Travel Blogger Exposes The Bizarre World Of ‘Dark Tourism’, Here Are The 10 Wildest Places He’s Visited

For Callum Mills , it is not a memorable holiday if there is no danger involved.

The Scottish YouTuber has made a living out of taking the road not taken, and it’s led him to some of the most unconventional travel experiences, like having dinner with gang members in Brazil and meeting Pablo Escobar's brother Roberto Escobar while visiting Medellín, Colombia.

It all started when Callum, better known as Callum Abroad on YouTube and social media, was stuck at home during the pandemic. He was in the second year of his nursing degree at the University of the West of Scotland when all his classes were canceled.

“The longer I spent at home, the more restless I became,” he recalled.

​One day, he decided to jump on any plane possible and pulled out a list of flights that were available from Scotland.

​“The only flight I could take was Cairo in Egypt – and I never looked back; I just kept doing,” he said.

Image credits: CallumAbroad

​At the time, Callum wasn’t even interested in Cairo. He was just interested in seeing or experiencing something offbeat. This meant the pyramids were not at the top of his itinerary; he instead went to what the locals called “Garbage City,” despite warnings from locals about being attacked.

​This was the beginning of his journey to some of the most volatile places in the world, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Ukraine.

​“It does become an ad*iction you seek the adventure and that feeling of being on edge. Their representation is always negative – I wanted to go there and connect with people locally,” he told the Daily Record in 2024.

​The travel influencer looked back fondly at meeting “incredible people” and said his adventures have given him a “better education than school ever did.”

​People who saw his recent thread of “dark tourism” experiences called it an “absolutely insane thread.”

​“You must have only single tickets available for these trips,” one said.

​“Always,” Callum replied. “Never book a return. Not out of fear, just because sometimes opportunities come up which allow you to go with the flow.”

Here’s a roundup of some of Callum’s top picks, recently shared on his X account.

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Abbottabad, Pakistan

“It’s crazy that I’m actually here,” Callum said, standing in the town of Abbottabad. Most people around the world hadn’t heard about Abbottabad until U.S. Navy SEAL commandos stormed a private, secure compound in the town that was protected by barbed wire, 14-foot-high walls, and a 7 feet private security wall on the second floor. The commandos captured Osama Bin Laden from inside the compound, thus changing Abbottabad’s reputation for being a peaceful, sleepy suburb. “It’s a huge area, guys…” he told his viewers, pointing towards the area that was the compound, with the servants’ quarters apparently a few feet away. “It’s very interesting that people wouldn't know who lived here, because in Pakistan everybody seems to know their neighbors,” Callum said. Taking his viewers around the area, he said: “They had a lot of vegetable gardens here, they had one cow, approximately 100 chickens, and a few other animals.” While the compound was destroyed years ago, the place remains infamous as the site where one of the world's most wanted terrorists was found hiding in plain sight for years. “The fact that you had the courage to go there was just crazy!” one commented on his video. Another wrote, “You are literally fearless, mate.”

Rocinha, Brazil

Callum picked a very interesting place for his very first trip to Latin America: Brazil. He visited Rocinha, one of Rio de Janeiro's largest “favelas.” Although it is often associated with dr*g-related violence in media coverage, it is also a residential neighborhood where many people live and work. In most favelas, homes are packed closely together on hillsides, with narrow streets, small shops, and busy community spaces. Some favelas experience gang violence, trafficking of illicit substances, and clashes involving police, but conditions vary. “I was warned not to come here without permission but managed to bag myself an interview with a local dr*g dealer here in the Favela,” he wrote in his YouTube caption. “Rocinha Favela is home to over 300,000 people and is officially the largest favela in Latin America,” he added. “WHAT A PLACE!” He proceeded to show viewers different sights of the favela, which he said has a “fierce reputation.” The residents told him he wouldn’t be able to go there alone and film people without accompanying someone from the area. Dr*g dealers would stop him if he was alone, the locals told him. Right in the middle of his filming, a message on his video said a man with a weapon had approached him, “It turned out to be one of the largest dr*g dealers in the favela. This man did not want to be on camera but agreed to chat with me,” the message said. During the conversation with the dealer, Callum asked whether he imagined doing this for the rest of his life. The dealer replied, saying he didn’t know what the future holds for him, but for now, it was how he was feeding his family. When asked whether his family knew about his dealings, he said they do. In another January 2023 video, Callum shared another interesting conversation he had with locals he met. “I’m going to meet some interesting people today,” Callum told his viewers. He then proceeded to take his viewers through the streets of Rio de Janeiro and wound up in a room filled with masked dr*g dealers, carrying massive weapons in their hands. When asked when they joined the gang, one of them said, “We don’t have the exact age. It just progressed.” Callum said during his chat that he noticed people selling illicit substances on tables right out in the open, noting how it was an “uncommon” sight in other countries. “It’s very common for those who live here,” one of the gang members said. “The people who don’t live in the hood will never understand.”

Medellín, Colombia

In Medellín, Callum followed Pablo Escobar’s story through the places that remain behind: La Catedral, the prison Escobar was allowed to build himself. The site had a helipad, escape routes, and rooms where, according to the guide, Escobar could host guests and entertain them. “It wasn’t like a prison. It was like a big hotel,” Callum said, reflecting on how freely Escobar appeared to live there. ​ The tour also took him to the rooftop associated with Escobar’s death, and to the cemetery where he is buried. Callum said it felt strange to stand at a spot he had seen so many times in photographs and documentaries. ​ But one of the most unexpected moments came when he came face to face with Escobar’s brother, Roberto. Callum said he could hardly believe it, though filming was restricted and he was only able to capture a few moments. ​ As the guide spoke about Escobar’s legacy, Callum noted that some people in the neighborhood still admired him for helping local families, while others remembered the violence that defined those years. ​ “It’s easy to romanticize Pablo Escobar,” he said. “You’ve got to remember that all this wealth was built on the back of the Colombian people and their sacrifice” After a user on X pointed out that the walk was a popular tourist activity undertaken by thousands of visitors, Callum clarified that Medellín was among the more touristy places he had visited, and that the trip was an example of dark tourism rather than a risky one.

Mogadishu, Somalia

Callum spent several days in Mogadishu, where he said it was the only country that made him travel with armed guards. Checkpoints were spread across the city, and he needed security clearance before getting out of the car at some stops. ​ At the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, the visit was cut short after the guard warned him to move on. He also went to the fish market, where some people greeted him warmly and shook his hand; others were uncomfortable with the camera. ​ Bakara Market was the stop he had particularly wanted to see. The area is associated with the 1993 battle depicted in Black Hawk Down. Callum’s fixer would not leave the car, and Callum was told to keep the visit brief. He managed to film a short look around before getting back in the vehicle. ​ “The place is rough as f**k,” he said. He also joked that he had seen archaeological finds in better condition than the old Somali money he came across. ​ His videos showed other sides of Mogadishu, too. He had Somali tea by the Lido beach, visited a historic mosque, and noticed new homes and apartments going up around the city. Some locals welcomed him and were happy to see tourists, even as others clearly did not want to be filmed. ​ The footage drew sharply different reactions online. One user called Somalia “a hell hole”; another joked that parts of Mogadishu looked like Airdrie, Callum’s hometown in Scotland. Callum’s videos showed why the city could make visitors uneasy, and why he kept exploring it.

South Side Of Chicago, USA

Callum’s visit to Chicago took him to Englewood, a neighborhood on the city’s South Side. His video introduced it as a part of the city often nicknamed “Chiraq” because of its notoriety for firearm violence. ​ There, he spent time with members of the Black Disciples, including local rappers Bally Baby and Drizzy Draco. They spoke about what it was like growing up in the neighborhood, how they moved through it, and their hopes of making music careers. ​ He shared their social media accounts and YouTube channels with viewers, encouraging them to listen to their music. The conversation offered a glimpse of the people behind the label, and the ambitions they were pursuing, alongside the difficulties of their surroundings. ​ The visit was part of a wider trip across the United States. Callum later joked that, after running out of Buckfast, he ended up drinking MD 20/20 in Chicago. ​ Viewers were struck by the contrast between the setting and the men’s easy manner with Callum. Some praised the men as friendly and humble; others joked about seeing a “clean-cut white boy” in the hood. One commenter pointed out that gang activity was a symptom of deeper problems in the neighborhood. ​ For Callum, Englewood was another chance to meet people most viewers might otherwise only hear about through headlines and to let them have a voice to speak for themselves through videos like these. ​ Fans were surprised to see the YouTuber in the U.S., saying: “lol nooo way! Never expected you to come to Chicago! Amazing.” ​ “These gang members are more humble and friendly than the American government and military,” another wrote in the comments.

Afghanistan

Callum’s journey into Afghanistan began at the Pakistan border, where he said he was put in a cage. Later, two men stopped his car and took him away for hours of questioning. ​ In Kabul, he was nervous about filming near a huge Taliban flag but said he was allowed to bring out his camera. When on the road to Bamiya, his car overheated in the mountains. But to his luck, Taliban members were there to help ease the situation, offering him tea and fresh bread. Callum described the people he met as friendly and welcoming. ​ He also met a group of men he initially assumed were nomads. They turned out to be Mujahideen, and invited him to become Muslim. He politely declined. ​ But viewers pointed out how few women appeared in his Kabul footage, and his visit also drew criticism because of the Taliban’s treatment of women. Callum said he had taken a risk to visit a secret school in the countryside, where he told the women that people around the world stood in solidarity with their fight for equality and education. ​ “Afghanistan will not progress until this happens,” he wrote on X. To critics, he asked: “What have you done this past week?” ​ At Bamiyan, he was openly critical of the Taliban’s destruction of the Buddha statues. “I feel like that should not have been destroyed,” he said, adding that the site should have been preserved. Viewers in the comments disagreed over the destruction, while others welcomed his footage of the ruins. ​ Callum left praising the hospitality of the people he met. He also spoke out about restrictions on women’s education and the loss of Afghanistan’s ancient heritage.

Ukraine

Being in an active war zone did not stop Callum from traveling to Ukraine. ​ The Coatbridge native sat on a train for 40 hours from Romania to Moldova and then on a bus to reach Ukraine in 2023. ​ Some of the sights he saw in the Ukrainian cities of Kherson and Odesa remain etched in his memories. ​ When he got to Kherson, he said he could hear the sound of b*mbs dropping behind him, and he needed a second to compose himself because he got so emotional. ​ Meanwhile, in Odesa, the people he met there seemed prepared to lose their lives because they believed Russian forces would not stop until they captured it. ​ Callum said that was the “common theme” he got from the people there. ​ Even when sirens went off during the day or night, he said people don’t seem to panic because they seemed to have gotten to a point where they are numb to them. ​ In one shot, Callum and a group of Ukrainians were surveying the destroyed homes, buildings, schools, and cars in the war-struck area. Residents were forced to live in makeshift tents and temporary accommodation while the community was being rebuilt. ​ “I have nowhere else to go,” one local said. ​ Buildings that were still standing were riddled with bullet holes and other signs of the violence that swept the area. ​ “The devastation is terrible, absolutely heartbreaking. Hope they get peace and happiness soon xx,” one commented on his video. ​ Another wrote, “So sad to see such a beautiful country being reduced to ruins.”

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Fallujah, Iraq

Callum’s trip to Iraq began with a bang, literally. He claimed the hotel he booked was targeted on the very first day of his stay. ​ “ISIS decided to shoot up my hotel the first day. Went to Fallujah and nobody would speak to me,” he wrote in a tweet. ​ He managed to track down the site where four American Blackwater security contractors were k*lled in a 2004 ambush in Fallujah, with two of their bodies later hanged from a bridge. ​ “Found the famous Blackwater contractor site where they got hanged,” he wrote. ​ The incident became one of the most infamous episodes of the Iraq War. ​ He also managed to persuade officials to let him inside the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi publicly declared the establishment of the group’s so-called caliphate in 2014. ​ “Persuaded the people in charge to let me into Al-Noori mosque. Where the caliphate was declared,” he added. ​ Callum has shared multiple videos of his visit to Iraq, one of which showed his much-awaited to Fallujah. ​ On his way to Fallujah, the content creator showed the remains of what used to be a police station, where the British soldier and intelligence officer Gerard Evelyn Leachman was executed in the 1920s. ​ Towards the end of his travelogue in Fallujah, he said with a hint of disappointment that he was showing visuals of the “quiet streets” of the city. ​ He explained that things seemed surprisingly normal in Fallujah, a place where people warned him not to go. ​ “I was told, ‘Don’t come here. It’s very dangerous.’ I don’t feel that it’s dangerous,” he said, wondering whether he was dissuaded because most tourists would normally go to places like Baghdad.

Ramallah, Palestine

Callum hit the streets of Ramallah with no plan. ​ “I decided to take a walk around the ‘unofficial capital of Palestine’ (Palestinians regard Jerusalem as the capital),” he wrote on X. ​ Just after he said he wasn’t sure how people would react to a man holding a camera, one passerby pointed at the device and asked him to stop recording. ​ “I’m certainly getting a few stares,” he said at another point in the video. “A few people have stopped me about the camera.” ​ The remarks from onlookers didn’t stop him from filming his walk through a fruit market. ​ When he met some “friendly” fruit-sellers, he stopped to ask a few questions about life in Palestine. ​ One agreed that life is good there, adding: “This is our country. This is Palestine. [It’s] very good, very nice… We love it even if it’s good [or] difficult.” ​ “It’s Palestine. It’s Jerusalem. Our country,” he said. ​ Callum walked away with a free peach after talking to the fruit-sellers. ​ Later in his travelogue, he reiterated how people in Ramallah were nice and friendly. ​ He even got a haircut at a local barber shop. ​ After thanking his barber, he asked him whether he enjoyed life in Ramallah. ​ “I enjoy it here. Yes, it’s difficult here, but it’s better than other places for sure,” the barber said. ​ He ended his video devouring a plate of chicken shawarma and bread.

Aleppo, Syria

When Callum packed his bag and visited Syria for the first time, he said he wanted to show the world what the country was really like. ​ He shared a video from his first Syrian trip a few years back, showing what it was like entering Syria and how one would pay soldiers to cross the borders. ​ Following his viral video, he said his social media went “crazy” because he exposed what it was like to enter the country and how the people were quite hospitable. ​ “People think it is a complete war zone. But once you get there, people are really nice,” he said about the country. “The media and the West forget sometimes that people in these countries are just ordinary people.” ​ In one 2025 video, he filmed himself standing in Aleppo, which he called the “most B*MBED city in Syria.” ​ “I’m currently standing on the top of Aleppo Citadel,” he wrote before noting that his fellow traveler found a bullet casing at the site. ​ “You’ve all probably seen Aleppo on the news for the last countless years, all the turmoil, and the war and the destruction, which you can actually see right there,” he continued. ​ He was seen walking through the streets, talking to locals as they rebuilt their homes after the fall of the Assad regime. ​ “It feels more chaotic than Damascus. I don’t mean chaotic in a really bad way, like a daily. I mean… there seems to be more hustle and bustle, and more people out enjoying themselves,” he said. “So far the vibes I’m getting from Aleppo are actually pretty chill.”