After Visiting All 197 Countries, This YouTuber Says One Stood Out for the Wrong Reasons
For most people, traveling the world feels like a fantasy, a vivid collage of oceans, mountains, and stories waiting to be lived. It is that dream of escaping the predictable rhythm of everyday life to discover something raw and real. For YouTuber Drew Binsky, that dream became reality. With more than six million subscribers and an unstoppable spirit of curiosity, he set out to visit every single country on Earth, all 197 of them. Through his videos, he has shown not only the beauty of faraway lands but also the humanity that connects people across cultures.
But beyond the images of smiling locals and glittering skylines lies a different truth. Travel is not always romantic. It tests your resilience, your empathy, and your courage to face the unknown. Drew’s journey has not been one of endless sunshine. It has been a path of both discovery and danger, where each new country brought lessons that shaped his understanding of the world. Recently, he shared one of his most sobering experiences, a story about the only country that truly made him feel unsafe, the one place where he was told not to go outside after dark.
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This is youtube world traveler sensation Drew Binsky in Africa, in an impoverished Saharan village, and the locals are complaining about the rising costs of everything. pic.twitter.com/CT3rLxJZEb
The Country That Broke the Illusion of Endless Adventure
When Drew landed in Guyana, a small South American nation surrounded by Venezuela, Brazil, and Suriname, he expected to find warmth and adventure. What he encountered instead was tension. The moment he arrived in the capital city of Georgetown, he could feel that something was different. The streets were quiet, the mood uncertain. When he checked into a hostel, the staff looked him in the eye and said, “Have your dinner, come back, and we’re going to lock you inside.”
For a traveler who had crossed deserts, explored North Korea, and even visited countries in the middle of political coups, this warning came as a shock. Drew described the atmosphere as heavy and unsettling, saying, “It’s just that place where you always kind of feel like you’re looking over your shoulder for whatever reason.” The U.S. State Department currently classifies Guyana as a Level 3 travel advisory zone, meaning visitors should reconsider traveling there. The official guidance cites violent crimes, such as armed robbery and murder, especially at night, and notes that local police often lack the resources to respond effectively to serious incidents.
It is easy to read such warnings and form judgments, but Drew’s experience was more complex. He did not condemn the country. Instead, he recognized that fear and instability are often symptoms of deeper issues like poverty, inequality, and neglect. His time in Guyana revealed the limits of adventure and the importance of listening to local wisdom. Sometimes, the bravest choice is not to push forward, but to pause, to respect the boundaries that protect both visitor and host.
When the World Feels Unsafe: Drew’s Encounters Beyond Guyana
Guyana was not Drew’s only encounter with danger. In another part of his journey, he described visiting Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, which he called the most dangerous city he had ever been to. “This place has no rules, no laws,” he explained. “Every time you leave your hotel you have to have a convoy in the front and back, with four military guys in bulletproof vests holding AK-47s.” The presence of Al-Shabaab, an extremist group linked to Al-Qaeda, made the threat of violence a daily reality. Drew later learned that one of the hotels he had stayed at had been destroyed in a terrorist attack.
He also recounted an experience in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, which left him deeply shaken. “Never in my life have I been more scared, threatened, or attacked, both verbally and physically, than I was in that city,” he said. The environment was tense, the people weary, and Drew admitted he felt a kind of fear that went beyond danger—it was the fear of being utterly alone in an unfamiliar place.
These experiences showed him that travel is not just about taking pictures of sunsets or tasting exotic foods. It is about confronting the edges of human experience. It exposes how fragile peace can be and how courage often means continuing on even when you do not feel safe. The world, as Drew learned, is not divided into “good” and “bad” places. It is a mosaic of stories, some beautiful, some brutal, all revealing different sides of humanity.
The Subjectivity of Experience: What Makes a Place ‘The Worst’
Throughout his travels, Drew has often reminded his viewers that “travel is very subjective.” What feels terrifying to one person might feel enlightening to another. Experiences are shaped by timing, circumstance, and perception. In his reflections, he mentioned Brunei, Chad, Djibouti, and Guinea as among his least favorite destinations, but he never dismissed them as hopeless. He acknowledged that a bad trip does not define an entire country.
In Guyana, even amid fear, Drew found moments of kindness. He met a local golf caddy who offered to take him around the country’s only golf course. The two shared conversations and laughter that reminded Drew why he had fallen in love with travel in the first place. He also visited a market and saw how ordinary life continued in the face of hardship. Children played, vendors bargained, and the pulse of daily living carried on. That duality, the coexistence of fear and humanity, is what makes travel transformative.
Sometimes what we call “the worst” is not a judgment about a place but a reflection of our own vulnerability. The discomfort we feel in certain environments teaches us humility. It reminds us that adventure is not always meant to thrill us; sometimes it is meant to awaken us.
Beyond Fear: What Drew’s Journey Teaches About Humanity
Drew Binsky’s story is more than a travel diary. It is a map of what it means to be human in a world that is both astonishing and unpredictable. His experiences in countries like Guyana, Somalia, and Chad reveal that courage is not about ignoring fear but about acknowledging it and moving forward carefully. Through his eyes, we see that every country holds both darkness and light, and that understanding either one requires empathy.
He once said that he almost did not make the video about his least favorite destinations because he did not want to spread negativity. That hesitation speaks volumes about his respect for the people he met and the places he visited. It shows that sharing an honest story is not the same as judging. It is possible to be truthful without being cruel. His journey teaches that every traveler carries responsibility. The way we talk about a place can either build bridges or walls.
Drew’s reflections reveal the power of awareness. Travel is not just about seeing new things but about learning how to see. When we strip away the privilege of being a tourist and approach the world as a student, we find meaning even in fear, compassion even in chaos, and growth even in pain.
The Deeper Message: How Travel Mirrors the Inner Journey
Perhaps the greatest journey Drew undertook was not across borders, but within himself. The most dangerous and revealing terrains are often internal. Every challenge he faced abroad mirrored an inner confrontation with fear, uncertainty, and humility. In Guyana, he learned when to listen. In Somalia, he learned the cost of courage. In Chad, he learned how fragile life can feel when you stand far from safety.
Travel is a reflection of consciousness. It teaches us how to pay attention, how to respect others’ realities, and how to carry gratitude instead of judgment. Sometimes it shows us the parts of ourselves that still need healing. The message hidden in Drew’s story is simple but profound. The world outside is not just a landscape to conquer. It is a teacher, a mirror, and a reminder that safety, empathy, and awareness are privileges that must be handled with care.
Because whether you are walking the streets of Georgetown or confronting your own fears at home, the world outside is not something to dominate. It is something to understand. And the moment we start to understand, we begin to grow.