This is a newer type of tourism, War Zone Travel. These travel companies aid voyeuristic tourists in traveling to actual sites of active combat. I first heard about this on the radio, they were advertising trips to Eastern Ukraine. These trips cater to a certain type of individual, focusing on the aspects of danger, risk, and 'living in the moment'. Although this is a quite different type of living in the moment than that which we had discussed in relation to other types of tourism, I believe it is one and the same. The travelers may be exhilarated by the element of danger, cruising through ravaged towns in an armored escort, yet they must be comforted, on some unconscious level, by the knowledge that they have a far away home waiting for them. Despite its differences from a relaxing stroll along a white-sanded beach, this war zone tourism seems to strike the same chords of escape from the 'normal' and 'mundane', all the while with the comfort of knowing that this is not their home, that they do not have to stay here, that this is not their reality, only a momentary escape.
I also believe the same issues of detachment exist, that even a highly political war may be flattened, viewed only as a one-dimensional opportunity for the excitement of a lifetime. While the conflict itself may not be hidden, as it is in other tourist destinations, I am somehow sure that the thrill-seeking tourists are not keen on knowing who is fighting and what they are fighting for, this place exists for them only as an active war zone to tour. The truth of the cause of the conflict is rendered invisible, all that remains is the thrill of wearing a flak jacket and traveling in an armored vehicle.
"impress your friends with the ultimate selfies"
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