'I've been to most dangerous countries including Syria, Iraq and Ukraine — one thing stuck out'

A 'danger tourist' has travelled to immoderate of the world's astir perilous countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Ukraine.

Callum Mills, 32, is simply a thrill-seeker from Coatbridge successful Scotland relishes visiting locations with heightened hazard factors specified arsenic progressive warfare zones oregon areas of governmental instability.

His daring travels person led him to encounters with cause lords, the Taliban, and adjacent eating with pack members successful Brazil. He's stood successful Saddam Hussein's Palace, seen an archetypal Banksy mural successful the West Bank successful Palestine, and visited Osama Bin Laden’s compound successful Abbottabad, Pakistan.

He adjacent met Pablo Escobar's brother, Roberto Escobar, during a travel to Medellin, Colombia. Now, Callum is readying his adjacent adrenaline-fuelled escapade — to North Korea.

His fascination with information tourism began aft exploring Egypt's astir obscure places during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Callum insists it's not conscionable astir the danger; his trips are astir connecting with antithetic cultures and gathering caller people.

He said: "It is hard for radical to recognize this — it does go an addiction you question the escapade and that feeling of being connected edge. Their practice is ever antagonistic — I wanted to spell determination and link with radical locally. I similar to roam astir and spot what happens. I would ever bargain a 1 time flight. I similar to get to the much obscure places that are not touristy. I've been asked this galore times — astir however I get to spot immoderate of the things that I do. I ever say, 'I conscionable talk to people'.

"There person been unthinkable radical who I've spoken to, with immoderate radical teaching maine a batch astir things. Getting to sojourn each these countries, radical and areas has delivered a amended acquisition than schoolhouse ever did."

Callum, besides known arsenic Callum Abroad connected YouTube, recovered himself riding the waves of escapade erstwhile his nursing grade astatine the University of the West of Scotland was disrupted by the pandemic. As classes were cancelled, helium felt confined and restless, prompting him to question an escape.

He revealed: "The longer I spent astatine location the much restless I became ... The lone formation I could instrumentality was Cairo successful Egypt - and I ne'er looked backmost I conscionable kept doing."

Cairo wasn't an archetypal propulsion for him; the pyramids weren't the draw. He added: "It wasn't due to the fact that I had a keen involvement successful Cairo. I wanted to spot thing a spot antithetic - not conscionable the pyramids." Callum's curiosity led him to "Garbage City," a spot colloquially named by the locals.

It's an antithetic prime and comes with cautionary advice, arsenic helium pointed out: "I decided to spell to 'Garbage City' arsenic the locals telephone it. It didn’t spell good with the locals — I was told I was going to beryllium attacked."

This unsocial acquisition progressive witnessing the section assemblage collecting metropolis garbage and past sorting it, which Callum recovered fascinating. After his archetypal adventures began astatine the property of 28, assemblage became a section of the past.

Travel transformed into his life's program arsenic helium noted: "I recovered it beauteous absorbing — they spell circular the metropolis and cod each the garbage earlier taking it backmost to their assemblage to beryllium sorted."

The much helium voyaged, the much his communicative captivated others, ensuring helium ne'er returned to his ceremonial studies. He past packed his bags and jetted disconnected to Syria, driven by a tendency to "show radical what the world is truly like."

His travel rapidly made headlines erstwhile helium shared a video revealing the world of crossing into Syria. He revealed: "My societal media went crazy. I was being wanted due to the fact that I exposed what it was similar to participate the borders - wherever you had to wage soldiers to participate the borders."

Despite this, Callum thoroughly enjoyed his clip successful Syria, praising the locals arsenic "fantastic".

"People deliberation it is simply a implicit warfare zone. But erstwhile you get determination radical are truly nice," helium added. "The media and the West hide sometimes that radical successful these countries are conscionable mean people."

Pakistan was adjacent connected his question list, a state he's present visited six times and considers his favourite destination.

He admitted that helium understands wherefore immoderate mightiness consciousness "intimidated" successful Pakistan. "Both of my arms are filled with tattoos — but radical conscionable look astatine you due to the fact that they are curious," helium said. "I spell to a batch of weddings determination — it is countless the fig of weddings I spell to."

Alongside travelling for idiosyncratic fulfilment, Callum documents astir of his adventures connected his YouTube channel. After encounters with cause gangs successful Barcelona and Bogota, helium flew to Medellin, wherever helium met Roberto Escobar, member of infamous cause lord Pablo Escobar.

He recalled: "I chatted with him portion his woman translating what I was saying. We got a representation together. I don't thin to program things successful my travels — I conscionable program things arsenic I go. That’s the quality of it.

"I could perceive the bombs dropping disconnected down maine erstwhile I got to Kherson. There was a clip I had to instrumentality a 2nd due to the fact that I felt precise emotional. A batch of radical said they are prepared to dice successful Odesa. They don’t deliberation the Russians volition halt until they get Odesa - that was a communal taxable I was getting from people. I conscionable privation the warfare would halt sidesplitting each different — the level of devastation is bad.

"The weaponry sirens were going disconnected doing the time and the nighttime - erstwhile the siren goes disconnected radical don’t panic. I deliberation it has got to the constituent wherever it is numb to them."

His adventures took a tense crook successful Afghanistan, wherever helium recounted: "I took the onshore borderline from Pakistan - it is precise strict and it is simply a spot hectic determination is simply a batch of screaming and shouting ... The Taliban came up for maine and I retrieve I was a spot tense and lone of them spoke English and the different didn't. I was making tiny speech with them.

"In Afghanistan it was my archetypal enactment with the Taliban. They were asking maine wherever I was from, asking if I was successful the subject oregon my family. Asked if I was Muslim and past they shook my hand."

In Colombia's notorious Bogota's Bronx, helium encountered pack members who shared their stories. This happened portion helium was adjacent to a crocodile, with the pack members claiming they would usage the reptile to wound disconnected the limbs of rival pack members if caught.

The UK Foreign Office advises against each but indispensable question to North Korea, but Callum is itching to go. The state has been nether the regularisation of the Kim household since 1948 and has faced wide condemnation for quality rights abuses.

Callum stated: "I americium prepared for immoderate backlash I get and I privation to spot it with my ain eyes. Nobody successful the West was allowed successful for 5 years. I wanna spot the capital. It’s a accidental to talk to a North Korean — it would beryllium large if I could bash it.

"I recognize that it volition beryllium a situation and I tin take that connected committee - I americium alert of the hardships radical successful North Korea face. I cognize immoderate radical mightiness deliberation that it’s incorrect to question to North Korea nevertheless arsenic idiosyncratic who’s got a tendency to question and spot the world, I would anticipation radical tin recognize that.

"It’s similar erstwhile a car has a bump connected the motorway, radical thin to dilatory down and look due to the fact that they are curious."

However, Callum admits helium doubts this volition beryllium imaginable successful North Korea owed to the strict guided quality of the tours. During a candid interview, helium expressed his thoughts connected overseas travel, helium stated: "I deliberation erstwhile you spell to these countries you person to travel the rules. Don’t spell and interruption the rules successful these countries.

"As agelong arsenic I behaviour myself successful a due mode I americium beauteous confident. It'd beryllium bully to person the quality position and spot it with my ain eyes."

The authorities warns that contempt mundane beingness successful Pyongyang seeming normal, the ambiance connected the Korean Peninsula tin beryllium unpredictable, often without forewarning. This unpredictability, according to the Foreign Office, could enactment British nationals astatine sizeable risk. Details of his adventures are disposable implicit astatine YouTube connected Callum Abroad oregon via his Twitter handle, @CallumAbroad.