Travel Vlogger Reveals Hidden Beauty of Impoverished Countries
YouTuber Drew Binsky explores the world with an open mindset and a camera by his side. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
By HARMAIN MUNIR
“It was one of the most eye-opening and rewarding trips I’ve ever taken, to see these countries with my own two eyes,” said youtuber Drew Binsky. He wasn’t talking about Switzerland, Bali, or any other traditionally beautiful tourist attraction. Binsky was talking about some of the most war-torn and poverty-stricken countries in the world: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Binsky is a YouTube-based travel vlogger. With nearly a million subscribers and hundreds of thousands of views per video, he challenges the traditional views of countries that the media has painted in a negative light, and strives to educate and inspire today’s youth on travel and the world around them. Binksy’s mission to visit every country in the world by June 2020 has taken him from Switzerland to the Philippines to Yemen to Iraq.
Despite his popularity today, Binsky’s videos were not always viewed by millions. Seven years ago, his videos were messily filmed on an iPhone camera, and ranged over topics from EDM to how to learn Czech and Korean. After he finished his economics and entrepreneurship double major, he planned to travel to South Korea to teach English. His mother was not pleased by the news.
“We’re very traditional,” she said. “So, you know, we send our kids to college and then you expect them to work and, hopefully, come back to Arizona” (Uptin Saiidi, “His Parents Wanted to Get him a Corporate Job Until He Made $154,000 in One Year,” CNBC).
While teaching in South Korea, Binsky began writing blog posts that eventually shifted to YouTube uploads. His following slowly began to increase. When he released his most-viewed video, “This Video Will Change Your Perception of North Korea,” his channel took off. Following this, his videos became more professional, and he kept a consistent travel theme on his channel.
Like many other travel vloggers, Binsky lives an open-minded and adventurous life. However, the distinctiveness in his videos comes from their lessons and knowledge. For my favorite video on his channel, Binsky created a compilation of people who are often negatively portrayed in American media.
“I was going to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran,” Binksy says in “Do They Like America,” “and many of my American friends and family told me that I was crazy and to be extra careful. But I knew that I’d be okay.”
The video humanizes the people of these countries and helps viewers realize that these lands are not completely filled with terrorists. In today’s day and age, where many people rely on social media and biased news channels for their information, it is crucial for people such as Binsky to show others the complexity of the world.
The videos of these countries really hit home for me because, growing up as a Pakistani Muslim, through the media I too have heard terrible things said about people who could be my family living back home. I have first-hand experience of how a media’s portrayal can impact people’s mindset. When I see Drew Binsky learning more about other countries -- whether they be Pakistan or Eritrea -- I feel as if there is a positive change that is occuring in the world.