The Three Times I Came Close To Death Traveling
- Konrad Tillman
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
Intro
If you have been following this blog for a while, you know that I push the limits on what is safe when it comes to traveling. I have a thing for going to regions which are currently unstable, not so sign my death warrant, but to show off a side of a country that is not often portrayed: the human side.
With that being said, here are the three times that I said to myself, "Oh, s***t, I could've died here".
Ukraine 🇺🇦
Back in October 2025, I made the decision to visit Kyiv for a long, long weekend. While it was a lovely time over the 5 or so days I was there, there was a moment on the first night which I thought to myself, "wow, that was close".
On the night of October 25th, as I was heading to bed, I heard a very loud boom and sirens start wailing down the street. Kyiv had been hit. Not just hit, but the drone that got through was approximately 0.7 km away from where I was staying.
You know, I make the decisions to put myself in these situations, and I have no problems with that, but this was a moment when I thought that I was flat out being dumb, which I probably was.
For reference, I had a good reason for going to Ukraine, which I will not be discussing, as well as the fact that I had a lovely time during the rest of my stay. Would I change my decision to go? Nope. Am I terribly sorry for the young girl's loss? Absolutely. War is brutal, and it shows.
Somalia 🇸🇴
My visit to Somalia was one of the most eye-opening experiences, filled with some of the most beautiful water in the world, swimming in the ocean, playing football on the beach, and even getting pulled over by multiple Somali army officers. Yup.
However, a few weeks after I visited Mogadishu, a car bomb went off in the capital. While Somalia had been doing a lot better safety-wise before I went, hence the decision to go, this one shook me. We had driven past the same place where the car bomb went off, just a few weeks prior to it.
Honestly speaking, when I read this news back in California, I thought to myself, "I am so lucky that I wasn't there". Doesn't make the tragedy any worse for the country, but I really do count my blessings every day.
Somalia Trip Reports:
Lunch on Liido beach + stories
Myanmar 🇲🇲
With the top two above being freak incidents that just happened to occur, the number one time I thought that I was done for is when I attempted to cross Shan State illegally by car.
After being denied boarding by the Junta at Heho Airport, and flights sold out for the next few days, I had to find a way to get to Mandalay or Bagan. We made the executive decision to head up to Mandalay through Shan State. Dumb? Maybe...
Passing through 17 checkpoints, we arrived at the final checkpoint, and the largest of them all. Cars had to pass through X-rays, and people had to walk around. It was a one-of-a-kind place.
As I headed back to the car with my driver, a member of the Junta approached me with an AK-47 sling over his shoulder. A kind man, presented in a chic-looking hat. He asked if he could search my luggage, to which I replied, "Of course, please go ahead"!
But that wasn't enough; what we were doing was illegal, so he took me over to have a sit-down with the commander of the Junta checkpoint. Oh great, here we go.
As I sat down, I handed over my only passport (at the time) to the commander, who took down my details and demanded money. The shouting began, loud enough that the other border crossers stared and looked at us as if it was going to be a long night. A Junta member came up behind me and began giving me a massage. A massage by the Junta, what is going on? I've been stopped by the Taliban, Somali army, and many more sketchy situations, but this one was nerve-wracking as the commander was not budging at all.
It went on and on like no tomorrow, a Junta member stood by the car, the commander had my passport, and another member was giving me a massage. I was in control of the Junta.
Eventually, after 30-odd minutes, the taxi driver slipped some cash under the table, and we were off on our way, to once again be searched for drugs.
Look, getting pulled over isn't scary, but having no way out with Junta members guarding the only exits and no passport was a little nerve-wrecking. Let's mark this one as: for the experience! I still love you, Myanmar ❤️!
Final Thoughts
Over the course of my travels, there were three big moments that stood out to me, in which I got really lucky. From narrowly avoiding a drone strike in Kyiv, to somehow getting lucky enough from a car bomb in Mogadishu, and pushing my luck by driving through Shan State illegally, I wouldn't change a single thing.
Everyone has their own version of risk, and to me, there is pretty much no level. Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't go to places that are level 4 Do Not Travel, but realistically speaking, you are more likely to die in a car crash on the way to the airport in the US than in an Al Shabaab strike in Mogadishu. Just saying 🤷♂️
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