Travel influencer Kieran Brown shamed for ‘satire’ Afghanistan journey content material

A vacation in Cambodia has nothing on a getaway in Afghanistan, in keeping with this influencer.

A British journey influencer has raised eyebrows after encouraging fellow vacationers to go on boys’ journeys to Afghanistan, which he claims has one of the best kebabs on Earth and majestic mountains that put the Swiss Alps to disgrace.

“It was one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to,” Kieran Brown, 30, informed Kennedy News whereas describing his controversial Middle Eastern getaway. The journey influencer focuses on touring to “dangerous” international locations corresponding to Eritrea and Pakistan, continuously posting movies of his hair-raising trip to his over 150,000 followers on Instagram.

For his newest off-the-beaten-path journey, the Kent native determined to ebook an eight-day guided tour of Afghanistan even if the “Graveyard of Empires” is on each the UK and the US’ ‘Do Not Travel’ lists — the very best hazard designation.

To get to the “world’s most dangerous country,” Brown and three pals bought a journey visa in Pakistan after which crossed the border and filmed their adventures within the desert nation.

“Forget Ibiza or Marbella why don’t you and the boys go to Afghanistan this summer?” the Brit captioned a video of their distinctive travelogue.

Despite the obvious hazard, the globetrotter mentioned he had an “amazing time” on their journey, throughout which the buddies they climbed mountains and performed volleyball with Taliban members, who joked that recreation was one other “USA vs Afghanistan.”

He referred to as the meals “really cheap” and “probably the greatest cuisines I’ve ever had. “

“You could get a kebab with fresh bread for $2 and I thought it was much better than in Turkey,” gushed the wanderer, waxing poetic about “mountains” and “glacier blue lakes” that reminded him of the “Swiss Alps.”

And, opposite to its popularity as a creating nation, Brown famous that Afghanistan appeared “much more developed” than he’d imagined, analogizing Kabul to Bulgaria.

“We went bowling and there were shopping malls and cinemas,” recalled Brown. “Every hotel I stayed at was more luxurious than I guessed, but maybe that’s because we were on a high-end tour.”

Total worth for the plush lodging? Around $37 per evening.

Even the Taliban — who notably banned ladies from talking in public in 2024 as a part of their ongoing gender apartheid — had been a lot friendlier than Brown anticipated, reportedly greeting the world traveler on the border with “tea” and claiming they had been “welcome in their country.”

“They want to be a recognized government so it’s in their best interests that no tourists are hurt as it would hinder their chances of recognition,” Brown declared. “The people were really happy that we were in the country visiting them and felt welcome the whole time.”

Of course, not all the things was so hunky dory within the Central Asian Nation. Brown mentioned he was appalled over the remedy of girls, claiming that the low level was visiting a college and listening to the profession aspirations of younger ladies about to be faraway from training at age 11.

The content material creator additionally noticed that no music performed in gyms or malls because the Taliban banned it and that many residents claimed their high quality of life had plummeted for the reason that Taliban’s swift and violent takeover in 2021 following the US troop withdrawal.

While crossing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Brown mentioned he noticed a number of folks attempting to flee the nation and being stopped violently by safety guards.

He concluded that such a visit ought to be restricted to skilled vacationers who’ve their wits about them, “dress appropriately and pay respect to the people in the country.”

Many viewers had been lower than impressed with Brown’s Afghan getaway, with many citing the nation’s hazard and poor monitor document on human rights.

“Don’t romanticize a country where women are treated like property,” mentioned one critic, whereas one other wrote, “Imagine being English and going to a country and funding men that shot and killed your own people. Disgrace.”

“Cute that you get to enjoy this beautiful country,” mentioned a 3rd. “In case you didn’t know, women are struggling hard in this beautiful country. I hope you used your lad’s trip to do something about it.”

However, Brown has since hit again in opposition to critics, claiming that the movies had been “satire.” and that he wasn’t really encouraging folks to decide on Afghanistan over going to Ibiza.”

“I think a lot of people who watched that video could tell that,” scoffed Brown, including, “This was my own experience and someone else could go and not have the same experience as me.”

The US State Department at the moment recommends that US residents not journey to Afghanistan attributable to a wide range of hazards, together with “civil unrest, crime, terrorism, risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping, and limited health facilities.”

They famous that the US Embassy in Kabul suspended operations in 2021, stopping the US authorities from offering “routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Afghanistan.”

The Post reached out to Brown for additional particulars.