A fearless tourist and travel company operator has dared to explore even the most risky of countries in the name of adventure, including a trip to a nation named the world’s most dangerous to visit this year.
Joan Torres, 37, who now lives in Barcelona, first began running a travel blog in 2016 but after much interest from followers, the budget backpacker began his own travel company taking tourists to untrodden destinations. Today, Against the Compass runs successful tours to what it calls “epic, off-the-beaten-path destinations.”
One of these lesser-travelled to countries being Yemen which the Foreign Office advises against all travel to.
It is a no-go zone for Brits with no embassy services and no evacuation procedures in place. Yemen has earned the ominous title of the world’s most treacherous country in 2025, outstripping even war-ravaged Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya in terms of danger.
Speaking to the Express, Joan says: “I think as a traveller, it’s one of the best places in the world. It’s incredibly raw. It’s extremely untouched by Western culture.
“Still today, you can visit villages that haven’t seen foreigners in ages. Probably the adults there have seen Westerners, but certainly not the kids. It makes it a very unique place. You can’t find that anywhere else in the world, and I personally think it’s mind-blowing.”
He added: “It also has really good landscapes, the people are just extremely hospitable. The Yemenis, their society is grouped in different tribes, and these tribes have really strong codes of conduct that usually prevail over even the country law. One of these codes of conduct is that they need to treat their guests as if they are a member of their family.
“It’s just amazing how the local people treat you and how welcoming they are.”
Yemen is home to many cultural and historical points of interest. It is one of the world’s oldest coffee producers, with Yemeni coffee being highly prized for its unique flavor.
In terms of its other well-known produce, the country has significant oil reserves, which have been a major source of revenue.
While there are some peaceful parts to visit, it’s not generally a place for tourists.
On his blog, Joan says: “Today, the only stable and safe place you can visit in Yemen mainland is the eastern region of Hadramut.
“Highlights in Hadramut include the UNESCO site of Shibam, and Mukalla, Wadi Doa’n and plenty of rural villages. You can also visit the island of Socotra but that requires a different visa.”
According to the World Population Review’s analysis, Yemen – which shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman – has surpassed Sudan, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Syria to claim the top spot as the most dangerous destination.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Joan says: “We don’t take anyone to a dangerous area. There’s dangerous areas but we are just not going there.
“Socotra in Yemen is extremely peaceful. When it comes to Yemen, you need to divide the Yemen mainland, there’s North Yemen, then there’s South Yemen.
“North Yemen is generally very dangerous, but today it’s like two separate countries controlled by two different governments. You can’t go to North Yemen as a foreigner, and we only visit South Yemen.”
Sana’a is the capital city of Yemen. It is one of the world’s most ancient cities that is still inhabited.
It is located at an average elevation of 7,500 ft also making it one of the world’s highest capital cities. Today, tourists cannot visit the city.
He adds: “In South Yemen, there’s no war, it’s fully controlled by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and while it’s true that there has been some problems in the past, nothing has happened for quite a few years.”
Joan says there are Brits that join his tours and says over 40 different nationalities have visited places such as Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran as part of his groups.
At present, he has ran three tours to Yemen and he visited the country many times himself prior to the organised groups.
The travel guide says his group does take security guards as a preventive measure while in Yemen. These security guards are set up privately by the group and are former military personnel. For every two or three people on the tour group, there will be one armed guard as a prevention to minimize risks.
Travellers are aware of risks before they join the group and are shown a disclaimer before booking which they must agree to in order to partake in the trip. A trip with Joan’s company costs £2925 for nine days of travel in the country.
The UK Foreign Office issues a stark warning for those considering a trip to the country: “Support for British people is severely limited in Yemen. British Embassy services in Sana’a are suspended, and all diplomatic and consular staff have been withdrawn.
“The UK government cannot help British nationals leaving Yemen. There are no evacuation procedures in place.”