War tourism in Afghanistan: adventure or reckless hedonism?
Armed with little more than travel guidebooks and an unflagging spirit of adventure, hardy bands of ‘war tourists’ visit Afghanistan every year, ignoring warnings of kidnappings and bombings
Thousands of people are fleeing the conflict roiling Afghanistan, but American backpacker John Milton recently made the reverse journey to the war-ravaged country - for a holiday.
Armed with little more than travel guidebooks and an unflagging spirit of adventure, hardy bands of “war tourists” such as Milton visit Afghanistan’s pristine mountains and medieval ruins every year, ignoring warnings of kidnappings and bombings.
A Taliban attack last Thursday on a group of American and European tourists in western Herat province, which left some of them wounded, has brought into sharp focus such global thrill-seekers who imperil their lives to vacation in war zones.
“Visiting conflict zones and off-the-beaten-path destinations is so much more rewarding than the usual global tourist destinations,” said Milton, a 46-year-old former investment banker, who visited Afghanistan in June and has also vacationed in Somalia and North Korea.
“(My) family and friends think I am a fool to take such risks but... if you are not willing to risk the unusual, then you will have to settle for the ordinary. I just don’t want to die without having any scars!”