War-zone vacations pitched to tourists

Think of a packaged vacation, and Iraq likely doesn't come to mind.

But a Swiss-based travel agency is offering just that: organized tours of six war-torn or inaccessible places not typically on the average traveller's destination list, but likely flagged on many governments' "avoid all travel" list.

The destinations include Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Somaliland and Sudan, with plans to add trips to Yemen, Burma, Colombia, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The agency, Babel Travel, partnered with Robert Young Pelton, author of The World's Most Dangerous Places and an avid explorer who runs a website, Comebackalive.com.

Kevin Pollard, founder and managing director of Babel Travel, says he contacted Pelton about creating the trips because he wanted to tap into the "extraordinary access" and "range of on-the-ground contacts" Pelton has accumulated during his three decades in conflict zones.

Offering packaged trips to war-torn and inaccessible countries is not new. But Pollard says his company is the first to offer a wide spectrum of dangerous destinations, whereas other travel companies focus on selling tours to one country or just a few. And he says none offer trips to Somaliland or the areas Babel Travel tour companies will visit in Sudan.

The trips won't appeal to every budget. A trip lasting 11 to 22 days can cost from $8,000 to $19,000 Cdn, excluding airfare and insurance.

Nor is the travel agency aiming to appeal to every tourist.

"This is a trip for those who 'do,' not watch," the website proclaims.

The agency promises the highest level of security and requires that customers be fully insured. While baggage loss and trip cancellation insurance would suffice for many vacations, kidnapping and terrorism are additional worries in countries fighting wars.

Dubbed "cultural engagement" trips, Pelton designed each trip to include a local and western leader. He says it's important for people to understand such inaccessible countries.

But Jennifer Laing, a lecturer in the Tourism Research Unit at Australia's Monash University, says the expansion of frontier travel into packaged tours is not just about education, but a sign of a trend toward travellers seeking out a more novel experience.

"People are sick of the same old places and mass travel and are looking for something new and exciting," Laing said. That such "frontier travel" is risky adds to the appeal, giving travellers an "element of prestige."

And, she said, it has an added benefit: "[It's] great for dropping into a dinner party conversation."