Travel writers have a long history of pushing boundaries to create compelling content. Nellie Bly, for example, found international fame for her daring trip around the world in 1889 and 1890. But social media has intensified the dynamics, in part by offering more immediate interaction between travelers and viewers, many of whom check in on the travelers every day.
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Mr. Andersen said he has been questioned and had his belongings searched by the Taliban in Afghanistan, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently designated as a state sponsor of wrongful detention. Courtney Allan, a Canadian woman who hitchhiked solo from China to South Africa, almost abandoned her trip after she was hit by a bus in Turkey and sexually harassed multiple times.
“It really made the trip difficult,” Ms. Allan said. “I was thinking, ‘How much sexual harassment am I willing to stomach to prove that I think the world is good?’”
Yet their vulnerabilities also created moments they would cherish, many travelers said. One night in Mongolia, Mr. Andersen was stranded in subzero temperatures and couldn’t make it to the next village. Nearby, a fireplace glowed inside a small home, where he asked for shelter. A Mongolian family invited him in, fed him and showed him what it was like to live with them for a night.
“If you need help, people are willing to help you,” Mr. Andersen said, adding that he found similar hospitality in Afghanistan.