Why you should travel the World without censorship

Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Eritrea, Venezuela, and now even Israel.

All of them are countries with controversial regimes, under sanctions or at war. The list goes on.

From Guyana to the extreme north of Russia, Against the Compass has been traveling to remote locations since 2014.

Many of these remote locations, for one reason or another, happen to be in countries ruled by controversial regimes, usually not particularly good friends with the West.

As a result, we are often facing criticism, with some accusing us of supporting those governments simply by traveling there.

This article explains why there’s nothing inherently wrong with visiting such countries — and why, as long as you’re a conscious and respectful traveler, you should feel free to explore the world without self-censorship.

You shouldn’t be selective with your principles, double standards aren’t good

Fact: The countries typically not accepted to travel are shaped by geopolitics, rather than ethics.

Today, Russia is arguably the country that faces the greatest stigma as a travel destination.

After our recent trips to the North Caucasus republics and Siberia, I received more messages than ever — not about the places themselves, but about the supposed controversy of traveling to what many now see as the West’s number-one enemy.

Some people were polite, expressing disagreement while still respecting my decision. Others, however, were openly hostile.

What I find interesting is that some of the most vocal critics were the same travelers who have always been keen to travel to Syria, or who already traveled there after 2019.

Former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad murdered hundreds of thousands of people, while forcing millions to flee the country. His brutal repression originated into a conflict which has not ended yet, since there are still war zones where people live under constant threat.

So if we look purely at the numbers — at the scale of violence, repression, and humanitarian crisis — wouldn’t Syria be an even more ethically difficult destination than Russia?

Why is it OK to visit Turkmenistan, Eritrea and North Korea, the 3 most repressive countries in the world, but it’s not OK to travel to Russia?

We can’t turn a blind eye to…