Travel advisory? for the faint-hearted

Once upon a time, holidays were about choosing the perfect beach or finding the best cocktail. Now? It's about picking your preferred flavour of existential risk. Gunmen at checkpoints? Great for that gritty, boots-on-the-ground vibe. Shaky governments and global 'Do Not Travel' advisories? Perfect for your next Insta reel. Libya, long sporting a 'maybe don't' badge from the UN, is now attracting backpackers more than ever before.

Nearly 1,00,000 thrill-seekers flocked to Libya last year, according to Travel and Tour World. Why? Roman ruins and chaos, apparently, make the ideal Instagram backdrop. With Leptis Magna's ancient charm, Tripoli's maze-like streets and coastal views that scream 'paradise' - if you dodge a few AK-47s - it's an adventurous traveller's dream. Governments, however, are practically begging tourists to stay away. Australia's travel advice? 'Run.' Yet, danger tourists like Hudson and Emily still ventured there in 2024, bodyguard in tow, and called it 'completely safe'. Then there's Daniel Pinto, a British tourist held at gunpoint for seven hours, who declared the experience 'still worth it'. His holiday tolerance is clearly built differently. So, whether it's Syria, Libya or wherever next year's crisis brews, tourists now have a buffet of perils to choose from. What's your next adventure destination?