American teenager Arjun Malaviya, who became the youngest solo traveller to visit 100 countries, was detained by security officials in Venezuela who suspected he was 'fleeing parental control'. The 19-year-old from Westlake Village, California, recounted his experiences to The Independent, describing how he spent 13 months visiting 118 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
Malaviya funded his trip by working as an administrative assistant and giving tennis lessons, saving $22,500. He set off on his 17th birthday in July 2023. His final three months were spent in the Greater Middle East, where he gave English lessons in Iraq and had tea with Taliban members in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, Malaviya obtained a visitor's visa in 15 minutes at the Taliban-controlled embassy in Peshawar, Pakistan. He met with a Taliban official who asked why he was visiting. 'I told him I wanted to explore the culture and see the nature, and he said OK and let me in,' Malaviya said. He stressed he does not support the Taliban, describing them as 'morally bad people', but noted that lower-ranking members often join for financial reasons.
Malaviya found Afghanistan 'very simple' to enter and said it was impossible to avoid the Taliban, who are present on every block. He accepted their offers of tea for safety reasons. In Iraq, he explored Saddam Hussein's palace and walked around Baghdad at 3am without feeling unsafe. However, in Venezuela, he was detained at the airport by security who thought he was fleeing parental control.
Despite US government warnings against travel to these countries, Malaviya described them as yielding 'the most surprisingly positive experiences'. He said his main mission was to interact with common people and learn about different cultures.
