PressEthic

In the “What Next” section of National Geographic Adventure, Robert Young Pelton has a column called “Pelton’s World: Risk + Rewards.” Over the last couple months, he has offered readers advice on beginning their own “overland expeditions” in SUVs (the best use for SUVs that I can think of) and how to find the perfect “military vacation,” (boot camps, KGB military schools , a ride in a combat aircraft ). But, in the November “Adventure Travel” issue, Pelton’s article titled, “The Next Level: Once Dangerous, Now Safe (Sort of) – Robert Young Pelton’s Five Picks for ’06,” toes the line between promoting adventure and encouraging recklessness. Maybe for Pelton these “picks” are almost safe, but for the rest of us. . . who knows?

Afghanistan is one of the more surprising vacation destinations that Pelton recommends, although he begins by saying:

Yeah, I know, I’m the unofficial tourism minister for this ancient land (the first real tourism minister was stabbed to death at the airport by angery passengers). But Afghanistan is remarkable.

He goes on to note specific outfitters and places of interest, noting:

Sure, U.S. troops still pound away at the hinterlands, but urban attacks are infrequent.

Pelton also recommends traveling to Columbia, even though he himself was once kidnapped there. He says to “watch out” for:

Those nice, quiet, green-looking national parks you see on the tourist maps also happen to be the operational bases of leftist rebel groups. Avoid them unless you want to end up like me: on a forced march, eating rice and bugs. Not fun.

Also making his list are: Sabah (Borneo), Sierra Leon (West Africa), and North Korea (noting that “brutal dictatorships are peaceful and safe for tourists”).

But, Pelton does draw the line somewhere. He recommends against traveling to Central Iraq (where, “cab drivers auction off foreigners to the highest bidders”), Chechnya, and Somalia.

Pelton’s “picks” seem appropriate for people traveling with a purpose – journalists looking for a good story, perhaps -- but to travel to Afghanistan for a good hike seems reckless and stupid. Of course, he doesn’t mislead anyone into actually thinking of these destinations as safe, per se, but he does make them seem. . . accessible and even tempting. There’s a sense of, “If he went there, why can’t I?” But then again, he did write a book titled, The World’s Most Dangerous Places. He isn’t exactly an average traveler.