A man stands in the water at Sijung Ho beach in North Korea. The country has become a top destination for anti-tourists. A man walks with an inflatable orca at Sijung Ho beach in North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. The beach is a popular tourist destination for locals and foreigners alike. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)Dita Alangkara/The Associated Press
Seven or eight years ago, the news media got into a tizzy over something that had been dubbed "dark tourism." It had nothing to do with travelling with the lights off and everything to do with rubbernecking: The idea was that modern tourism was passé and that if you really wanted a memorable holiday you needed to go to a war zone or somewhere stricken by natural disaster and gasp at the horror.
Happening in parallel to this phenomenon has been the rise of the "anti-tour." Slightly more difficult to define, anti-tours are the kind of journeys or experiences that will show you either the simmering underbelly of a well-known tourist destination or, alternatively, somewhere that is not on the traditional tourist trail at all. It is perhaps best summed up as: "A tour for people who hate tours."
Whether that means being shown around town by a homeless person or tip-toeing through abandoned cinemas with a seasoned photographer, it is definitely not the kind of thing you're likely to see advertised in a traditional holiday magazine.
"A lot of my customers are people who, back in their late teens, stuck a backpack on and went and did a load of stuff themselves," says Britain-based Gareth Johnson, founder of Young Pioneer Tours (motto: "budget tours to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from"). "Our trips cater to a pretty small market, and we're all part of a community of adventure travellers who want to get off the beaten track. A lot of people are 'country counters' as well."
The country that a surprising number of people want to tick off their list is North Korea– though Gareth runs tours to Iran, Venezuela, Turkmenistan and four "unrecognised countries" in Europe that you've likely never heard of as well. To make his North Korea tour as untouristy as possible, Johnson offers an all-inclusive week in the country for a cheap and cheerful $1,250 (Canadian), entering the country by a train that trundles through the countryside for 12 hours.
"It's not all hanging around in Pyongyang," Johnson says. "We go out into the countryside and we see the DMZ. And I know it's not like other countries where you can wander off freely, but nor is it The Truman Show. People say that the villages you see from the train are fake and that all the people on the subway are actors, but that's just ridiculous."
Johnson is a seasoned traveller; before launching Young Pioneers (youngpioneertours.com) he lived in the Cayman Islands and then Cuba, before going on to China to teach English. His goal whenever he travels somewhere new is to see the "real country."
"The world is getting smaller every day. You travel around Europe and everywhere kind of looks the same, but North Korea is like going back in time. The culture is really interesting and the people are really nice – the same's true in Iran. I took a small group to the Necropolis in Iran and we were the only tourists around."
Compare that, he says, with a visit to the Taj Mahal, where you're "surrounded by people and pick-pockets and moved from pillar to post."
Some experts are predicting that such popular tourist sites will start turning people away in the coming decades as affluent middle classes around the world increase in number. Anti-tours, then, might just be the solution: exciting destinations you've never heard of, or more cunningly, perhaps, the chance to see places where everyone wants to go but from a different perspective.
Picture the scene – it's 5am, you're trundling in a purpose-built vehicle alongside the Great Wall Of China, and there isn't another tourist in sight. Anyone for "Dawn On The Wall – The Roadsweeper's Experience"?
Three more anti-tours for adventurous travellers
We Hate Tourism Tours – Portugal
This acclaimed enterprise operating out of Lisbon was founded by Bruno Gomes five years ago. He'll tell you where you're likely to get ripped off and where to buy cheap beer, and he'll guide you to the most unforgettable (free) views in town. Tours take place regularly and cost around $65. wehatetourismtours.com
Abandoned America – United States
Snapper Matthew Christopher is a seasoned photographer who takes brilliantly evocative shots of abandoned buildings. For three years he has taken amateurs to some of his favourite spots to show them how to squeeze beauty out of decay. Tours cost from $185-$250, last around five hours and there are several every month. abandonedamerica.us
Hidden City Tours – Spain
While fascinating, the streets of Barcelona can sometimes seem awash with annoying tour guides and their flock, but a short stroll away are tours of an entirely different kind: ones run by homeless people. "Our guides have lived on the city's streets, and what they offer is something personal," founder Lisa Grace says. Tours cost $20-35 and take place three times a day. hiddencitytours.com