Afghanistan Stunned a Solo Female Traveler Who Has Visited 101 Countries
Astrid Sieber's travel checklist is an impressive feat. Still in her mid‑twenties, the British traveler has checked off more from her bucket list than most people twice her age. Seeing the Northern Lights? Tick. Posing at the Pyramids of Giza? Done. Skiing in Japan? Of course! But the country that's surprised and delighted Astrid in ways she could never imagine isn't France or Greece. It's Afghanistan. The Taliban‑run country 'changed her life' and 'humbled her in ways she did not understand before', she tells the Daily Mail. Despite the Home Office strongly advising against travelling to the nation where the threat of terrorism and kidnapping is extremely high, a small but growing number of female travel influencers are gushing online over their trips to the country. Astrid is one of them. She took the risk of sharing footage of Afghanistan's stunning landscapes, historic culture and local hospitality with her 76,000 followers.
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Afghanistan surprises Astrid: Kabul, Bamyan, Band-e Amir and villages
Astrid Sieber is on a mission to visit every nation on Earth, and with 101 countries already under her belt, Afghanistan has left a lasting impression. She travelled around Kabul, Bamyan, Band‑e Amīr and villages in between, sharing footage of Afghanistan's landscapes, historic culture and local hospitality with her 76,000 followers. 'Very welcoming' and 'friendly' towards her, noting that they 'wanted to make sure I had a good time in their country.' She told the Daily Mail that 'I know it would have been very different if I had been born there,' 'My perspective is not representative of how local women experience the Taliban.' Entering the country came with a strict set of rules, from rigid dress codes to stringent cultural laws governing how women must conduct themselves in public that female visitors also need to abide by. She was required to wear a headscarf and loose‑fitting clothing to conceal her body, arms and legs. Astrid explained that she was prohibited from being alone as a woman, therefore she hired a female tour guide, who had to bring along a male relative to accompany them due to the Taliban's restrictions on local women. 'To have a female guide you have to have her mahram, An adult male relative, father, brother or husband. So the three of us travelled around the country together.' Travelling with a female guide, she said, was a rare privilege. The pair even shared rooms and were welcomed into women‑only spaces, giving Astrid a unique chance to connect with Afghan women and hear their stories firsthand. She recalled: 'At one point I was in a room of 20 women and children, we would remove our scarfs, share stories, we were dancing together and would share food, it was a wonderful experience.' Notwithstanding, she added: 'Hearing their stories, the way they still find joy in life, it was really really eye opening, it changed my life in more than one way.' 'They all spoke about their future and their dreams of being doctors, a journalist, these are women who have not been allowed to finish their education, yet they are still very hopeful that these things will happen.'
The realities of Taliban rule and travel
Entering Afghanistan greeted travelers with a strict set of rules, from rigid dress codes to cultural laws governing conduct in public that female visitors must abide by. 'I went to the embassy to get a visa and there was a huge queue of people trying to get out of the country but there was no queue for people trying to get in.' The process of entering was itself a hurdle, and the country has a reputation that visitors often encounter. 'A lot of the guards and Taliban members I met were much more lenient with me,' she admitted. Still, the country imposes ongoing limitations; 'To have a female guide you have to have her mahram, an adult male relative, father, brother or husband. So the three of us travelled around the country together.' Astrid explained that she was prohibited from being alone as a woman and that she hired a female tour guide who had to bring along a male relative. 'Not a lot of people are talking about how generous the Afghan people are, both men and women, how welcoming they are with someone who looks so different to them and someone who represents something different to what they are used to.' She noted that visitors often enjoy a more relaxed set of rules than local women, who face severe restrictions.
A rare window into daily life and women’s resilience
Astrid described a rare window into daily life for Afghan women living under stringent regulations. 'To have a female guide you have to have her mahram, an adult male relative, father, brother or husband. So the three of us travelled around the country together.' The pair even shared rooms and were welcomed into women‑only spaces, giving Astrid a unique chance to connect with Afghan women and hear their stories firsthand. In a room of 20 women and children, they removed their scarfs, shared stories, danced together and shared food — 'a wonderful experience.' Hearing their stories, the way they still find joy in life, it was really really eye opening, it changed my life in more than one way. 'They all spoke about their future and their dreams of being doctors, a journalist; these are women who have not been allowed to finish their education, yet they are still very hopeful that these things will happen.'
Hospitality, hope and the questions that linger
Notwithstanding the ongoing warnings, Astrid found moments of extraordinary hospitality and humanity. She has described the Taliban as 'very welcoming' and 'friendly' toward her, noting they 'wanted to make sure I had a good time in their country.' Her Instagram bio screams 'Official National Crush of Afghanistan,' a tongue‑in‑cheek badge that underscores how outsiders can be welcomed even amid strict social rules. Yet she stressed that her experience is not representative of local women’s reality: 'I know it would have been very different if I had been born there. My perspective is not representative of how local women experience the Taliban.' She added that women must remain mindful of local norms, and that the journey is not a call for everyone to visit. 'Not a lot of people are talking about how generous the Afghan people are, both men and women, how welcoming they are with someone who looks so different to them and someone who represents something different to what they are used to.' She also highlighted moments of warmth: 'I have been welcomed into their homes, complete strangers, who put on their best outfits for me, they would feed me and I would sleep in their houses with their families.' 'This type of hospitality that I saw in Afghanistan I haven't seen in any other country, I feel it's something the world doesn't know about. Incredibly resilient hospitality that I don't know how it survived after decades of wars.'
