A Scots Youtuber who has travelled to some of the most dangerous countries in the world is now planning to visit North Korea.
Callum Mills, 32, enjoys visiting places where there is a higher element of risk such as active war zones or political instability, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Ukraine. He has met drugs lords, the Taliban, stood on Saddam Hussein’s Palace and had dinner with gang members in Brazil.
The Coatbridge traveller saw a Banksy original wall mural in the West Bank in Palestine and visited Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and even met Pablo Escobar’s brother Roberto Escobar while on a trip in Medellin, Colombia. Now, Callum is now planning his next trip – to North Korea.
He says he became “addicted” with danger tourism after exploring the most obscure places in Egypt during Covid.
Since then, the adrenaline junkie has been to countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Ukraine. However, Callum says it is not the danger that fascinates him as all his trips are about connecting with different cultures and meeting new people.
He said: “It is hard for people to understand this – it does become an addiction 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.
“I like to roam about and see what happens. I would always buy a one day flight. I like to get to the more obscure places that are not touristy. I’ve been asked this many times – about how I get to see some of the things that I do. I always say, ‘I just speak to people’.
“There have been incredible people who I’ve spoken to, with some people teaching me a lot about things. Getting to visit all these countries, people and areas has delivered a better education than school ever did.”
Callum – also known as Callum Abroad on YouTube – was in his second year of nursing degree at the University of the West of Scotland when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. His classes were being cancelled and he could not attend university so he decided to check what flights were available from Scotland.
He said: “The longer I spent at home the more restless I became. The only flight I could take was Cairo in Egypt – and I never looked back I just kept doing.
“It wasn’t because I had a keen interest in Cairo. I wanted to see something a bit different – not just the pyramids. I decided to go to “Garbage City” as the locals call it. It didn’t go well with the locals – I was told I was going to be attacked.
“I found it pretty interesting – they go round the city and collect all the garbage before taking it back to their community to be sorted.”
After the first trip at the age of 28 he never returned to university as the more he travelled the more people were interested in what he was doing. Next, he packed his bags and travelled to Syria as he “wanted to show people what the world is really like.”
However his travels ended up being featured all over the news when he shared a video of what it is like to enter the boarders in Syria.
He said: “My social media went crazy. I was being wanted because I exposed what it was like to enter the borders – where you had to pay soldiers to enter the borders.”
But despite this Callum says he “loved” his time in the country as the locals were “fantastic”.
“People think it is a complete war zone. But once you get there people are really nice,” he added.
“The media and the West forget sometimes that people in these countries are just ordinary people.”
Pakistan was the next country on the list – which is now Callum’s favourite destination and he has been there six times already. He explained how he understands why some people would feel “intimidated” in Pakistan.
Callum continued: “Both of my arms are filled with tattoos – but people just look at you because they are curious. I go to a lot of weddings there – it is countless the number of weddings I go to.”
Callum shares most of his experiences in his YouTube channel. And after meeting with drugs gang in Barcelona and Bogota he took a flight to Medellin in Colombia and even met Roberto Escobar, brother of Pablo Escobar.
He said: “I chatted with him while his wife translating what I was saying. We got a picture together. I don’t tend to plan things in my travels – I just plan things as I go. That’s the beauty of it.”
In June 2023 the Coatbridge native decided to travel on a 40-hour train from Romania to Moldova and then by a bus to get him in Ukraine. Bombs dropping in the Ukrainian cities of Kherson and Odesa is one such moment that sticks in Callum’s mind.
“I could hear the bombs dropping off behind me when I got to Kherson. There was a time I had to take a second because I felt very emotional,” he said.
“A lot of people said they are prepared to die in Odesa. They don’t think the Russians will stop until they get Odesa – that was a common theme I was getting from people. I just wish the war would stop killing each other – the level of devastation is bad.”
He added: “The bomb sirens were going off doing the day and the night – when the siren goes off people don’t panic. I think it has got to the point where it is numb to them.”
In Afghanistan, he says he was taken away for questioning by the Taliban and asked him to convert to Islam.
“I took the land border from Pakistan – it is very strict and it is a bit hectic there is a lot of screaming and shouting,” he said.
“The Taliban came up for me and I remember I was a bit nervous and only of them spoke English and the other didn’t. I was making small talk with them. In Afghanistan it was my first interaction with the Taliban. They were asking me where I was from, asking if i was in the military or my family. Asked if I was Muslim and then they shook my hand.”
In Bogota’s Bronx in Colombia he met gang members who told their stories. This happened while he was beside a crocodile and they said they would get the reptile to bite the limbs off of other gang members if they caught them.
The UK Foreign Office advises against everything but essential travel to North Korea, but Callum is “desperate” to go. The country ruled by the Kim family since 1948 has been widely condemned for abusing human rights violations.
Callum said: “I am prepared for any backlash I get and I want to see it with my own eyes. Nobody in the West was allowed in for five years. I wanna see the capital. It’s a chance to speak to a North Korean – it would be great if I could do it.
“I understand that it will be a challenge and I can take that on board – I am aware of the hardships people in North Korea face. I know some people might think that it’s wrong to travel to North Korea however as someone who’s got a desire to travel and see the world, I would hope people can understand that.
“It’s like when a car has a bump on the motorway, people tend to slow down and look because they are curious.”
However, Callum admits he doubts this will be possible in North Korea due to the strict guided nature of the tours.
He said: “I think when you go to these countries you have to follow the rules. Don’t go and break the rules in these countries. As long as I conduct myself in a proper manner I am pretty confident. It’d be good to have the human perspective and see it with my own eyes.”
According to the government the level of tension on the Korean Peninsula remains high. Although daily life in the capital city, Pyongyang, may appear calm, the security situation can change quickly with no advance warning about possible actions by the authorities.
This poses significant risks to British visitors and residents, as stated by the Foreign Office.
Information about his travels are at the YouTube at Callum Abroad, as well as on Twitter through his @CallumAbroad account.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.