The myth of 'safe travels' in unsafe places

"War on Terror notwithstanding, it's easier to cross in and out of Iran than it has been for 25 years," claims the online travel forum of Lonely Planet, that bible of English-speaking do-it-yourself tourists throughout the world, by way of inviting travelers to make use of the overland border crossing to Pakistan's turbulent Balochistan province at Mirjaveh-Taftan. Versions of the same guide reassure females of the safety of traveling alone in the region and instruct backpackers to thumb down vehicles on lonely desert turnoffs in countries where hitch-hiking is definitely not the norm.

While we cannot be sure what the travel guide of choice was for Hana Humpalová and Antonie Chrastecká, two 24-year-old Czech social workers who were abducted by a thus-far unknown group of gunmen shortly after crossing the Mirjaveh-Taftan border, we are fairly certain this type of adventure-seeking, security-alert-flouting culture is partly responsible for them taking the risk.

It's not that we don't condone cultural curiosity or the desire to explore the areas most would avoid. (Many of the journalists in our editorial office share the same impulse.) But even for us, the image of two young, unaccompanied and extremely foreign-looking women crossing into a lawless smuggling haven where abductions are on almost bimonthly order is eyebrow-raising.

Czechs, who were for decades claustrophobically trapped within the closed borders of communist-era Czechoslovakia, have a particular penchant for venturing into places that seem as exotic and off-the-beaten-path as possible. Even now, as the Internet fills with commentaries by international readers who are either incredulous or downright skeptical of the women's true intentions in Balochistan, Czech travelers find themselves defending this drive to dodge commercialized tourist zones and experience authentic travel. But without respecting the cultural and political realities of their destinations, this declared interest in authenticity comes off as disingenuous, even chauvinistic.

While details regarding the two women have been scarce, we can conjecture that part of their impetus to travel through Iran and Pakistan into India was to explore the old Silk Road, or, in modern times, the Hippy Trail that attracted backpackers to the region until the 1970s, when Central Asia descended into political turmoil. Although most locals would never recommend two foreign women travel this way, traipsing through generally safe Iran in an air-conditioned bus would have given the pair a sense of confidence and security - one that proved treacherous as soon as they crossed into Pakistan.

With the authorities there still silent on their whereabouts, we continue to hold out for Humpalová and Chrastecká's safe return and hope their case will one day be remembered as nothing more than a lesson on traveling responsibly.