Dear Reader,

It is almost 11 pm from where I am writing right now. My family in the living room watching TV, whilst I am at the back of the room with sprawling notebooks, a bowl of snacks, pinned-up places on my map, and a big lifelong dream I carry in my veins – here I am writing my very first entry.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim…

I’m going to let you in a secret; I am, sadly still 23, and I have already made one of the most reckless things in my entire life – I quit my job and decided to trade it for a life fully lived. Yes, I know… It is irresponsible and I am freaking out right now. One month ago, I woke up convinced that I can survive this world without being tied up to a computer desk (although, right now, I am not so sure anymore). The rate of unemployment is getting high the moment I am typing this but I am the face of bravery, I can go through this.

I asked my mom’s blessing and let my mom tell my dad the news herself, because of 1. I am still a coward in front of my dad, and 2. I was pretty sure that he won’t agree with it. Turns out, he still doesn’t entirely agree with it, but he never said ‘no’ anyway so being an optimist that I am, I took that as a ‘yes, you go girl’! And that was the story of how I tendered in my resignation letter the very next afternoon. Jokes on me.

Despite not having a plan mapped out in my life and the fact that the world is a little scary out there, I have never felt so sure and so right about something. This was it, my ‘this is it’ moment, it was on Tuesday, the first week of June 2019 – that I began to plan out my bucket list.

The idea of traveling has never failed to fascinate me, I have always wanted to conquer the world  – but then again, doesn’t everyone? – but realistically speaking, the world is not as small as the world map poster hanging on my bedroom wall, the other country is NOT just one tap-dancing away from where I am sitting, so how am I going to make it a mission for me to cover, or rather, uncover the wonders of the world? Do I just pick on a country and play tourist from there? How about the cost and budget? How about safety? In this blog, I will share how to be a full-time traveler and a part-time everything else.

They say, to know one’s culture is to be.

I wanted to go where the stories are because stories are proof of our creations. That is why my bucket list includes the UNESCO World Heritage under a big neon sign of “to visit”. I have made it my life mission to visit each and every one of them. As a solo backpacker, I would rather travel in a non-stressful way, which means that time is not of the essence in my case and therefore, gives me the chance to travel to a lot of places in one’s countries.

The reason why I am creating this blog is to log my journey, inspirations, experience, and simply just because I wanted to remember these moments when I get older because people might come and go, things might get lost, but memories stay – and places are the keeper of memories.

Lastly, I want to wish you all welcome to my story. I pray that the world is ready for me.