She said she’s just as excited about traveling now.
Fairouz has traveled to 102 countries and is more than halfway towards his goal of visiting every country in the world.
However, the reason why she won was Nomad Mania Award In October, it was announced that she had come this far with a Bangladeshi passport, which ranked eighth among the worst passports in the world. henry passport index.
A Bangladeshi passport allows visa-free entry to only 40 countries. In contrast, Singaporeans with the top-ranked passport can enter 193 countries without a visa.
Fairouz has traveled to 102 countries and aims to visit more.
Maliha Fairuz
That creates more paperwork to manage and makes travel more difficult, she said.
For example, before he could apply for a visa to visit Kyrgyzstan, Fairouz needed a formal invitation from a travel agency in the country. To receive the letter, I first had to purchase a travel package from a travel agency in Bangladesh.
He then waited five to six weeks for his visa to be approved.
Fairouz left Bangladesh with his mother at the age of 16 and lived in various parts of the world, including East Africa and the United Kingdom. She currently lives in Berlin and works for a human rights and democracy non-governmental organization.
For her, a big challenge she faces while traveling is the stereotype that Bangladeshis are illegal immigrants, she said, adding that countries with good passports tend to be wealthy, which makes travelers less likely to He pointed out that they are reinforcing the idea of being explorers and adventurers.
Fairouz said traveling alone as a woman comes with many challenges, but adding nationality into the mix makes it even more difficult.
Fairouz won the Nomadmania Award in October for his frequent travels despite having a passport that barely opens the door.
Maliha Fairuz
“I am very privileged in terms of class, education and finances,” she says. “Despite all this, people still see me as a number and a statistic.”
Fairouz said one of the most traumatic experiences during his trip was being detained at the airport in the African country of Cape Verde.
Even though she had the necessary visa and documents to enter the country, she said authorities looked at her passport and did not allow her to enter the country. According to her account of the incident, authorities threatened to deport her to her native Senegal, even though she no longer had a visa to return.
CNBC contacted Cape Verde’s tourism authorities but did not receive a response.
“The reason they gave me was that no one would travel there for just three or four days, even if it’s a small island,” she said.
Maliha Fairuz from Ghana.
Maliha Fairuz
Fairouz said he was detained for 17 hours. Authorities eventually released her after her mother, who works for the United Nations, contacted the local United Nations office, she said.
“They put me through a really hard time,” she added. “I was very traumatized.”
Fairouz said the anxiety and feeling of being in solitary confinement was a frightening experience, adding that he now feels fear every time he goes to the airport.
But bad experiences didn’t stop her from traveling.
Fairouz said he believes his positive experiences outweigh the negative ones.
“There is so much beauty, kindness and generosity in this world, and I am so honored to be able to connect with so many people from so many different places,” she said.
Marija Fairouz from Slovenia.
Maliha Fairuz
Fairouz added: “When you don’t have anything going on in your life, you travel to make something happen in your life and to disconnect from the world.”
Some people save money to buy a house or a car, but she doesn’t.
“Working as an expatriate pays better than living in Bangladesh,” she says. “So, almost all the money I make I spend on travel, which is the best part.”
Her advice for people wanting to travel the world? Start somewhere.
“The daunting thing we do to ourselves is to set this goal, which is so scary to begin with,” Fairouz said. “But start small. Travel around your country alone or to nearby countries. Then slowly you’ll build up the courage to do more.” .”
“Surround yourself with people who care about you and believe in your goals,” she added. “That will motivate you to keep going as well.”