This adventurous group of mates decided to swap the booze-filled beaches of party islands for a lad’s holiday in Afghanistan – and they loved it.
Kieran Brown and his three mates knew that they wanted to try something different from a traditional ‘lads holiday abroad’ and the travel enthusiasts chose to visit Afghanistan instead.
Along with his pals, Kieran explored the sites, embraced the local culture and even says that he drank tea with the Taliban.
Kieran, from Kent, UK, said: “I have always been intrigued by countries the Western media deem as ‘dangerous’ , with Afghanistan being one of them.
“My family was scared and friends asked what on earth I was doing that for, but they are used to me doing stuff like this and I’m extremely well travelled.
“You should book your next boys holiday to Afghanistan this summer instead of Ibiza or Marbella.
“Drinking holidays don’t interest me in the slightest anymore and it makes for great stories or memories.”
A well-travelled Kieran used to be a big fan of a traditional ‘lads holiday’ in the likes of Magaluf, Kavos and Ayia Napa – but now, things have changed for the travel enthusiast.
Along with his three mates, Joe Martin, Ben Herskowitz, and Josh Kupiec, the full-time content creator decided to take the lads holiday to the Middle-East, with Afghanistan.
Aiming to visit as many countries as he possibly can, Kieran aimed to prove people wrong about their opinions of the Middle Eastern country.
When he first told his friends and family the plan, he says that they were scared for him and they were confused as to why he would want to go there – but that did not deter the ever-exploring Kieran.
He had already ticked off 98 countries around the world at that point and wanted to approach 100 in style.
Costing just $1,600 (£1,300), Kieran booked his eight-day trip around the country, crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan, with another six-hour drive to the capital city of Kabul.
From there, the lads enjoyed every moment of their trip, soaking in the history and experiencing all that Afghanistan has to offer, such as the local cuisine and beautiful sights.
He said: “Whenever I go to these sorts of countries I’m met with the nicest and most genuine people.
“Less travelled countries are a lot more interesting for me.
“We crossed via the Torkham border in Pakistan and drove six hours to Kabul, the capital.
“We stopped for lunch in Jalalabad and after Kabul, we went to Bamyan, Band e Mir, and Mazar-e-Sharif before crossing into Tajikistan.
“We explored landmarks, checked out ancient history and spoke to the people within the country to get a perception of what’s going on.”
Kieran and his mates spent their time exploring the cities that they stayed in, speaking with as many people as they could and even enjoyed the nightlife with some games of bowling.
While some may see Afghanistan as a dangerous country, Kieran says that he and his friends never felt in danger and the group never faced any sort of danger.
In fact, he thought that the people in the ‘less travelled to’ countries were the nicest people he had met.
He added: “We had no trouble or issues there whatsoever…
“My favourite part of the holiday was trying all the local Afghan cuisine. Every dish I tried tasted amazing and seeing how beautiful the country was in the flesh
“Don’t trust everything you read online as many things I heard about the country prior to coming were wrong!”