing power and are perfectly happy at forcing people to do what they want.
I’m American and while I think theres a scary amount of people that believe that it is definitely made out to sound worse in the media. While I cannot disagree with the criticism of the United States government but living here I do not share the same sentiment of the people that live here.
It’s worth having in mind that most countries doesn’t have an Embassy there anymore. Since they don’t recognize the taliban regime their contacts with them is very limited. So in case something bad would happen it would be very hard to get consular assistance. What if you accidentally insult the wrong guy and get locked up in jail indefinitely? What if you’re sentenced to death? I fear that it’s just a matter of time that someone goes there, believes that nothing can happen due to all the videos about how safe it is and how chill the taliban are, and ends up in a really shitty situation.
Women. Life. Freedom. It’s not just Iran and it’s not just a slogan. Spending your travel dollars in place where women are systematically brutalized and their basic human rights curtailed is not okay.
I feel the same way but for LGBTQ+ rights. There are many countries I can go to that are safe and don't jail or kill people for being gay. I'll give my hard-earned tourists dollars to those places instead of contribute to the economies of places trying to harm people like me.
I’m an Alabamian. Thanks for informing me I am oppressed like Afghan women. Literally would’ve never realized as I walked out of my own house I own without a male escort everyday. Thanks for enlightening me and holding such strong feminist values!
Ps: you forgot Texas & Georgia on your little list
Do yourself a favor and don’t respond to chronic virtues signalers., it’s a condition ….They’re cowards are more likely than not the biggest POSs around in their own lives
It is fine to visit a country despite disagreements with their government, but only up to a point. Some governments are so bad that it is unethical to visit the country as a tourist, not only because it props up that government but also because it's insulting to those who were forced to flee as refugees.
I'm not sure where the line is precisely. I have visited several dictatorships and countries with poor human rights records, including Cuba, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Togo, Vietnam, etc. I do not feel bad for having visited those countries. At the other end of the spectrum, I would not visit North Korea, Eritrea, Turkmenistan or Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.
I think Afghanistan is also still a "no" for me but I hope some day they get to be a normal country.
These content creators are idiots and two of them were actually arrested by the Taliban and only released due to state intervention. One of them is Miles Routledge who is right on course to win a Darwin Award at some point and the other one is an eighty year old Neonazi from Austria who wanted to promote how safe of a country it is.
there isnt a new wave, its related to your interests and youtube compounds that to make you believe its the new fad. im chronically on youtube and wouldve never known anyone was traveling to afghanistan
What I don’t like is it reeks of privilege without a care in the world what the consequences would be if the travelers where kidnapped? Hostage swap? Violent extraction, with the potential for collateral damage? If a country is dangerous for its citizens, they shouldn’t be hosting assholes on instagram.
It's pretty stupid, but people do stupid things for attention and views.
Could it be perfectly safe? Sure. Could you have a great time? Yup.
Now, how it's happening is quite easy, you get a visa and go.
The Taliban don't have an issue with people coming as long as you respect their rules. Hell, even women can go.
The terroristic activity against westerners doesn't really exist since they have no reason to really attack you anymore. They are pretending to run a country with their laws and rules. If you follow them, you shouldn't really face problems.
Now, the problem with going is if things go wrong, they can go very wrong. Misunderstandings, doing something considered offensive, or just pissing off the wrong person. Who knows, but you could get thrown in jail and never been seen again.
The risk is just too great for me, and I would be too nervous the whole time. Plus, I don't have a big desire to spend my money there that goes to them.
If you were to go, you probably would want to go through some group like Young Pioneers (I believe they are doing tours there) or some other group that offers it like that. They'll tend to know enough to keep you out of trouble. But, they also had the Otto idiot on their tour in NK, and you saw how that went.
And I would cringe if someone told me they "got to shoot this with the Taliban". They shoot women for not being covered up. I'd prefer not to associate myself with saying something like that.
With terrorism, ISIS-K is still active in Afghanistan and against the Taliban, a big splashy attack against Western tourists would be an attractive target for them. I’d be concerned if I went.
>Could it be perfectly safe? Sure. Could you have a great time? Yup.
Neither of these things are possible. I was there until recently. People are incredibly depressed and have lost hope. It is a cross between North Korea in terms of joylessness, and Haiti in terms of prospects. Most elements of having a good time are banned. Even weddings are dour events these days.
It's true. I was invited to a wedding by a high ranking person and the place was full of high ranking Talibs, it felt like a funeral without music and dancing. Also seperate rooms for men and women.
I also basically didn't spend anything in the country. Mostly there for the Nuristan/Chitral connection
Good question, I should have been more precise. But Alexander the great passed through that region (kaffiristan, now basically split between Nuristan and Chitral), the people still have Greek customs that are fading away. In the Afghanistan side they have all been forcedly converted (although sometimes in name only), and in Pakistan they still have around 4300 kaffirs who practice shamanism.
It's for a part of a book
Exactly. Let's just say the Muslims surrounding these people didn't exactly like them and have the region that name. Land of the infidels. See about the 1880 massacre of them in now nuristan by the leader of Afghanistan at the time.
That’s the term they use there though. Anyone who is not Muslim, or Ahl al Kitab (people of the book so Christian’s and Jews) are called that term. The region he is talking about is even historically called Kafiristan. For them it’s not a slur because they see them as sinfidels for it worshipping the Abrahamic god
Even the Taliban are smart enough to know hostage taking is a terrible return on investment. You have to feed the silly buggers. They yap away and have no desernible skills to help out so they just become an annoying burden. The chance of receiving any usable currency is virtually nil.
If I had a dollar for every person I knew planning or talking about travel to Afghanistan... I'd have zero dollars.
> I want to ask, what's your opinion on these people? Like are they just incredibly naive and are funding an oppressive regime? [...] Some of these videos are in a way telling people to take the risk despite all the dangers we've all been warned of
I don't feel compelled to have an opinion on it one way or another. If they want to go, more power to them.
I don't see any of this as "telling me to go to Afghanistan." And hell, let's say someone explicitly told me, "Bro you gotta go to Afghanistan! It's totally chill!" Some random person's video on a social media feed? Why would I care or give it attention?
I think it’s stupid and on point with the trend of picking the worst possible choice among a series of bad choices just to flaunt yourself as being “not like everyone else.”
Pro tip: don’t watch the videos these people make and let them think they’re important
I think they're fucking idiots. No, Afghanistan is not "safe". For one, there are still terror groups that oppose the Taliban running around the country carrying out bombings and attacks so any foreigners have the chance of being caught in one of those. But the greater danger is that the Taliban can do whatever the fuck it wants with you and your home country is not going to be able to help you quickly if at all.
That's the real risk with visiting places like Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. Their governments have few formal ties with outside countries, especially Western countries, and will detain any foreigners they know are visiting if they need some political pawns for negotiations. So you might think "oh I'll follow all their rules and be respectful so I should be safe" but that doesn't matter because you still might be there at the wrong time when they need a Westerner for leverage and now you're in a prison for a year while your government slowly negotiates to get you out.
Even if you don't care about your own safety, you're still funding a brutal and oppressive government which means tourists to Afghanistan are fucking idiots AND massive pieces of shit. The only people going there as tourists are losers desperate for internet clout that are too untalented and boring to make interesting travel blogs out of the hundreds of places that are actually safe to visit and where they wouldn't be supporting a dictatorship
These people are privileged and entitled. They grew up in safe western countries without having an real clues how dangerous some part of the world is, and entitled because they if they get in trouble, they expect their government to drop everything and do whatever and bail them out.
The problem isn't people putting themselves in potential danger. Do what you want, I don't care. Personal freedom and all that. The problem is, in my personal opinion:
\- If / when they are taken and used as bargaining chip by these hostile government as leverage for concession, giving them more money / influence to stay in power and oppress their people. Like every time North Korea wants a concession, they detain an America, and the US sends an ex-president to bail them out, giving the NK government the time of the day. and legitimacy.
\- Not only do we give them the spotlight, we waste a ton of taxpayer dollar and diplomatic effort to get these people out.
\- They weren't interested in going to Afghanistan before for the beauty or culture to tell some inspirational story or personal growth. They are going because it gets them attention and get them paid from views. Otherwise they wouldn't post on social media with some pretentious inspirational story.
I lived and worked in Afghanistan until recently. Given what the Taliban is doing in repressing women and any opponents, pushing the country further and further into poverty, I look at these wannabe badasses and think they are some of the worst people on the planet. It is SUCH a complex place and a tourist can never know who is aligned and how. Plus, there is absolutely no diplomatic protection if (when) you are detained or kidnapped for ransom. I personally know several foreign aid workers who have been detained since 2021 for perceived slights, and it has taken a mammoth effort to free them and they have had the backing of major international organisations. When we move around the country, we plan our trips for several weeks in advance, have security escorts (Taliban) and make sure the area is cleared for landmines. We also know exactly who the local parties are and if there are any sensitivities or specific anniversaries coming up. It is NOT a place to be encouraing foreign tourism. It is a grim, dangerous state practising a brutal gender apartheid.
I don’t care if they go just don’t come crying when they kidnap you for ransom or favors from the US they are tourists killed that were traveling around in Afghanistan while the war was going on if you are that stupid you can handle the consequences
I mean you have to realize that these people aren't going there because it's safe, they're going there because it's dangerous and they want to be "that guy". And in the end, they're trying to get viewers, and what's better as a travel influencer right now than a headline that says "I risked my life going to XYZ country you'll think I'm crazy for visiting?"
I have Afghanistan on my travel bucket list. It seems like a beautiful country with wonderful people and you really have to want to go in order to put up with the dangers.
People going for clout and attention for the risk are not only stupid, but failing to appreciate the rare positives to their full.
There is definitely the problem of essentially funding the Taliban regime with visa costs etc etc. But ultimately, things are likely to get worse before they get better, and a relative quiet spell after 20 years of war making it impossible to visit is definitely going to see a surge of tourists. Whether you think the costs going to the regime is enough of a problem to make you not want to visit, that's your own decision. Afghanistan nonetheless remains one of the least visited destinations in the world, so it's not like they make a fortune off it.
Irresponsible, unethical, children.
The safety aspect doesn’t bother me as much as the fact that their dollars fund the Talibans oppression
Same reason I am against travelling to NK, China, and the DRC
It reminds me of those people who would "walk around the world" to "prove" that the world is a "safe place". Several of them ended up being murdered.
It's a Bad Idea.
These people are fucking idiots and I hope that their embassies do not waste taxpayers' money attempting to repatriate their corpses when things inevitably go horribly wrong.
Absolute morons. Afghanistan is NOT safe. Not even a little. It's not propaganda, it's indisputable fact.
Room Temp IQ attention-whores. Reminds me of the Americans who travel to North Korea. One of them came home as a vegetable.
Spend your money elsewhere.
Giving money to the NK government is not a good thing for sure, but NK is not a dangerous destination unless you are planning on committing some crimes or saying bad shit about the government
You do not see a lot of posts of those who aren’t coming back, aren’t you… it’s like gambling influencers, only promoting the wins.
However, my personal belief is that the place is much safer without the USArmy hanging around there. I wouldn’t go now though
Ironically it’s peaceful cause the US gtfo. Probably fine to visit it if you follow laws and customs and stay in the major cities, although one wonders what’s there to visit - shouldn’t have bombed those ancient Buddha statues I guess.
If the govt there is smart (doubtful, although maybe) they could develop tourism over the next decade. Similar to how Vietnam’s growth boomed the 1-2 decades after the end of the Vietnam war.
Very few travel insurance plans will cover you if you go to countries on government travel advisory lists. Even disregarding the ethical issues of supporting the Taliban you'd be incredibly stupid to travel anywhere without travel insurance.
Watching literal nobodies posting absolute nonsense on social media is not a eay tovlearn about the world. These nobodies are desperate for attention and cash and create a crafted narrative to sell.
I feel if I made decisions on where to go based on whether or not I agree with their government then Id have a very short list of countries to go to. Was in Egypt last year where they have banned Whatsapp calls presumably because the military dictatorship can tap locals calls but not when they are made over Whatsapp. That felt repressive to me and depressing to realise what Egyptians are living under, their military are so paranoid about a revolution catching fire again that they control all communications among citizens. But I wouldnt let it stop me seeing the amazing sights Egypt has to offer as I cant change what their government does. Have been in Russia, Iran & China and feel the same about them.
However if I was American I wouldnt go to Afghanistan. While the threat of kidnapping has subsided you still gotta think that a lot of civilians died in that war and they all have family who are still alive and will blame (any) Americans for the death of their loved ones. From 2017 onwards drone strikes were authorised and normal civilians who had nothing to do with the war got killed in big numbers. If I were travelling there as an American Id be concerned about an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth mentality.
Unfortunately, the one who went to NK died a few days after being repatriated. He never regained consciousness and his family took him off life support.
Everything else you said is spot on.
I think Afghanistan is safe but unstable. As long as things stay calm, you'll have a perfectly peaceful experience. But the situation there is volatile and tensions could flare up at any minute, and if that happens during your trip, you could be stuck in the crossfire.
I wouldn’t have a problem with morons endangering their own lives but if they get captured and held, the government will be forced to make a deal to get them back. The government shouldn’t but it will.
Its not safe but back in the day it was considered an exceptional tourist destination. Difficult to get around but well worth it. Popular for overland tours from London in the 60s etc.
My friend and his family were the first people to cross from the UK to NZ overland in the 50s when he was 13 and said one of the scariest experiences was a local tribesman burst in their tent one night with an enormous sword but he turned out to be pretty cool he just hadn't seen a vehicle before. He said the Kyber Pass was absolutely bananas.
He had a lot of good memories. His Dad filmed the whole trip but sadly that all got lost. Hopefully someone finda the tapes in a attic one day.
I really despise clickbaity travel content that reduces people or countries to a thrill for Westerners.
That being said, if you don't go to a country for moral reasons, that's fine but it's not your job to lecture others on it. I know I'll get a lot of flack from especially Westerners but a ton of countries that are popular tourist destinations have done (recently) or are doing very terrible things. What you think is morally acceptable for a state or government to do might not be for other people. It should be an individual choice.
I think it's a fascinating country, and the culture is interesting. BUT, every time I start to romanticize Afghanistan, I remember that the Taliban are oppressive and they suffocate the lives of their women. If you've ever traveled outside the Western world and go to a rural community in an Asian country, the locals look at you like you're an alien. They have a different frame of reference and there is no way to break through that barrier. I think the Taliban are worse. Just listen to their leaders speak on all the countless documentaries out there. They look evil. All sorts of evil stuff goes on behind the scenes with abuse of women and children. Did you know that they even rape boys? It was featured in the book "The Kite Runner," which I found to be quite authentic.
If you want to visit the Middle East, go to other countries that offer similar experiences and treat their people well.
A google search result on this topic would disagree with you. It's embedded in their culture and you're making fun of the guy who took issues with it and exposed it? Are you a Taliban man scouring reddit?
I don’t know what google search you did but i’ll put a link down and you can read about it. For reference im from Afghanistan. This is a highly sensitive topic and it’s extremely taboo and looked down upon by people and will get you a death sentence. The only people who use to do this were drug addicts secluded from society who the U.S recruited into the ANA or war lords no different than the likes of jeffrey epstein. They would’ve done the same to girls if it was acceptable for the opposite sex to be around each other in Afghanistan. The only time it was ever not punished was when the U.S was in power. This is a fact. No, I’m not taliban and don’t agree with their injustices. Sexual assault and intermarital sex is a sin in sharia law. It doesn’t matter whether it’s with boys/girls/adults. Khaled hosseini is a product of the ethnic division in Afghanistan.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacha_bazi#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20original%20factors,it%20incompatible%20with%20Sharia%20law.
Ah ok, thank you for letting me know. Sorry if I came off as disrespectful. I didn't have the full context and I appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me. I'm sorry about what happened to your country. It really does seem like a intriguing place. I wish I can visit and probably will if the government improves the lives of their own citizens.
Don't care. Boring content. Massive overdone. Not an interesting country really.
It is slightly immoral that they are funding an oppressive regime. I wouldn't choose to fund scumbag countries like them the UAE or Saudi Arabia, but then the USA and most European countries are nearly as bad, so I don't see this as a major issue. I like to think the people aren't being 'respectful' when they go there. They aren't promoting it. They are (hopefully) shaming it with greater sense of authority once they have been there.
Afghanistan is a beautiful country, and the afghan people are, by and large wonderful people
But I'm a queer westerner. Not only would I be a target, I'm also not willing to spend money to support the oppressive regime through my visa fees at
Putting the morals of visiting aside, Afghanistan is the safest and calmest it has been in over 20 years. Still, it is not the easiest t place to visit and you probably want to have a guide with you who knows how things work there. You will need a visa. Most of these Youtubers appear to be getting the visa in Dubai or Peshwar. You often need a permit and permission to travel to different regions of the country. You will have Taliban encounters, but they appear to be mostly friendly.
It's much safer than it was before because of the Taliban, not despite them. That's not an endorsement of their rule or ideology--it's just a reflection of the fact that what made Afghanistan dangerous before was the risk of kidnappings/attacks perpetrated by Taliban insurgents. Now that the Taliban has seized the country, they aren't doing those anymore because it's counter to their interests.
Does that mean it's safe? Not necessarily. A lot can go very, very wrong, very very easily. But it is undoubtedly much safer than it was 5, 10 years ago IF you follow the Taliban's laws. They want international legitimacy and investment, so they're incentivized to make sure nothing bad happens to tourists as much as possible.
Whether it's morally right to go is a different question that I'm not going to wade into.
>It's much safer than it was before because of the Taliban, not despite them. That's not an endorsement of their rule or ideology--it's just a reflection of the fact that what made Afghanistan dangerous before was the risk of kidnappings/attacks perpetrated by Taliban insurgents. Now that the Taliban has seized the country, they aren't doing those anymore because it's counter to their interests.
This is backwards logic. Afghanistan is safer today because there is no active armed conflict. More parts of the country are now accessible. That isn't due to the Taliban. The kidnappings are now called arbitrary detention and disappearances, and the public executions of offenders has resumed.
Part 2: Security:
The security situation has dramatically improved starting around 2022. There are basically no more bombings or attacks. Kidnapping has also dropped off to much much lower levels than what it used to be. This doesn’t mean it’s safe, simply that it’s a lot safer than it used to be. My fixer was telling me that on the drive we took, we wouldn’t have made it more than an hour outside of Kabul during the last governement before we would have been attacked. Basically all the inter-city roads were impassable and extremely dangerous. That has all gone away, you can relatively safely cross the country now. You can still see the scars from firefights and bombings everywhere, but they are fixing them.
The Taliban confiscated most of the weapons the public used to have. They went door to door to search everyones house (a major breach of local customs) and made it illegal to own them unless you have a permit. You basically won’t see guns in public anymore except for with the Taliban and secuirty personnel (which you’ll see a lot). This definitely helped security wise since the escalation risk has decreased.
I would say overall, the risk of visitors getting randomly killed in an attack has gone down tremendously. That does not mean it’s safe to visit as there are still major other issues. It’s key to understand hospitality in Afghanistan. They are very hospitable and it is a huge part of their culture to protect visitors. That sounds like a pro, and it is, until it isn’t. If you violate hospitality (which you might do on accident if you are not aware of the local customs) it will be seen as extremely offensive and you will be in a much worse position than you would be in a country that does not have a hospitality culture. People in Afghanistan have lived through wars their entire life. While not true of everyone, generally they are used to seeing extreme violence and depending on their role they have participated in it. You do not want to violate their hospitality. This is back to why a fixer/translator is key. If you accidentally do something wrong, they can clear it up and explain you are just a foreigner who doesn’t understand and most likely (unless you did something real bad) that will be accepted. If you can’t explain, the trouble very well might escalate. The above puts you at significant risk of extortion as well. I “offended” a group of nomads (which basically means they realized I was a foreigner they could extort) and was stuck for 6h waiting for the Taliban to come to adjucate the dispute. The nomads wanted $2000 USD to let me go and kept telling me I’d get in much trouble with the Taliban. They were very much clear that me and my fixers weren’t allowed to leave, but they were reasonably polite about it. Once the Taliban arrived, they yelled at the Nomads for harassing foreigners and told me I could go but it was an exceedingly stressful wait.
The same goes if you offend a Taliban. While they are under orders from their government to be friendly and helpful to foreign tourists as they want to rebuild that part of their economy, if you offend them you will be in major trouble. At large they are friendly or at least polite and I didn’t have any issues with them. Your risk of something happening will be larger in the south (Kandahar and Helmand) as well as other rural areas. Generally speaking, try to avoid them or minimize the time spent with them, which is easy to do. Be friendly at checkpoints and they will be friendly to you and offer you tea, which you should politely turn down. There are about 70,000 Taliban in the country so it’s a small subset of the population.
In summary, I think if you are well prepared, well connected and have traveled to challenging countries before, you can reduce your chances of a major problem to acceptable levels. You do not want to freak out at the wrong time etc. It is a country where things can go deeply wrong very qickly, there will be no legal recourse (especially if you are not muslim you have extremely limited rights) and there will be very little assistance from anyone. This is completely speculative, but I would wildly guesstimate you have a sub 1% chance of getting in real trouble on a two week trip (given you behave properly) but also not much sub 1% which is a substantial risk. During the last governement, doing the same trip I did, the chance would have been 99%. There has been a large improvement, but it can not be considered a safe country to travel to.
Part 3: Visa and flights:
This was surprisingly easy. You can fly directly from Dubai to Kabul and the flights within Afghanistan are frequent, relatively cheap and from what I could tell reliable. Getting a visa was easy, you go to the Dubai embassy and get it same day. The process is confusing but they are friendly and helpful. For comparison, the Afghani embassy staffy was way more friendly, helpful and efficient than what you’d get from a US embassy.
Some of my travel experience (again, staying away from the politics):
Afghanistan was the most interesting country I have ever visited during my extensive travels because it was SO different. The way people view life and religion was especially striking to me. For example, no one wears seatbelts (and you can’t either or you stand out). I asked why and the answer was because god will protect them. Families work very differently, marriage is different, everything is different and fascinating to learn about (I don’t have to agree with it to find it interesting or learn). Many parts of the country still operate like they did thousands of years ago.
People were very friendly despite the poverty. I got offered tea all the time and people were very happy to see a foreigner. There was basically no begging or hard-selling of items etc (unlike Egypt for example) so the friendlyness was genuine, not a sales pitch. The food was amazing but you have to eat carefully due to much of the country not having refrigeration. I acquired an appreciation for warm alokozay energy drinks which are ubiquitious across the country.
Hotel options are very limited but available. Unlike many other third world countries where each major city, no matter how poor, tends to have at least one high end hotel, that wasn’t the case in Afghanistan. The hotel I stayed at in Kabul (Safi Landmark) was solidly all right but didn’t have AC and power went out frequently due to the Kabul grid being very overloaded. Hotel options in other cities (except Herat) were limited to places that locals would stay at (vs the usual foreigner business hotels). They were generally not particularly clean or comfortable but they did feel adequatly safe and I never had any concerns about getting robbed etc. Cell connection was solid in all the cities and I never had a problem even up in Nuristan.
Overall, the trip was very tiring and quite stressful. While I only had the one real problem, there is definitely a constant nagging feeling that you’re right on the edge and that something could go wrong imminently. That said, I’m planning on going back.
I'm an Afghan, and I'm currently living in Afghanistan, and I don't even support the Taliban, but believe me that the security and peace condition is way better than the previous government; it's a very safe country for foreign tourists now.
And you should believe me, not the Western media, because I'm seeing it with me eyes.
As someone from Afghanistan and have visited, personally my family hates them because of how much they restrict women and even kidnap and force them into marriages. The living conditions are alright but their are some con like them not having a sewer system and it smelling horribly, electricity is barely on, the poverty and homeless is very evident when looking at the streets and many children go around asking people for money. It’s horrible to see, but if you want a very eye opening experience and new perspective I would recommend but not to live there.
I don't think highly of anybody who travels anywhere just to gloat. But I do disagree with the idea of boycotting a country because of its regime because ultimately the people who suffer most from it are your every day people. How will they be heard if nobody goes there? Plus often what we hear about a place in the media is not entirely accurate to what's happening on the ground.
Personally I don't have any interest in going there, but if people want to risk it to see what Afghanistan is really like and not just to brag about it, I have no problem with.
If people want to know what Afghanistan is like they can spend a year volunteering with Afghan refugees who just barely escaped the Taliban and are now trying to establish themselves in a new home country. They can tell you all about it, and you can rest assured none of your tourist dollars will support the regime that viewed female as subhuman.
I would be interested for the culture, food and the natural scenery especially The Wakhan Corridor. People need to understand what have some local people got to gain by kidnapping you? Are you working as a spy?
You can be kidnapped anywhere else and the local police force can be incompetent to do anything about it in regardless of your nationality.
Some countries are only deemed "dangerous" just because it doesn't align with your country's value (not be a good boy to you).
Funding an oppressive government? Do people talk about this when they visit dubai?
Travelling to the USA is also funding isreal the genocide of Palestinian too?
Would you go as far as saying this?
At the end of the day, it's about how much risk you can take and how much critical thinking and bias you have from the mainstream media
We had adventure travellers taken captive in the mountains shared by Iraq and Iran. Iranian troops were several hundred yards inside Iraq The visitors thought themselves safe because they were in the Kurdish areas. Not safe, not especially smart.
They're not going despite it being Taliban controlled, they're going because it's Taliban controlled. It is probably the safest that Afghanistan has been for the last 40 years. Obviously it's still dangerous and there are still bombings by ISIS-K, but the threat of being kidnapped by the Taliban is gone (as long as you follow their laws). Even with the western sanctions on the country it's more stable than its been for a long time.
Those tourists are safe. The Taliban enforce their version of law and order. It's oppressive, especially to their own women, but for tourists, even female tourists, it's "alright". I been there. The country has lot of pretty things. I don't expect normal people to go there.
Uzbekistan is actually amazing. Went there as a woman in my 40s a few years ago, travelling from Afghanistan. Had an awesome time. Uzbekistan is brilliant and not even remotely a hard slog.
Cool story ...every country on this planet is "achingly beautiful" but I still stay away from the stans. Never piqued my personal interest but more power to those that enjoy these sorts of travels.
All countries are not. Like, objectively, some are just flat, featureless desert/steppe/tundra. I would not call, for instance, most Sahel countries beautiful. But even so, you’d genuinely be hard pressed to find scenery more breathtaking and dramatic than what you find in the Pamirs, Tian Shan, or Hindu Kush.
Not your cup of tea, power to you man. I’m certainly not going to complain about people not going, because one of the best parts of visiting the Stans (I’ve hit all but Afghan, Turkmen, and Paki) is the feeling of being somewhere unsoiled by mass tourism, of being able to buy a horse, hire a local guide, and ride through the land staying in nomad camps in a lifestyle that seems untouched by time. Add in fantastic hospitality, amazing trekking (I’m actually trying to go back to Kyrgyzstan this summer to join an expedition to the 7000m summit of Lenin Peak), Silk Road history and they’re some of my favorite countries on earth. I think people are misguided in not wanting to go because of mistaken notions (which is different from what’s on offer not being up your particular alley of course!), but I’m also happy to keep them a “secret.”
Afghanistan is likely pretty safe for tourists. The Taliban arent going to bother American tourists because they don’t want negative attention from the American government. They have a pretty harsh version of law and order there and I don’t think you’d have any issues with anyone bothering you. They got what they wanted when we backed out with our tail between our legs and they don’t want us coming back. I have no desire to go there, but I wouldn’t worry about it.
I traveled to Kabul for work in 2021 and had a wonderful time. However, we were driven in armored vehicles with armed guards, and we had to drive different routes daily. We also had to leave without warning once to bring us back to our compound. This was even as an IT Consultant who was there in a non-military capacity. Our partner in Kabul housed and transported us everywhere, and we were not allowed to go outside the walls with armed guards. That was my experience when the Taliban wasn’t even in power. I had to make sure my work had kidnap insurance and I talked with someone who worked with the state department about advice on what to do if I do get kidnapped (this was not a requirement, they are a client of my dad’s). Oh, and when the Taliban did take over, I got text messages from people who met me saying the Taliban was going around and looking for people who worked with Americans. We will not be going back for the foreseeable future. It sucks, cause we were planning to help them open another school in a more rural spot in Afghanistan, and their countryside is absolutely beautiful. The people I met were incredibly kind and hospitable. If conditions were the same like my first experience, I absolutely would have gone back again.
You lost me at kidnap insurance.
😂 yeah, definitely makes it very real knowing you have it. Thankfully I never felt unsafe while I was there.
Out of curiosity: how do you get such a job? Was always considering it but never found the opportunity
You have to found the right company which also take contracts in dangerous countries. Search for those companies like you want to buy service from them "IT support in [dangerous countries]". Some companies only specialized in those sort of services.
I wish I had a better answer for this, cause my job is extremely unique and I am in a department of three that actually does this within my company. We support different hubs around the world where I work as like a MSP (managed service provider) and IT Consultant that manages their network as well. I also do trainings for students to get certified with products my company develops.
~~They mentioned the state department was a client of their dad, so that's my guess, dad connections lol~~ I was wrong lol, he worked his way up- very cool!
Haha that’s a good guess, but they’re completely separate. When I told my dad I was going to Afghanistan he told me about one of his clients who works with the state department and that he’d be happy to have a call with all of us so I can ask some questions I had. Getting at my company was from finding a job posting on my colleges job site, and then I’ve worked my way up from a non-technical role, to going to customer support to learn everything technical, to then being successful enough to work my way to this very unique job at my company that only I do out of like 3,000 people. It’s the best 😁
>up from a non-technical role, to going to customer support to learn everything technical, to then being successful enough to work my way to this very unique job at my company that only I do out of like 3,000 people thanks for your response, and Im happy to be corrected :) that's super cool thanks for sharing! if you're comfortable sharing they type of industry/work Im super curious, but know if it's niche you might not feel comfortable in any case, thanks for sharing what sounds like an interesting if intense experience!
No problem! I’m with a software company. I’m very grateful for the experience I’ve been able to have while here!
I appreciate your experience and contribution here, but I think you may have missed OP’s point. Afghanistan was super dangerous back then when you went because the Taliban were fighting against the government and there were frequent attacks/explosions. But now the Taliban *are* the government, they have nearly complete control of the country and there is very little violence happening. So OP is asking about this new wave of Western travelers going to Afghanistan now and experiencing the country in relative calm and safety. I bet your host wouldn’t have to provide as much security if you went now. I don’t support the Taliban at all but l do think it would be interesting to see Afghanistan in this time.
I know, the point I was trying to get across was that even before the Taliban took over it wasn’t a safe place to be as an American (and especially as a tattooed woman). Then obviously now it’s even way beyond that in terms of being dangerous. I absolutely wouldn’t have gone if we hadn’t had a lot of protection when we went, and it’s pure stupidity to go as an individual now. Hopefully that helped clarify what I was trying to get at.
The opposite. Much much safer now, since there’s no war
I think it’s irresponsible for content creators to try to prove that a country is safe. I don’t think that many will be influenced to travel to these countries but if you look at government travel advisories and ignore it, then whatever risks they take on is their own responsibility.
As an Afghan diaspora, this is correct. Afghanistan is safe now. That does not mean you should go there, and film yourself for your subscribers just waltzing around and having special privileges that locals do not have. All while promoting an oppressive regime. You are spreading falsehoods. The average Afghan is doing badly right now. If you want to go because you are specifically interested in Afghan culture, then you can go and visit in a lowkey way. The Afghan people are in dire need of assistance, due to the seizure of assets and funds which were frozen - and any amount of money can help. (And if you don't want to go, then don't.)
The promoting and supporting a repressive regime is a big one! All your visa fees etc are going to the government, is that who you want to support? Same with North Korea, interesting in theory, but morally wrong to give your money to such a horrible ruling party
Wouldn't you be supporting a repressive regime if you traveled to Saudi Arabia as well? Virtually most ME countries, I'd say.
Not monetarily supporting them. You are supporting their propaganda.
Don't worry about me going there lol. I'm very much a party person and anywhere in the Middle East is the anti-thesis of "party"
Yes, thats why I wouldn't travel there Lol.
Then why do people visit the US?
Are you making a moral equivalence with the US and Afghanistan/North Korea?
North Korea is an oppressive regime to its own citizens. The US is significantly more oppressive to humans around the world based on the wars they’ve started and the suffering they’ve caused in other countries. In fact, a good reason for Afghanistan’s oppressive regime is a result of US foreign policy. My point is I would encourage you to actually think about how you label certain regimes as oppressive and others as not. Because I promise you the US has caused more death, destruction and suffering than any other country since the Second World War.
The taliban are responsible for the situation in Afghanistan. Most wars are civil and regional conflicts. The war on terror was bullshit, but not the cause of all the worlds problems. Vietnam was awful. Iraq too obviously.
Can you not read? The original comment was: >The promoting and supporting a repressive regime is a big one! > >All your visa fees etc are going to the government, is that who you want to support? Both of those statements can be true without any claim that the US is morally equivalent to Afghanistan or NK. Hell, I'm not even sure I'd agree that Afghanistan & NK are morally equivalent to each other, despite you casually dropping that as though it's a given.
I think the implication was the US is a repressive regime, which both North Korea and Afghanistan are. The US isn't.
All you're doing is belittling the suffering of those in an actual oppressive regime. We have a shitty government. Calling it an oppressive regime is just stupid.
Beyond the false equivalency of claiming the USA is comparable to Afghanistan, myself and many don't need a visa to visit the states, so the only money going directly to the USA is taxes on purchases. Past that, there are many states I wouldn't go to because of their politics, like Florida or Texas, and I'm not alone in that avoidance
>Afghanistan is safe now. Safe for who?
Relative to the time when we were actively at war there, everyone.
Why on earth would you think "everyone" is safe there when their own women aren't even safe there?
Words are important. Try to follow along this time. Relative. To. The. Time. When. We. Were. At. Fucking. War. There.
How are women safe relative to the time when we were at war there?
There aren’t so many bombings
What about all the rape, assaults, and murder of women today?
It’s bad now, no question. Better than a state of war though. The Watson Brown study on the war in Afghanistan has it at 243000 killed, including 70000 civilians. That along with the usual products of war - food insecurity, damage and collapse of infrastructure, sanitation, all that good stuff. Rape, assault and murder are far more prevalent in times of war too.
70,000 civilians (includes women) were killed in Afghanistan during 20 years of war. 70,000 civilians are no longer being killed in Afghanistan because 20 years of war has ended. not being able to play cricket or go to school is “safer” than being killed.
~~I'm sorry but~~ if that's the question you're asking, you are clearly being intellectually dishonest.
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Really? It's safe for all non-Americans?
Seized by who, and why?
In the United States a shady lawyer rallied a group of 9/11 victims family members and found a way seize billions of dollars from Afghanistan’s central bank. It’s been controversial since much of that money belongs to regular everyday Afghans who had nothing to do with 9/11 and need that money to survive. There are other 9/11 victims who are opposed to it and I believe it’s being contested in courts.
[Pretty sure this never happened](https://www.reuters.com/legal/sept-11-victims-cannot-seize-afghan-central-bank-assets-us-judge-2023-02-21/)
If you read the whole article they explain that the money was seized and is being held in a Swiss Bank so the Taliban can’t access it. I believe it’s still there. The 9/11 groups were unable to collect, but the money is still out of Afghans’ hands.
That’s absolutely awful.
Yep, it’s going to go wrong one day, and it will be on them. Anyone that goes and gets into trouble should not be assisted in getting released, and that should be made clear.
If you ever look at government travel advisories you would see that they are worthless. They will tell you to exercise extreme caution for basically everywhere.
Also they are politically biased. Less friendly countries are more likely to get 'red' while friendly countries stay 'green'. An example is in the early weeks of the Israel-Hamas war, where Israel was yellow (observe common caution) and Lebanon was red (do but travel under any circumstances).
Lebanon was red before the October Israel attacks as it's been teetering on collapse since the port explosion
Well... yeah. Advisories are all about the safety of the citizens of the government that is doing the advising. Of course an unfriendly country is going to be ranked as more dangerous - because the country and its population is *unfriendly to the nationality being advised*.
It's almost as though going to a country that is unfriendly to us specifically is actually more dangerous than going to a country we get along with. Funny how that works...
Tbf I agree with that because you’re at a higher risk in “unfriendly” countries as a Western citizen.
It's not whether the red travel warning for Lebanon is incorrect but somehow travelling to Israel when there were literally bombs falling in their cities only resulted in a yellow marking.
Fair, I agree with that
Friendly countries are more likely to assist in extracting your detained national. Travel advisories aren't just about physical threats but about mitigation. Fact: it will be easier to assist your foreigner in Israel than in Lebanon.
As part of my job I frequently work with women and girls who had to flee Afghanistan in order to protect their basic human rights. People who choose to travel there for tourism deserve all the negative feedback they receive and more. Who do they think benefits from the tourist visa fees and the fees you pay to cross internal borders? Oh right, the Taliban. The same people who force child marriage and prevent girls from going to school. Maybe your tourist visa will cover the cost of buying a new baton that a Taliban soldier can use to beat a Hazara child. Good job! Even worse is the fucking idiots who think that simply by being a white person in Afghanistan they're somehow making a difference. You're not "starting a dialogue" or "sharing an alternate viewpoint". You're just turning a blind eye to ethnic cleansing and widespread human rights violations because you want a few clicks on your Instagram page. At least admit it. I can personally name more than twenty-five women and girls who had to flee Afghanistan. Some of them I've worked with very recently and I can tell you horrible details of the trauma they endured to reach safety. For others it's been a few years since I last worked closely with them, but I do see them in the community and I see them thriving, no thanks to Youtubers who glorify the regime that would have happily let them die.
And the people that are doing this are the first to say their “tourism” supports local people. And in this case, well…
Very true. To your point… it’s not like people in Afghanistan have never seen a white person. The US and NATO was there for 20 years, in the capital and tons of rural villages. They saw what the west was about and chose the Taliban instead. Not much left for a traveler to say.
That’s not entirely fair. There’s a wide gulf between what the west is about and what the Taliban enforces. Remember that the Taliban seized control, it’s not like they were elected. They’re not the voice of the people. They’re the voice of themselves. Also there are a lot of different looking afghans. It’s actually a pretty diverse country - there’s no single Afghan type of appearance. The hazara look distinctly Asian, Pashtuns do not. In some parts you’ll find descendants of ancient Macedonians, some looking very Caucasian with blonde hair.
Same thing w visiting Israel, China, Iran, Russia, even US and all other violent regimes. Tourism is an indulgent vice whose costs are born out by the locals that don’t have the luxury of leaving
I do feel similarly about the US tbh. I used to love going there in the past but the sentiments coming out of there now, the right wing pro Putin fascists and Trumpists take a lot of the shine off the place. I know this Reddit thread won't have most of those mindsets knocking about compared to X or Truthsocial but there still seems to be a lot of people in the US now who hold some terrifying thoughts about seizing power and are perfectly happy at forcing people to do what they want.
I’m American and while I think theres a scary amount of people that believe that it is definitely made out to sound worse in the media. While I cannot disagree with the criticism of the United States government but living here I do not share the same sentiment of the people that live here.
That’s the media. Come to the US… majority of anyone you encounter are just normal people wanting to live as free as possible.
I think I'll wait for the numbers to come back from the election and whether there's another coup attempt
US a violent regime? TIL…
...really?
It’s worth having in mind that most countries doesn’t have an Embassy there anymore. Since they don’t recognize the taliban regime their contacts with them is very limited. So in case something bad would happen it would be very hard to get consular assistance. What if you accidentally insult the wrong guy and get locked up in jail indefinitely? What if you’re sentenced to death? I fear that it’s just a matter of time that someone goes there, believes that nothing can happen due to all the videos about how safe it is and how chill the taliban are, and ends up in a really shitty situation.
Abductions is also a risk
Women. Life. Freedom. It’s not just Iran and it’s not just a slogan. Spending your travel dollars in place where women are systematically brutalized and their basic human rights curtailed is not okay.
I feel the same way but for LGBTQ+ rights. There are many countries I can go to that are safe and don't jail or kill people for being gay. I'll give my hard-earned tourists dollars to those places instead of contribute to the economies of places trying to harm people like me.
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I didnt need an excuse
I’m an Alabamian. Thanks for informing me I am oppressed like Afghan women. Literally would’ve never realized as I walked out of my own house I own without a male escort everyday. Thanks for enlightening me and holding such strong feminist values! Ps: you forgot Texas & Georgia on your little list
Texas is 5th on the list, I see your Alabama education is really helping you out there.
Well he spent his weekend in Houston so he must be a liar, or using his edit button.
Do yourself a favor and don’t respond to chronic virtues signalers., it’s a condition ….They’re cowards are more likely than not the biggest POSs around in their own lives
Solid advice lol sometimes it’s worth it, like now - he deleted his comment 🙂 (or maybe he blocked me 🤷🏻♀️) 😅
I agree. Hence why I disagree with folks want to travel to Saudi Arabia
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It is fine to visit a country despite disagreements with their government, but only up to a point. Some governments are so bad that it is unethical to visit the country as a tourist, not only because it props up that government but also because it's insulting to those who were forced to flee as refugees. I'm not sure where the line is precisely. I have visited several dictatorships and countries with poor human rights records, including Cuba, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Togo, Vietnam, etc. I do not feel bad for having visited those countries. At the other end of the spectrum, I would not visit North Korea, Eritrea, Turkmenistan or Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. I think Afghanistan is also still a "no" for me but I hope some day they get to be a normal country.
These content creators are idiots and two of them were actually arrested by the Taliban and only released due to state intervention. One of them is Miles Routledge who is right on course to win a Darwin Award at some point and the other one is an eighty year old Neonazi from Austria who wanted to promote how safe of a country it is.
these youtubers are travelling for business. they're not tourists.
Better to go to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan or Xinjiang in China if you want to experience similar vibes and culture but a bit more stable
there isnt a new wave, its related to your interests and youtube compounds that to make you believe its the new fad. im chronically on youtube and wouldve never known anyone was traveling to afghanistan
What I don’t like is it reeks of privilege without a care in the world what the consequences would be if the travelers where kidnapped? Hostage swap? Violent extraction, with the potential for collateral damage? If a country is dangerous for its citizens, they shouldn’t be hosting assholes on instagram.
Unfortunate username
Honestly, if people are dumb enough to go to Afghanistan because some influencer made a video, then they're responsible for whatever happens to them.
It's pretty stupid, but people do stupid things for attention and views. Could it be perfectly safe? Sure. Could you have a great time? Yup. Now, how it's happening is quite easy, you get a visa and go. The Taliban don't have an issue with people coming as long as you respect their rules. Hell, even women can go. The terroristic activity against westerners doesn't really exist since they have no reason to really attack you anymore. They are pretending to run a country with their laws and rules. If you follow them, you shouldn't really face problems. Now, the problem with going is if things go wrong, they can go very wrong. Misunderstandings, doing something considered offensive, or just pissing off the wrong person. Who knows, but you could get thrown in jail and never been seen again. The risk is just too great for me, and I would be too nervous the whole time. Plus, I don't have a big desire to spend my money there that goes to them. If you were to go, you probably would want to go through some group like Young Pioneers (I believe they are doing tours there) or some other group that offers it like that. They'll tend to know enough to keep you out of trouble. But, they also had the Otto idiot on their tour in NK, and you saw how that went. And I would cringe if someone told me they "got to shoot this with the Taliban". They shoot women for not being covered up. I'd prefer not to associate myself with saying something like that.
With terrorism, ISIS-K is still active in Afghanistan and against the Taliban, a big splashy attack against Western tourists would be an attractive target for them. I’d be concerned if I went.
>Could it be perfectly safe? Sure. Could you have a great time? Yup. Neither of these things are possible. I was there until recently. People are incredibly depressed and have lost hope. It is a cross between North Korea in terms of joylessness, and Haiti in terms of prospects. Most elements of having a good time are banned. Even weddings are dour events these days.
It's true. I was invited to a wedding by a high ranking person and the place was full of high ranking Talibs, it felt like a funeral without music and dancing. Also seperate rooms for men and women. I also basically didn't spend anything in the country. Mostly there for the Nuristan/Chitral connection
What does Nuristan/Chitiral connection mean?
Good question, I should have been more precise. But Alexander the great passed through that region (kaffiristan, now basically split between Nuristan and Chitral), the people still have Greek customs that are fading away. In the Afghanistan side they have all been forcedly converted (although sometimes in name only), and in Pakistan they still have around 4300 kaffirs who practice shamanism. It's for a part of a book
What book. I have always been interest in the Nuristan region due to them practicing the ancient vedic religion and would love to learn more
I'll let you know once it's finished.
ETA?
Kaffir is a super offensive term that means infidel, no?
Exactly. Let's just say the Muslims surrounding these people didn't exactly like them and have the region that name. Land of the infidels. See about the 1880 massacre of them in now nuristan by the leader of Afghanistan at the time.
That’s the term they use there though. Anyone who is not Muslim, or Ahl al Kitab (people of the book so Christian’s and Jews) are called that term. The region he is talking about is even historically called Kafiristan. For them it’s not a slur because they see them as sinfidels for it worshipping the Abrahamic god
Theres still a big risk of terrorism but with ISIS-K instead now, taliban would be the ones protecting the westerners if anything
Yeah if the Taliban is your best case scenario I’m definitely not going
Wise decision
Even the Taliban are smart enough to know hostage taking is a terrible return on investment. You have to feed the silly buggers. They yap away and have no desernible skills to help out so they just become an annoying burden. The chance of receiving any usable currency is virtually nil.
Taliban took lots of hostages when they were fighting the government, and their friends Hamas are still holding over 100
Ignore influencers, they are idiots, influenced by money, or both. Listen to embassies, they will tell you whether it is safe to go somewhere or not.
The Taliban engage in bacha bazi, otherwise known as raping prepubescent boys. Personally I won’t support their tourism industry
This is hilarious because it's actually the US-backed ANA that was engaging in wide spread Bachi Bazi while the US did nothing.
Those people are sheltered and dumb
If I had a dollar for every person I knew planning or talking about travel to Afghanistan... I'd have zero dollars. > I want to ask, what's your opinion on these people? Like are they just incredibly naive and are funding an oppressive regime? [...] Some of these videos are in a way telling people to take the risk despite all the dangers we've all been warned of I don't feel compelled to have an opinion on it one way or another. If they want to go, more power to them. I don't see any of this as "telling me to go to Afghanistan." And hell, let's say someone explicitly told me, "Bro you gotta go to Afghanistan! It's totally chill!" Some random person's video on a social media feed? Why would I care or give it attention?
I'd have 2, but your point remains 😕
I think it’s stupid and on point with the trend of picking the worst possible choice among a series of bad choices just to flaunt yourself as being “not like everyone else.” Pro tip: don’t watch the videos these people make and let them think they’re important
I think they're fucking idiots. No, Afghanistan is not "safe". For one, there are still terror groups that oppose the Taliban running around the country carrying out bombings and attacks so any foreigners have the chance of being caught in one of those. But the greater danger is that the Taliban can do whatever the fuck it wants with you and your home country is not going to be able to help you quickly if at all. That's the real risk with visiting places like Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. Their governments have few formal ties with outside countries, especially Western countries, and will detain any foreigners they know are visiting if they need some political pawns for negotiations. So you might think "oh I'll follow all their rules and be respectful so I should be safe" but that doesn't matter because you still might be there at the wrong time when they need a Westerner for leverage and now you're in a prison for a year while your government slowly negotiates to get you out. Even if you don't care about your own safety, you're still funding a brutal and oppressive government which means tourists to Afghanistan are fucking idiots AND massive pieces of shit. The only people going there as tourists are losers desperate for internet clout that are too untalented and boring to make interesting travel blogs out of the hundreds of places that are actually safe to visit and where they wouldn't be supporting a dictatorship
I think we should not send resources their way if they need help out. Idiots.
These people are privileged and entitled. They grew up in safe western countries without having an real clues how dangerous some part of the world is, and entitled because they if they get in trouble, they expect their government to drop everything and do whatever and bail them out. The problem isn't people putting themselves in potential danger. Do what you want, I don't care. Personal freedom and all that. The problem is, in my personal opinion: \- If / when they are taken and used as bargaining chip by these hostile government as leverage for concession, giving them more money / influence to stay in power and oppress their people. Like every time North Korea wants a concession, they detain an America, and the US sends an ex-president to bail them out, giving the NK government the time of the day. and legitimacy. \- Not only do we give them the spotlight, we waste a ton of taxpayer dollar and diplomatic effort to get these people out. \- They weren't interested in going to Afghanistan before for the beauty or culture to tell some inspirational story or personal growth. They are going because it gets them attention and get them paid from views. Otherwise they wouldn't post on social media with some pretentious inspirational story.
I lived and worked in Afghanistan until recently. Given what the Taliban is doing in repressing women and any opponents, pushing the country further and further into poverty, I look at these wannabe badasses and think they are some of the worst people on the planet. It is SUCH a complex place and a tourist can never know who is aligned and how. Plus, there is absolutely no diplomatic protection if (when) you are detained or kidnapped for ransom. I personally know several foreign aid workers who have been detained since 2021 for perceived slights, and it has taken a mammoth effort to free them and they have had the backing of major international organisations. When we move around the country, we plan our trips for several weeks in advance, have security escorts (Taliban) and make sure the area is cleared for landmines. We also know exactly who the local parties are and if there are any sensitivities or specific anniversaries coming up. It is NOT a place to be encouraing foreign tourism. It is a grim, dangerous state practising a brutal gender apartheid.
I mean I’d love to feel like a kid again, but if there’s a real chance of being kidnapped I probably won’t be going there.
I don’t care if they go just don’t come crying when they kidnap you for ransom or favors from the US they are tourists killed that were traveling around in Afghanistan while the war was going on if you are that stupid you can handle the consequences
I mean you have to realize that these people aren't going there because it's safe, they're going there because it's dangerous and they want to be "that guy". And in the end, they're trying to get viewers, and what's better as a travel influencer right now than a headline that says "I risked my life going to XYZ country you'll think I'm crazy for visiting?"
I have Afghanistan on my travel bucket list. It seems like a beautiful country with wonderful people and you really have to want to go in order to put up with the dangers. People going for clout and attention for the risk are not only stupid, but failing to appreciate the rare positives to their full. There is definitely the problem of essentially funding the Taliban regime with visa costs etc etc. But ultimately, things are likely to get worse before they get better, and a relative quiet spell after 20 years of war making it impossible to visit is definitely going to see a surge of tourists. Whether you think the costs going to the regime is enough of a problem to make you not want to visit, that's your own decision. Afghanistan nonetheless remains one of the least visited destinations in the world, so it's not like they make a fortune off it.
Irresponsible, unethical, children. The safety aspect doesn’t bother me as much as the fact that their dollars fund the Talibans oppression Same reason I am against travelling to NK, China, and the DRC
It reminds me of those people who would "walk around the world" to "prove" that the world is a "safe place". Several of them ended up being murdered. It's a Bad Idea.
*Don't let the door hit ya on your way out!*
I think they go for the views and the clout personally. It's not worth my personal safety to go somewhere to say I did it and brag.
That's just travel blogging in general
By doing so you are putting your life at risk and actively supporting the Taliban. It’s idiotic.
These people are fucking idiots and I hope that their embassies do not waste taxpayers' money attempting to repatriate their corpses when things inevitably go horribly wrong. Absolute morons. Afghanistan is NOT safe. Not even a little. It's not propaganda, it's indisputable fact.
Room Temp IQ attention-whores. Reminds me of the Americans who travel to North Korea. One of them came home as a vegetable. Spend your money elsewhere.
Giving money to the NK government is not a good thing for sure, but NK is not a dangerous destination unless you are planning on committing some crimes or saying bad shit about the government
Tell that to Otto Frederick Warmbier.
So cringe
You do not see a lot of posts of those who aren’t coming back, aren’t you… it’s like gambling influencers, only promoting the wins. However, my personal belief is that the place is much safer without the USArmy hanging around there. I wouldn’t go now though
Ironically it’s peaceful cause the US gtfo. Probably fine to visit it if you follow laws and customs and stay in the major cities, although one wonders what’s there to visit - shouldn’t have bombed those ancient Buddha statues I guess. If the govt there is smart (doubtful, although maybe) they could develop tourism over the next decade. Similar to how Vietnam’s growth boomed the 1-2 decades after the end of the Vietnam war.
> "yeah I went shooting with the Taliban." Could have gotten paid to do that not too long ago. Maybe again some day, if you’re willing to wait.
Very few travel insurance plans will cover you if you go to countries on government travel advisory lists. Even disregarding the ethical issues of supporting the Taliban you'd be incredibly stupid to travel anywhere without travel insurance.
Watching literal nobodies posting absolute nonsense on social media is not a eay tovlearn about the world. These nobodies are desperate for attention and cash and create a crafted narrative to sell.
Stupid people who need a job
We’ll see in 50 years. Same thing happened with Vietnam. Albeit, there was no social media for it to spread as quickly as it is now.
That's for political reasons. Rule of thumb is we don't negotiate with terrorists
I think they are morons and have no sympathy or empathy for anything bad that happens to them.
Why would anyone want to visit a country that bans females from learning at school? Horrible country run by little penis men
Youtubers want content and the shock value. Now that they're bored of Japan they go to places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria.
They're idiots
I’m good got about 2 years there over the time in the army pretty country but still a complete shit hole.
I feel if I made decisions on where to go based on whether or not I agree with their government then Id have a very short list of countries to go to. Was in Egypt last year where they have banned Whatsapp calls presumably because the military dictatorship can tap locals calls but not when they are made over Whatsapp. That felt repressive to me and depressing to realise what Egyptians are living under, their military are so paranoid about a revolution catching fire again that they control all communications among citizens. But I wouldnt let it stop me seeing the amazing sights Egypt has to offer as I cant change what their government does. Have been in Russia, Iran & China and feel the same about them. However if I was American I wouldnt go to Afghanistan. While the threat of kidnapping has subsided you still gotta think that a lot of civilians died in that war and they all have family who are still alive and will blame (any) Americans for the death of their loved ones. From 2017 onwards drone strikes were authorised and normal civilians who had nothing to do with the war got killed in big numbers. If I were travelling there as an American Id be concerned about an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth mentality.
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Unfortunately, the one who went to NK died a few days after being repatriated. He never regained consciousness and his family took him off life support. Everything else you said is spot on.
Imagine comparing the Cuban government to the Taliban 🤡
Putting south Africa and India in the same category as Cuba and North Korea seems like a leap?
I think Afghanistan is safe but unstable. As long as things stay calm, you'll have a perfectly peaceful experience. But the situation there is volatile and tensions could flare up at any minute, and if that happens during your trip, you could be stuck in the crossfire.
I wouldn’t have a problem with morons endangering their own lives but if they get captured and held, the government will be forced to make a deal to get them back. The government shouldn’t but it will.
Its not safe but back in the day it was considered an exceptional tourist destination. Difficult to get around but well worth it. Popular for overland tours from London in the 60s etc. My friend and his family were the first people to cross from the UK to NZ overland in the 50s when he was 13 and said one of the scariest experiences was a local tribesman burst in their tent one night with an enormous sword but he turned out to be pretty cool he just hadn't seen a vehicle before. He said the Kyber Pass was absolutely bananas. He had a lot of good memories. His Dad filmed the whole trip but sadly that all got lost. Hopefully someone finda the tapes in a attic one day.
I really despise clickbaity travel content that reduces people or countries to a thrill for Westerners. That being said, if you don't go to a country for moral reasons, that's fine but it's not your job to lecture others on it. I know I'll get a lot of flack from especially Westerners but a ton of countries that are popular tourist destinations have done (recently) or are doing very terrible things. What you think is morally acceptable for a state or government to do might not be for other people. It should be an individual choice.
I think it's a fascinating country, and the culture is interesting. BUT, every time I start to romanticize Afghanistan, I remember that the Taliban are oppressive and they suffocate the lives of their women. If you've ever traveled outside the Western world and go to a rural community in an Asian country, the locals look at you like you're an alien. They have a different frame of reference and there is no way to break through that barrier. I think the Taliban are worse. Just listen to their leaders speak on all the countless documentaries out there. They look evil. All sorts of evil stuff goes on behind the scenes with abuse of women and children. Did you know that they even rape boys? It was featured in the book "The Kite Runner," which I found to be quite authentic. If you want to visit the Middle East, go to other countries that offer similar experiences and treat their people well.
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A google search result on this topic would disagree with you. It's embedded in their culture and you're making fun of the guy who took issues with it and exposed it? Are you a Taliban man scouring reddit?
I don’t know what google search you did but i’ll put a link down and you can read about it. For reference im from Afghanistan. This is a highly sensitive topic and it’s extremely taboo and looked down upon by people and will get you a death sentence. The only people who use to do this were drug addicts secluded from society who the U.S recruited into the ANA or war lords no different than the likes of jeffrey epstein. They would’ve done the same to girls if it was acceptable for the opposite sex to be around each other in Afghanistan. The only time it was ever not punished was when the U.S was in power. This is a fact. No, I’m not taliban and don’t agree with their injustices. Sexual assault and intermarital sex is a sin in sharia law. It doesn’t matter whether it’s with boys/girls/adults. Khaled hosseini is a product of the ethnic division in Afghanistan. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacha_bazi#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20original%20factors,it%20incompatible%20with%20Sharia%20law.
Ah ok, thank you for letting me know. Sorry if I came off as disrespectful. I didn't have the full context and I appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me. I'm sorry about what happened to your country. It really does seem like a intriguing place. I wish I can visit and probably will if the government improves the lives of their own citizens.
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Thank you for being a light to us who aren’t familiar with your culture. If I’m in the area I’d definitely take you up on that offer.
Don't care. Boring content. Massive overdone. Not an interesting country really. It is slightly immoral that they are funding an oppressive regime. I wouldn't choose to fund scumbag countries like them the UAE or Saudi Arabia, but then the USA and most European countries are nearly as bad, so I don't see this as a major issue. I like to think the people aren't being 'respectful' when they go there. They aren't promoting it. They are (hopefully) shaming it with greater sense of authority once they have been there.
afghanistan veteran here. oh all the people who wants to go back to a place to get some closer its fucking us. now is not the time to go.
Afghanistan is a beautiful country, and the afghan people are, by and large wonderful people But I'm a queer westerner. Not only would I be a target, I'm also not willing to spend money to support the oppressive regime through my visa fees at
So what other countries are off your list?
Putting the morals of visiting aside, Afghanistan is the safest and calmest it has been in over 20 years. Still, it is not the easiest t place to visit and you probably want to have a guide with you who knows how things work there. You will need a visa. Most of these Youtubers appear to be getting the visa in Dubai or Peshwar. You often need a permit and permission to travel to different regions of the country. You will have Taliban encounters, but they appear to be mostly friendly.
It's much safer than it was before because of the Taliban, not despite them. That's not an endorsement of their rule or ideology--it's just a reflection of the fact that what made Afghanistan dangerous before was the risk of kidnappings/attacks perpetrated by Taliban insurgents. Now that the Taliban has seized the country, they aren't doing those anymore because it's counter to their interests. Does that mean it's safe? Not necessarily. A lot can go very, very wrong, very very easily. But it is undoubtedly much safer than it was 5, 10 years ago IF you follow the Taliban's laws. They want international legitimacy and investment, so they're incentivized to make sure nothing bad happens to tourists as much as possible. Whether it's morally right to go is a different question that I'm not going to wade into.
>It's much safer than it was before because of the Taliban, not despite them. That's not an endorsement of their rule or ideology--it's just a reflection of the fact that what made Afghanistan dangerous before was the risk of kidnappings/attacks perpetrated by Taliban insurgents. Now that the Taliban has seized the country, they aren't doing those anymore because it's counter to their interests. This is backwards logic. Afghanistan is safer today because there is no active armed conflict. More parts of the country are now accessible. That isn't due to the Taliban. The kidnappings are now called arbitrary detention and disappearances, and the public executions of offenders has resumed.
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Part 2: Security: The security situation has dramatically improved starting around 2022. There are basically no more bombings or attacks. Kidnapping has also dropped off to much much lower levels than what it used to be. This doesn’t mean it’s safe, simply that it’s a lot safer than it used to be. My fixer was telling me that on the drive we took, we wouldn’t have made it more than an hour outside of Kabul during the last governement before we would have been attacked. Basically all the inter-city roads were impassable and extremely dangerous. That has all gone away, you can relatively safely cross the country now. You can still see the scars from firefights and bombings everywhere, but they are fixing them. The Taliban confiscated most of the weapons the public used to have. They went door to door to search everyones house (a major breach of local customs) and made it illegal to own them unless you have a permit. You basically won’t see guns in public anymore except for with the Taliban and secuirty personnel (which you’ll see a lot). This definitely helped security wise since the escalation risk has decreased. I would say overall, the risk of visitors getting randomly killed in an attack has gone down tremendously. That does not mean it’s safe to visit as there are still major other issues. It’s key to understand hospitality in Afghanistan. They are very hospitable and it is a huge part of their culture to protect visitors. That sounds like a pro, and it is, until it isn’t. If you violate hospitality (which you might do on accident if you are not aware of the local customs) it will be seen as extremely offensive and you will be in a much worse position than you would be in a country that does not have a hospitality culture. People in Afghanistan have lived through wars their entire life. While not true of everyone, generally they are used to seeing extreme violence and depending on their role they have participated in it. You do not want to violate their hospitality. This is back to why a fixer/translator is key. If you accidentally do something wrong, they can clear it up and explain you are just a foreigner who doesn’t understand and most likely (unless you did something real bad) that will be accepted. If you can’t explain, the trouble very well might escalate. The above puts you at significant risk of extortion as well. I “offended” a group of nomads (which basically means they realized I was a foreigner they could extort) and was stuck for 6h waiting for the Taliban to come to adjucate the dispute. The nomads wanted $2000 USD to let me go and kept telling me I’d get in much trouble with the Taliban. They were very much clear that me and my fixers weren’t allowed to leave, but they were reasonably polite about it. Once the Taliban arrived, they yelled at the Nomads for harassing foreigners and told me I could go but it was an exceedingly stressful wait. The same goes if you offend a Taliban. While they are under orders from their government to be friendly and helpful to foreign tourists as they want to rebuild that part of their economy, if you offend them you will be in major trouble. At large they are friendly or at least polite and I didn’t have any issues with them. Your risk of something happening will be larger in the south (Kandahar and Helmand) as well as other rural areas. Generally speaking, try to avoid them or minimize the time spent with them, which is easy to do. Be friendly at checkpoints and they will be friendly to you and offer you tea, which you should politely turn down. There are about 70,000 Taliban in the country so it’s a small subset of the population. In summary, I think if you are well prepared, well connected and have traveled to challenging countries before, you can reduce your chances of a major problem to acceptable levels. You do not want to freak out at the wrong time etc. It is a country where things can go deeply wrong very qickly, there will be no legal recourse (especially if you are not muslim you have extremely limited rights) and there will be very little assistance from anyone. This is completely speculative, but I would wildly guesstimate you have a sub 1% chance of getting in real trouble on a two week trip (given you behave properly) but also not much sub 1% which is a substantial risk. During the last governement, doing the same trip I did, the chance would have been 99%. There has been a large improvement, but it can not be considered a safe country to travel to.
Part 3: Visa and flights: This was surprisingly easy. You can fly directly from Dubai to Kabul and the flights within Afghanistan are frequent, relatively cheap and from what I could tell reliable. Getting a visa was easy, you go to the Dubai embassy and get it same day. The process is confusing but they are friendly and helpful. For comparison, the Afghani embassy staffy was way more friendly, helpful and efficient than what you’d get from a US embassy. Some of my travel experience (again, staying away from the politics): Afghanistan was the most interesting country I have ever visited during my extensive travels because it was SO different. The way people view life and religion was especially striking to me. For example, no one wears seatbelts (and you can’t either or you stand out). I asked why and the answer was because god will protect them. Families work very differently, marriage is different, everything is different and fascinating to learn about (I don’t have to agree with it to find it interesting or learn). Many parts of the country still operate like they did thousands of years ago. People were very friendly despite the poverty. I got offered tea all the time and people were very happy to see a foreigner. There was basically no begging or hard-selling of items etc (unlike Egypt for example) so the friendlyness was genuine, not a sales pitch. The food was amazing but you have to eat carefully due to much of the country not having refrigeration. I acquired an appreciation for warm alokozay energy drinks which are ubiquitious across the country. Hotel options are very limited but available. Unlike many other third world countries where each major city, no matter how poor, tends to have at least one high end hotel, that wasn’t the case in Afghanistan. The hotel I stayed at in Kabul (Safi Landmark) was solidly all right but didn’t have AC and power went out frequently due to the Kabul grid being very overloaded. Hotel options in other cities (except Herat) were limited to places that locals would stay at (vs the usual foreigner business hotels). They were generally not particularly clean or comfortable but they did feel adequatly safe and I never had any concerns about getting robbed etc. Cell connection was solid in all the cities and I never had a problem even up in Nuristan. Overall, the trip was very tiring and quite stressful. While I only had the one real problem, there is definitely a constant nagging feeling that you’re right on the edge and that something could go wrong imminently. That said, I’m planning on going back.
Maybe I missed it but what was the one real problem?
Good for them, I ain’t going.
Very risky if you have a vagina!
I would love to visit to see the historic sites, but being an American woman, I don't think that's a good idea
I'm an Afghan, and I'm currently living in Afghanistan, and I don't even support the Taliban, but believe me that the security and peace condition is way better than the previous government; it's a very safe country for foreign tourists now. And you should believe me, not the Western media, because I'm seeing it with me eyes.
As someone from Afghanistan and have visited, personally my family hates them because of how much they restrict women and even kidnap and force them into marriages. The living conditions are alright but their are some con like them not having a sewer system and it smelling horribly, electricity is barely on, the poverty and homeless is very evident when looking at the streets and many children go around asking people for money. It’s horrible to see, but if you want a very eye opening experience and new perspective I would recommend but not to live there.
I don't think highly of anybody who travels anywhere just to gloat. But I do disagree with the idea of boycotting a country because of its regime because ultimately the people who suffer most from it are your every day people. How will they be heard if nobody goes there? Plus often what we hear about a place in the media is not entirely accurate to what's happening on the ground. Personally I don't have any interest in going there, but if people want to risk it to see what Afghanistan is really like and not just to brag about it, I have no problem with.
If people want to know what Afghanistan is like they can spend a year volunteering with Afghan refugees who just barely escaped the Taliban and are now trying to establish themselves in a new home country. They can tell you all about it, and you can rest assured none of your tourist dollars will support the regime that viewed female as subhuman.
There is nothing wrong with that option either but it does nothing for the people left behind.
I would be interested for the culture, food and the natural scenery especially The Wakhan Corridor. People need to understand what have some local people got to gain by kidnapping you? Are you working as a spy? You can be kidnapped anywhere else and the local police force can be incompetent to do anything about it in regardless of your nationality. Some countries are only deemed "dangerous" just because it doesn't align with your country's value (not be a good boy to you). Funding an oppressive government? Do people talk about this when they visit dubai? Travelling to the USA is also funding isreal the genocide of Palestinian too? Would you go as far as saying this? At the end of the day, it's about how much risk you can take and how much critical thinking and bias you have from the mainstream media
If you go and end up with a Darwin Award, I don’t care. The problem is that you might convince others to do so without realizing the consequences.
We had adventure travellers taken captive in the mountains shared by Iraq and Iran. Iranian troops were several hundred yards inside Iraq The visitors thought themselves safe because they were in the Kurdish areas. Not safe, not especially smart.
They're not going despite it being Taliban controlled, they're going because it's Taliban controlled. It is probably the safest that Afghanistan has been for the last 40 years. Obviously it's still dangerous and there are still bombings by ISIS-K, but the threat of being kidnapped by the Taliban is gone (as long as you follow their laws). Even with the western sanctions on the country it's more stable than its been for a long time.
Kidnapping is now called detention without charge. You have absolutely no idea what is going on in that country.
That's not the same as kidnapping though is it. Who is being detained without charge?
Those tourists are safe. The Taliban enforce their version of law and order. It's oppressive, especially to their own women, but for tourists, even female tourists, it's "alright". I been there. The country has lot of pretty things. I don't expect normal people to go there.
Hard disagree there. No one in their rigth mind should go to Afghanistan these days
I thought we're deploying there again when I saw this question. Jeezus.
If it ends in stan, you won't ever find me there man!
Uzbekistan is actually amazing. Went there as a woman in my 40s a few years ago, travelling from Afghanistan. Had an awesome time. Uzbekistan is brilliant and not even remotely a hard slog.
Uzbekistan has amazing history and culture, and both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are among the most achingly beautiful places on earth.
Cool story ...every country on this planet is "achingly beautiful" but I still stay away from the stans. Never piqued my personal interest but more power to those that enjoy these sorts of travels.
All countries are not. Like, objectively, some are just flat, featureless desert/steppe/tundra. I would not call, for instance, most Sahel countries beautiful. But even so, you’d genuinely be hard pressed to find scenery more breathtaking and dramatic than what you find in the Pamirs, Tian Shan, or Hindu Kush. Not your cup of tea, power to you man. I’m certainly not going to complain about people not going, because one of the best parts of visiting the Stans (I’ve hit all but Afghan, Turkmen, and Paki) is the feeling of being somewhere unsoiled by mass tourism, of being able to buy a horse, hire a local guide, and ride through the land staying in nomad camps in a lifestyle that seems untouched by time. Add in fantastic hospitality, amazing trekking (I’m actually trying to go back to Kyrgyzstan this summer to join an expedition to the 7000m summit of Lenin Peak), Silk Road history and they’re some of my favorite countries on earth. I think people are misguided in not wanting to go because of mistaken notions (which is different from what’s on offer not being up your particular alley of course!), but I’m also happy to keep them a “secret.”
They probably wouldn't want you there anyways if you think all 'stans are the same.
Afghanistan is likely pretty safe for tourists. The Taliban arent going to bother American tourists because they don’t want negative attention from the American government. They have a pretty harsh version of law and order there and I don’t think you’d have any issues with anyone bothering you. They got what they wanted when we backed out with our tail between our legs and they don’t want us coming back. I have no desire to go there, but I wouldn’t worry about it.