From Eritrea to Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan, Joan Torres has been traveling to some of the most off the beaten track destinations on Earth since 2014. He is also the author of Against the Compass, an alternative travel blog, quite different from the rest, which aims at helping and inspiring you to do the same, always in a responsible way, with no rush, showing you the human side of the story and, above all, in a safe manner. It is noteworthy to mention that all the pictures accompanying my article are from Torres' Blog. 

In his personal travel blog Torres recites his adventures in Syria. The country had been in his plans for a very long time and finally, as it started to be easier for travelers come, he made the step. He spent one week there traveling independently and visited Damascus, Homs, and Aleppo. Torres recounts "It was an amazing experience, very enriching, as I met loads of Syrians who told me their side of the story, plus I got to visit ancient, marvelous sites that were a real blessing to my eyes."

Torres says a lot of peoples have been lately asking him: why they should visit Syria, and why he did? He clarifies that he has numerous reasons. First of all, in the last couple of years, he has been traveling all across the Middle East, so visiting Syria, one of the most fascinating countries in the region, had been in his travel plans for a very long time. Another even more important reason is that "Syria is a great country, home to one of the oldest civilizations ever, so visiting Syria from a tourism perspective is a must-do". Torres added. 

However, most people asking that question tend to refer more to the ethical aspect of traveling to Syria, as this is a war zone from where many people have been forced to escape in order to save their lives. Concerning that point Torres clearly states that "Well, I want you to know that I fully understand why someone would not want to visit a post-war zone because, truth be told, destroyed buildings and misery are not pleasant things to see. Nevertheless, the first thing you need to know is that I travel to learn and become wiser and, yes, I am interested in visiting a post-war zone, because this is living history and I wanted to see it with my own eyes, and not through a biased newspaper."

He believes as well that traveling to Syria with the sole objective of empathizing with the locals is a good thing, "as long as you are absolutely respectful about the crisis, there is nothing wrong with it." as he puts it.