My Story

From A Frequent Weekender to A Globetrotter

Growing up as a kid in a small town, surrounded by mountains and beaches, it had given me enormous opportunities to explore the mountains, the dense jungles, the tropical forests, the immense waterfalls, the sandhills, and the nameless wild beaches. I’ve ventured from my grandma’s backyard gardens to climbing up waterfalls barefoot. I am from an ethnic minority called ‘Tavoy or Dawei’ which is located in the Southern part of Myanmar. Tavoyan people love to visit new places, do activities, and share delicious meals with the people they love. I was a part of all their explorations since I was young, unknowingly and unintentionally. Almost every weekend in Dawei, I was exploring, trekking, hiking, thrill-seeking, traveling, adventuring, biking, and experiencing one moment at a time. My love of nature and longing for travel didn’t change after I moved to the capital of Myanmar, ‘Yangon’ for work. I always made sure that I had plans to do activities or visit places every weekend or every holiday. I’ve been to the entire Myanmar and visited each & every corner in 70 Days in 2018. Since I am a cartophile and a geography nerd, I have a vision of this earth printed with my footsteps on each & every country on the world map. I’ve lived in India for 3 years and currently residing in Japan. I am experiencing local life in Japan as a weekender or a holidaymaker. Additionally, I travel regularly and widely all over the world. I’ve been to 7 countries now and counting for more.

From Writing as a Hobby to a Side Gig

Since I was in high school, I was already a district-level award-winning essay writer who writes various school-related seasonal topics in Burmese. In University, I was writing various English essays every week as part of the syllabus and as part of improving my English writing skill. My writing hobby fully emerged again after I relocated to India in 2016. Living in a completely different country with different cultures somehow affected my way of living as an outdoorsy person. I started exploring India to escape my solitude and to understand better about the country. I started writing to express how I feel, what I see, and how I experience life there. I share my travel stories so that people can see my views of the world. Since it is a hobby, I write whenever I feel like writing or whenever I have time to do so. In 2019, I was fully absorbed in my career as a training & development professional and took 4 years gap from hobby writing. I didn’t write a single travel story in years, yet, I always think about writing something whenever I am on a trip. In 2023, after I’ve settled in Japan and after I’ve diverted my career path into E-learning, I’ve got some time to write again as a side gig. I’ve realized that my love for exploring the world and writing has never changed over the years. I will continue writing and sharing my stories, experiences, perspectives, and insights of this wonderful world.

Why We Travel!

Travel is more than a holiday and it frees us from routine. Travel forces us to bend and flex, makes us more tolerant, and inspires us to celebrate diversity. Some people travel to find something bigger and some to a better understanding of themselves. We travel to learn, to become the students of the world. Traveling gives us new experiences, acts as our greatest teacher, makes our lives more meaningful, and connects us with the global family. Traveling makes us more comfortable with the world, our hearts bigger, and our lives richer. And it makes us happier. And that is why we travel.

Travel is a mindset and it’s an appetite for life. As travelers, we learn, deepening our understanding of this wonderful world. We understand better what is before us, and prepare ourselves for the next. Every culture has a soul combined with history, art, and people. We travel to touch that soul, and we relish our differences and enjoy our similarities. And that is why we travel.

We travel for experiences, to find meaning, escape, change perspective, pause, reflect, appreciate nature, treasured memories, and be overwhelmed by it. We create lifelong memories either through peaceful parks, great cities, across the sea or the town, savoring local cuisines, or reaching for high altitude thrills. We celebrate festivals with all senses and enjoy the freshness of springtime, and every sunset is a reminder that life is good. We connect with different cultures, people, new friends, and relationships. And that is why we keep traveling.

Traveling makes us appreciate what we have, rather than what we don’t have. By leaving home, we learn more about home. We savor the luxury of a simple meal and embrace the solitude and value each summit earned. Through travel, we see a world filled with joy, compassion, and with good people. We learn that we share the same world. And that is why we keep traveling.

Year after year, I am pushing my boundaries and venturing beyond my comfort zone. Culture shock becomes a norm and becomes constructive for me. I keep traveling, telling my travel stories, and living my life to display how much I’ve traveled.

Why do I see humanity as one? Because I’ve traveled.

Why am I curious? Why do I care? Why am I grateful? Because I’ve traveled.

Why do I want to contribute? Because I’ve traveled.