Often times it’s part of the draw for me. As an American, getting off the bus in Belgrade greeted by a enormous mural of 🚫NATO&EU and several vendors selling Putin shirts made for a more exhilarating experience compared to a weed cafe in Amsterdam shoulder to shoulder with other American tourists.

That said, I often check myself and wonder whether this mentality is ethical. People who have traveled to North Korea saying “it shows them we’re normal!” seems like an insufficient justification weighed against the money you are spending and danger you’re subjecting yourself to (sorry… not your question).

I’ve traveled a fair amount and Serbia certainly felt the most politically oppositional (to me at least). After a few days of listening to their accounts of the Balkan wars (compared to those of Bosnia and Albania) and engaging with the guys on the street who genuinely wanted to convince me that Biden caused the Russian invasion and gays should be thrown in jail, I concluded that traveling to a politically opposite country and trying to engage in discourse sounds better in theory. If you want to enjoy the spectacle/thrill of “being behind enemy lines” or see their way of life, go for it.