Aziza Aznizan, a globetrotter, aspires to leave her mark in every country on the planet. For the love of new discoveries and endless journeys, the philanthropist continuously wanders the earth in search of unique experiences.
Memoirs of a globetrotter
For several days in each month, avid traveller Aziza Aznizan will be away from home going on an adventure to exotic places around the world. Wherever she goes, she will often be on the lookout for rare gems be it the people, culture or food. She explained that her motivation to travel these exotic places were the stories she heard and her desire to prove some bad perception wrong.
To date, the 26-year-old philanthropist has been to 93 countries. “I believe the continent I have covered and enjoyed the most is beautiful Mother Africa.” Having travelled since the age of 18, Aziza enjoys venturing into the new world because she enjoys meeting new people, seeing new places and learning new things.
“I always unlearn something and re-learn new things when I am travelling. For example, I heard that Iran was dangerous. So I bought a ticket to its capital city, Tehran, and it was actually the most laid back country I have been to. I actually felt safer in Iran at night compared to the streets of Barcelona. Everyone was so friendly,” she recalled.
During her latest trip to the country in January this year, Aziza saw how developed the country was; everyone looked so happy walking the streets. She described walking the streets of Tehran felt like a scene in a romantic novel fused with the vibes of Disney’s fantasy animation “Aladdin”. She felt that she was fooled by media portrayals of Iran and she learned a lot about the people, language, food and their way of life.
“The experience opened my mind to endless possibilities. There were many Azerbaijanis there too, which shocked me, as there were others who found that Iran was safer than their own country. All this time, Iran is deemed as a dangerous place to be,” she added.
Sharing further, Aziza disclosed that there were many fascinating tourist attractions in Iran. Despite not being able to visit them all, she admitted that she left the country with a new perspective. “We often hear how they are described as ‘extremists’. But everyone there was so open-minded and cool when we asked questions.”
Going places
For each trip, Aziza would spend an average of 10 days. Without planning her adventures beforehand, Aziza’s usual itinerary is based on the flow. “I try to see everything and go wherever the locals take me. For me, I’m always interested to see their traditional dances and wildlife.
“My favourite country is Jamaica, while the one I keep going back to is Kenya. My best memory of the countries I have travelled to was the time I spent on the rooftop in Lebanon with the American-Jamaican singer Sean Kingston. I also loved the moment I spent in the safari land of Masai Mara, Kenya, under the stars with my friends on Christmas,” added Aziza.
As a solo traveller, Aziza admitted that she does not worry as she travels around on her own, “I have been to numerous countries, so it doesn’t scare me anymore; rather, my journey so far has prepared me for the different challenges that I’ll face.”
For the founder of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Paint the World, the only challenges that she often faced were access to Wi-Fi, the collection of sim cards, and having to choose the small change from every currency that nestled in her bag. “Also, sometimes there is no halal food nearby, so I have to go on a pescatarian diet for a while.”
Nonetheless, Aziza is grateful that Malaysia’s passport is one of the most powerful. Thus, obtaining a visa has never been an issue for her. “This is one of the greatest flexes I have as a Malaysian.”
A rocky road
The roads leading to her travels have always been smooth. However, there were times when she faced obstacles on her journey. “The worst memory I had was being stuck in Brazil during the Zika Virus in 2016. I had to sleep on the floor in Suriname after that, just to be stuck in cold Ireland the next day at midnight. I remembered having to sleep on an icy floor. That was a crazy long journey from Brazil to Greece. I had an unlucky streak of sleeping on underdeveloped airport floors.”
Another difficult time for her was in November last year. According to the 2018 Sarawak Youth Icon, she was on her way from Rwanda to Zambia and had to transit through Kenya. “I was running from one flight to another when I looked up and saw the airline schedule on the screen was all red with the word ‘cancelled’ on every flight.”
Aziza explained that during the incident, Kenya Airways pilots went on strike to demand higher pay and better flight schedules. The strike took place for four days on November 6, 2022, and left thousands of passengers, including Aziza, stranded.
“I felt so confused back then. I was also nervous as my flights had been booked using the Lusaka route, and when I had to miss this one, it meant that a huge amount of money was wasted. It took Kenya Airways the whole night to send us to a hotel and rebook us for the next flight.”
During the wait, Aziza fainted while waiting in line at 1 am. “We were standing so close to each other, and the airport had switched off the air conditioner. I had not eaten lunch or dinner, so my sugar level was very low. When I woke up, I was on the floor with so many people around me — one with a bar of white chocolate in hand, one with nuts, and one with a bottle of orange juice helping me get up.”
In the end, the flight tickets were burned and she had to book new ones. A blessing in disguise, she ended up staying in Kenya for a while longer and managed to go on a safari with her friends.
Affording the world
Asked how she could afford her travels, Aziza revealed that she has several sources of income. “I save up for flight tickets by diversifying my passive income. I also learned how to scout for cheap flights. It mostly depends on the timing, routes and airline companies. I need to travel cheap, so I cannot be picky, and I have been on some of the most unknown airlines that have existed in the world.”
Despite this, Aziza said what matters most is that she manages to reach her destination safely. When she arrives, she usually travels to a family or friend who can host her time there. “I normally spend zero during my stay. I have met so many lovely families and friends around the world through my United World Colleges (UWC) connections, and from the day they pick me up from the airport — everyone has always been nothing but hospitable. They would welcome me into their homes and treat me as if I were a member of their family.”
With this hosting system, Aziza managed to save 90 per cent of her budget while travelling. “However, there are times when I do solo trips, especially to a country where I have no friends. There, I would use my ‘influencer’ status to get free hotel rooms and meals in exchange for a review.”
Travelling around and alone can be daunting, but Aziza isn’t afraid when it comes to staying with strangers. “In Malawi, I had the friendliest host family who took care of me like their own child. I stayed in their house with no electricity the whole duration. We ate in the dark, showered in the dark and it was a life-changing experience.”
“During my reflection periods on my flight back to Malaysia, I remembered crying out of happiness as I felt lucky to be born a Malaysian where we have roads, electricity, clean waters and cheap fuels. The more I travel, the more I appreciate the little things in life.”
Travelling light
Whenever she travels, Aziza does not bring much as she usually has to run to catch flights or trains. By carrying only a backpack, she finds that carrying luggage is very inconvenient. When she is in a country with her friends, Aziza usually borrows her friends’ clothing to wear. “But if my travels include both winter and summer, then I’ll have to carry a small carry-on bag with a maximum weight of seven kilogrammes for my winter jackets. However, I try to avoid this because the layers of jackets are heavy.
By travelling lightly, Aziza is also taking precautionary steps to not attract any robbers or thieves. “I wear cheap items from top to bottom. My rule is to only bring items that I don’t mind losing. I learned this from several encounters where I lost my bags, so I no longer bring material things that can ruin my trip or mood.”
This year, Aziza said that she wanted to finish her travels in Asia, therefore hitting 100 countries by April. “I plan to finish off my travels around Eastern Europe and East Africa as well. I only have two east African countries left. Then I plan to rent a camper van with some friends and take a road trip across West Africa.”
At the moment, Aziza is doing her PhD in International Law at a university in Africa. “My heart belongs to Africa. But I am still Malaysian. I just need to bring loads of laksa paste and instant noodles with me!”
