A second nature of mine is to explore new places, cities and even subjects. A curious being with an enormous interest in everything life has to offer. Whether it is for holidays, city getaways or actually moving to new countries, I’ve been travelling for as long as I can remember.
When I was younger, I didn’t have to worry about packing, organising or even think about where and when I was going. I’d mostly fall asleep during the car and plane journeys. It was like a form of teleportation. I have nothing but fond memories of those days. I wouldn’t necessarily soak in my environment or surroundings, didn’t have much clue about culture and everything was so outlandish to me. To be honest, I felt a little startled as a child to have not being able to settle and travel across the Middle East and South Europe. I didn’t understand the concept of holiday or travelling, I’d just go along. I mean, I knew as much the country I was going to...city? Not too familiar at the age of 7-9! But I loved it nevertheless. It was a peculiar sensation.
During my late teens and early twenties, I still loved travelling, but I dreaded the journeys to the airport or on the plane. I’d feel restless, the sound of the engine was deafening and sitting for more than 30mins made me feel even more impatient. But I love travelling...so I had to find a way to enjoy myself during the journeys to and from my destinations. I came up with a pretty easy solution; treat the plane like my living room. What does one normally do in their living room? Watch a movie, read a book, enjoy a warm drink, get some work done, converse with people or take a nap. And this is exactly what I would do, depending on the duration of the flight and the time of the flight. That means planning and packing accordingly to the whole journey, not just destination. It can also the perfect ‘me’ time to have, spend those hours alone in the midst of a crowed.
I am constantly excited about travelling, regardless of where I am going. It reminds me how small I am in this world full of wonders. I love everything about travelling, the adventurous, the company I travel with, the outfits I wear, the landmarks and sights, the food and mostly the little pleasures of every city have to offer. I take photographs of anything that catches my eyes. You can only imagine, there’s over 20,000 photographs I have taken in the past 5 years alone…Now with 39 countries and 61 cities with various forms of transportation in my book, I feel like a travel expert. With this, I would love to share some of my adventures with you, from planning to travel destinations. I will of course keep it fashionably short, sweet with plenty of imageries. Are you excited for this as I am? I hope so!
(First photograph by Rongji Sun, all other photography by Zinah Nur Sharif)