What does travel mean to you? We can all wholly agree that the insurmountable joy of being exposed to new cultures, civilisations, arts, foods, sights and smells is something that never gets old. This love for exploring the unknown has lead to the growth of a trillion dollar tourism industry with immense potential.
Since the tourism industry caters to varied tastes and preferences it has to offer something for everyone – yes, even cater to darker, more peculiar leanings! On several occasions the industry has decided to push boundaries and tailor itself to serve unique (borderline bizarre) interests. So if strange and oddly morbid things arouse your interest and curiosity, check out this list of the craziest types of tourism out there. Who knows? You might even find yourself taking one of these tours some time in the future!
War tourism
While most people would like nothing more than to flee from a war zone, there are people out there who actually flock to areas of active conflict merely for travel purposes! In this type of tourism people deliberately venture into dangerous places to experience the thrill of it all – but from a safe distance. Personally, nothing is more macabre than watching bombs go off like fireworks at a distance, but hey whatever floats your boat!
Where: Baghdad – Iraq, Kashmir – India, Damascus – Syria, Mogadishu – Somalia
Slum/ghetto tourism
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Also known as ghetto tourism, this one has gained notoriety in recent years. In this, tourists travel to impoverished parts of a region, mostly in developing countries to understand better the complexities of life in these areas. The reason why slum tourism is so popular amongst a certain type of traveller is because it gives the opportunity get a more in depth understanding of a place, instead of just scratching the surface and have the chance to do 'non-touristy' things.
Where: Brazil, Kenya, Namibia, Indonesia and India
Tolkien tourism
This one exclusively goes out to all the Lord of the Rings and Tolkien fans out there. If you're obsessed with Tolkien's magic you ought to take some time out to travel to the fictional universe of the Middle-earth or Tolkien's fictional take on the world. Fans get to travel to sites of book and film-related significance where they can walk down Hobbit pathways and even handle their very own helmets, flags and swords.
Where: New Zealand, South Africa and United Kingdom
Halal tourism
This one caters specifically to the followers of Islam. Many travel agencies offer halal tour packages. There are several booking services available online that provide special halal getaways and vacations for online consumers, that too, in multiple languages! Halal tourism may be narrowed down to food, but it tends to cover activities of everyday life in accordance to Islamic Law and traditions.
Where: India, Turkey and Malaysia
Nuclear/atomic tourism
This one involves travelling to places that have a dealt with nuclear technology in some way. Whether we are taking about sites that have suffered a past of nuclear explosions – cities that were bombed, places linked with nuclear research, regions of nuclear accidents and even sites related to peaceful/wartime use of nuclear energy.
Where: The Trinity Site – New Mexico, The Titan Missile Museum – Arizona, Los Alamos – New Mexico, Doom Town – Nevada, Enola Gay – Washington DC, Chernobyl and Pripyat – Ukraine, Hiroshima – Japan, Bikini Atoll – Marshall Islands
Mortality tourism
This one, is undoubtedly, the most morbid one out of the lot. Assisted suicide and euthanasia are complex issues, even for the most liberal countries in the world. Laws often tend to be obscure as there are big moral and ethical concerns surrounding the issue. Someone who is terminally ill would find it easier to travel to a place that allows euthanasia instead of making the effort to change laws back home. This is suicide tourism – when people travel with the sole purpose to end their own life.
Where: Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Luxembourg, and Canada. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and some states in the US.
Fertility tourism
This is a branch of medical tourism and popular amongst couples trying to have a baby, but residing in countries where sperm donations are prohibited or where the costs are exorbitant. Couples fly to international locations with liberal laws and regulations pertaining to sperm donation or low costs to find the ideal donor for their family. Interestingly, countries ranking in popularity for sperm donation are inhabited by tall, blue-eyed men.
From macabre to eccentric, these are definitely among the weirdest types of tourism out there. Do any of these catch your fancy or do you know of something even more strange? Tell us at Tripoto!
Also, make sure to check out Tripoto's YouTube channel for some super fun travel videos that will blow your mind!