I have visited more than 60 countries before I turned 27 years old. As a person who was born in the country which has no culture of traveling, which has no strong passport and of course not the wealthiest one since the local currency is not very stable, high inflation and unemployment rate. OK GUYS, I am from Turkey, I hold Turkish Passport and I have spent approximately 25 years in Istanbul, Turkey. I am telling you the background of my story to inspire you and tell you that If i did it, you can also do it, anyone can do it, as long as you want to do it, If you have curiosity, passion for meeting new countries, new people and new culture, this is the best way of knowing about the world and people. 

My first travel experience was in 2011, I have spent three and a half months in the US through work and holiday programmes. It opened my mind and it has broadened my horizons. So I have started to dream bigger because I believed in opportunities and possibilities. I have worked three months in one of the biggest amusement parks in the US. And then I visited some big cities on the east and west coasts. I have done my first solo trip, making money and traveling in the US was really easy and inspired me to do more. Basically I got the travel virus and went back to Turkey to finish my studies.  

After that, I have decided to visit every city in my country, Turkey, which is one of the most impressive countries I have ever seen so far. So, I got my experience of traveling alone, staying at locals houses, night trains and buses. So I got the experience in my country in 2011-2012. I was ready to go out and have new experiences. 

Second important country for my personality, curiosity and vision was Thailand. When I visited Thailand for two weeks back in 2012, I was totally amazed to witness new culture, people and different lifestyles. Everything was really cheap,amazing people, impressive nature and beaches, great nightlife and it was really easy to travel around. It was really different for me. My trip to Thailand was the best moment of my life until 2012. I just wanted to live this chill life, stress free... At least for a while and I decided to take a gap year after my university. 

After a short Thailand trip, I had to go back to Turkey and finish my studies, next summer, I visited 6 different Balcan countries in two weeks, that trip was brilliant and I got more experience and I met more inspirational people on the road. Especially Australians, Germans, French and Canadians. I was admiring them, how they are living the life and enjoying every moment. 

In 2013, I had a great opportunity and scholarship to study in Spain through the Erasmus Programme. I went to Madrid in 2013. I learnt Spanish and after finishing my courses, I got three months off, and I have hitchhiked through Europe and Morocco. I have visited more than 25 countries. I have camped, couchsurfing. I have slept on trains and bus stations. So many lovely people hosted me and took me to their cars. From Portugal to Norway, I have hitchhiked through Baltic and Scandinavian countries. I have seen prejudices about people and their nationalities are bullshits. Many people have hosted and helped me without asking me anything in many different countries. I JUST LOVED IT. That made me a better human. I was ready to do it for anyone else; I was on a low budget, but I was fucking happy, happy to share, happy to listen and ready to help. 

Anyway, then I visited Georgia, Armenia and Iran. People were surprised to see Turkish guy in Armenia and then I fell in love with Iran, I spent one month in Iran, I have visited 12 different cities, different regions. I wanted to spend longer time in Iran. I will go back to Iran for sure. I have only stayed one night at the hotel while I was traveling in Iran, because every day I met some locals and they always wanted to host me.  

After Iran, I have finished my studies and I have started to work in Istanbul as a guide for a year to save enough money to take a gap year in Asia. In 2015, I took a one way ticket to Seoul and I have visited Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Borneo, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka. I have hiked up to volcanoes, mountains. I travelled on a low-budget by looking actively for low-cost airlines’ promotions, where I flew for under ten dollars many times on Air Asia. Instead of staying at hotels, I used Couchsurfing many times to stay with local people and to know their culture and country better. That of course helped me to save money. I appreciate them a lot. So I was ready to leave Europe, Middle East and Asia for a different adventure. But of course I aim to visit every country in the world, at least once. I really enjoyed Asia, I discovered myself and my emotions about what I really want to do in this life. 

In 2017,I wanted to have a different experience this time so I moved to South America, I worked as a guide for three years in Torres del Paine National Park and Atacama Desert. I learnt Spanish and Portuguese. And I visited Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia in South America. I loved to live as a local instead of being a tourist all the time. There is still a lot to see and learn in this lovely continent. Pandemic gives me a good opportunity to write my travel stories. Do not delay your dreams. 

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