I never dreamed of traveling the world, nor did I imagine that I would get to see as much of it as I have. On the contrary. I used to find such ambitions rather reckless, and my default reaction was one of disapproval rather than admiration. Not that I didn’t have my reasons. Before the age of thirty, Lyme disease had almost crippled me. I had panic attacks on planes. I was terrified of wild animals and tropical insects. Above all, I couldn’t stand being alone.
All I wanted was to settle down, meet my Prince Charming, and live with him happily ever after. Ironically and against all odds, I ended up climbing mountains, exploring jungles, roaming the savanna, and swimming with sharks…
My journey began somehow accidentally in Greece, gained momentum on the Camino de Santiago, and gradually expanded across three continents, passing through Nepal, Cuba, Malaysia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ecuador and Peru. It included expeditions in the Himalayas, in the Amazon and Borneo rainforests, in the Galapagos archipelago, on Mount Kilimanjaro, and in the Serengeti during the wildebeest migration. It was a solitary quest, where most of what I learned and became resulted from individual experience and exploration.
Lonely as it was, my journey was full of color and excitement. At the end of it, like after a long, tight embrace, I feel closer to the spirit of this planet and its inhabitants. But times are changing fast—even as I write these lines. With growing concerns about excessive pollution or loss of biodiversity, travel to remote areas is increasingly overshadowed by moral dilemmas. Added to that, the global threats of epidemics and terrorism can turn even a short trip into a source of fear and frustration.
In my recent travels, I often had the feeling that the world around me was caught up in a chaotic rush, spinning much too fast, at an agonizing speed. Such ailing restlessness was detrimental to self-reflection, for which there was simply no time left. Or, it is precisely the inner transformation that can make a travel experience more valuable than the mere consumption of tourist services. Such a thorny path could also enable us, I hope, to enjoy the beauty of our planet without destroying it and without harming other beings. This is the kind of journey I would like to inspire, through both my achievements and my mistakes.
Coming back from my adventures often felt like stepping out of a dream. It was as if everything had happened in a moment of reverie, and the details were fading too quickly. Only when I started to share it did the dream become real. This is how I got the idea to write about my travels. This way, I feel that they are complete.