The Rise of Dangerous Travel for Content

I write and vlog about my travels, and most of my content revolves around my life in Colombia. For some people, they learn that I live most of the time in Colombia, and it automatically raises red flags.

However, this perception about Colombia is slowly changing; however, there are always concerns that the problems with Ecuador and Venezuela will leak into Colombia. That is always a concern when you live in a country that has been at war for so many years.

Yet, it can happen anywhere. Is anywhere really safe?

However, this article is not about safety in Latin America. Instead, it is about those intentionally placing themselves in dangerous situations for content.

I was searching online for a topic to film or write about when I stumbled upon another Colombian YouTube video. It appears that Colombia lately is a hotspot for YouTubers, specifically those who talk about how dangerous it is or those who want to go out and see:

¨If it is really THAT dangerous¨

Well, yes, it is, if it is not your home country, and you are intentionally placing yourself at risk while flashing your expensive camera gear, iPhone, Samsung, and you look like you have money. Trust me, you might say, no, I don’t look like I have money, they know.

They know you have more than them; for starters, you had the money to buy a plane ticket to visit their country, and they assume you have at least that much, which could be someone’s monthly salary.

In recent years, content creators have always wanted to push safety boundaries, delivering content no one has seen. There is a reason no one sees it; most creators are not dumb enough to intentionally place themselves in danger.

This year, that has changed, yet there has also been a boom in tourism in Colombia and other Latin American countries. However, no one wants to see where I go; no one wants to visit a small pueblo known for cardamon or where the football is made.

They want to go traipsing around a dangerous hood in Medellin to prove they can do it, for their ego, and of course, the all-mighty like and subscribe.

I recently wrote and recorded a video on how dangerous Medellin has become, and even now, a new travel alert from us has Colombia on watch; why?

Because idiots come here looking for danger, and now it is the fault of a country that you come to exploit, and now it may harm the local tourism industry for a handful of idiots.

Isn’t that how it always works?

The handful of idiots always ruin it for those of us who do not seek out sex, drugs, or going into the hood just to see if we can survive and not get robbed. I am so paranoid anytime I am recording, especially in the cities, as most of the time, I will only write and not record.

I know the dangers and try to avoid placing myself intentionally in harm’s way. Plus, if we as tourists can do our part to respect the country, they will respect us in return.

Yet if I decide I want to get more content, and I go into the most dangerous barrio in Medellin and I get robbed, whose fault is it?

It’s like when you go into the lion’s den and know you could get killed, but you are a hero if you survive. What if you survive? What if you do not?

Either way, the country you represent is affected, making others want to enter the lion’s den. You were lucky, and eventually, for these risky young content creators, the luck will run out.

I was watching a young girl who must be in her 20s. She was Latina but clearly grew up in the US and entered the dangerous areas in Medellin, and on one of her videos, a police officer asked her not to record; she stopped and then continued to complain.

First, we are visitors to their country; disrespecting will get you nowhere. I have heard people get kicked out of countries for doing things and talking about it. Her channel is small, but they will export her if it gets bigger and she is on the radar.

I have seen it happen here in Colombia.

A European man was with a prostitute, and he had her on a leash. He was on the news here, and the Colombian government deported him back to his country for disrespecting the locals; he just happened to get caught.

Being from the US, we have a lot of rights and often feel entitled when we go to another country, and I have always said this is not your country and is nothing like your home country.

I get ridiculed, but I stand by it; if you act a fool in us, nothing usually happens, but if you act a fool in a country that is constantly pushed down and struggling to have a good reputation and wants to grow, you will realize what a privileged country you live in, and other countries will not permit your stupidity.

So many men are dying in Colombia, mainly because so many passport bros have bastardized the women and the culture, and men think they can come here and take what they want.

There are consequences.

When you travel, please be respectful; stay home if you want to act a fool. Suppose you want to integrate into a new culture and society and create a new life.

You can do so by following the same rules others do in their country. They do not go into the hood; they know it’s dangerous; they do not look for drugs or prostitutes; they know it’s dangerous; you look for these things, and not only does it scream tourist, but it screams your time is limited.

I will never put myself at risk to get content.

Maybe you think I’m boring, and I would rather be respectful, dull, and alive than enter the lion’s den. I recorded a video on the murders in Medellin and even have had some big YouTubers share my video because most women who come to Medellín do not have the same issues as men.

I never want to see anyone die, and as women, we are always a bit more cautious since when we grew up, we were repeatedly told how to stay safe; maybe some men need to hear the same advice.

Plus, now with the rise of dangerous content online, simply do not watch it, and do not encourage the negative tourism that is happening in a country that has already had its struggles and now has been placed in a high danger zone (well, I think its always up and down, but lately remains level 3); think about all the good people who come here for the right reasons, and how many people rely on tourism to survive.

Rant Over

XOXO

S