**Publication date of this article: May 4, 2025**

If anyone follows this blog, they should know: in three months I’ll be turning 32, and in the meantime, next Friday, May 9, 2025, I plan to set out on a long journey (at least 3+ months), inshaAllah. Of course, there are many variables—whether I can actually set out, whether I can stay more than 3 months, etc.—all of these questions will be answered along the way. The point is not reaching the destination but being on the road. So I’ll keep running and striving, inshaAllah.

I had a list called 27 Before 27. I think I prepared those items back in 2013. I even made an A4 sheet for it back then, which I’ll add here too. I even framed it and kept turning the completed items green. Even though I’ve passed 27, I’m still trying to finish the list, because leaving things incomplete bothers me. If I have a goal and still have the time to do it, then I should do it. When the time comes, I also know how to let go, but as long as I can still do it, I like to try. Because if I set a goal, it means something. There’s a reason why I wrote it down as a goal. May Allah allow all of us to fulfill our goals in the best and most beneficial way, inshaAllah.

I couldn’t do it until now because I didn’t have the opportunity. Now I’m making the intention, but there’s so much uncertainty I can’t even explain. Still, no matter how much uncertainty there is, I’ve seen the opportunity and I want to make the effort to seize it. Whether it happens or not is in Allah’s hands, but if I don’t try, I don’t want to regret it in the years to come. When elderly people on their deathbeds are asked about their biggest regrets, they usually don’t say *“I regret doing this,”* but rather *“I regret not doing this, not doing that.”* Try, my friends. As long as it’s within halal bounds, trust Allah and try. Life is truly short. And try to live it meaningfully. For me right now, that probably means being able to contribute something to others—passing on knowledge to them.

There is so much to learn in this world that even if I learned something new every day of my short life and explained it, it would still only amount to one-millionth of all knowledge. But still, I want to continue sharing what is good, beautiful, and beneficial—knowledge that makes life easier and helps people improve. At the end of the day, everything depends on the human being—don’t forget that.

Now leaving philosophy aside and returning to the World Tour—this was a goal I put in my *27 Before 27* list, and the reason was the story of Özcan Bostancı and his friend, two engineers who quit their jobs and set off in 2010–2011. I decided because I was inspired by them. I even bought and read their books, but I mostly got to know them through these videos (which may not look so good in terms of editing now):

I can’t tell you how many times I watched this video. Later there was another video too, which added fuel to my desire for a world tour:

My current goal is to travel across multiple Asian countries for over three months, and if I have more time, also visit the Americas—both North and South America, inshaAllah. In fact, on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 19:20, I have a flight to Bangkok, Thailand, with a layover in New Delhi, India. Why Thailand? Because it was the cheapest connecting ticket I could find to Asia. I could have started from Japan, but I want to be in Indonesia during Eid al-Adha. Being in a Muslim country at that time would be better for me. I think that’s enough about the plan. The rest I’ll try to explain through videos and blog posts along the way. If you want to join this story, you can follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

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**Update as of August 17, 2025**

### WORLD TOUR COMPLETED, FRIENDS ✅

As of August 1, the journey is over. It’s finished, and thankfully, it ended beautifully. Alhamdulillah.

Let me give you a general summary. What did I learn, what did I experience? My journey started in Thailand, then I went to Malaysia, then Singapore, afterward Indonesia, Japan, and finally South Korea. Friends, once again, Alhamdulillah. In high school and university, we all dreamed dreams, but some seemed so difficult, almost impossible to achieve. This was one of those for me—and it happened, friends.

Even now, when I close my eyes, I can imagine the room I stayed in in Thailand in every detail. As you enter the door: on the right, a mini kitchen; on the left, the entrance to the toilet and bathroom; walk a little further and there’s my dining table, also my work desk; right next to it, a wide double hotel bed; on the right wall, a YouTube-integrated TV where I sometimes watched *Richie Rich* and *Medcezir.* At the very end was the balcony, giving me the feeling of living both in the forest and in the city at the same time. And of course, my washing machine on the balcony. When I woke up for prayer in the mornings, I would fully open that balcony door. There was a soft light, and birds singing around the place as if I were living in the Amazon—it made praying so delightful. So yes, it was a 900 lira per night room, but in a beautiful spot where I could wake up to a perfect morning. Of course, I didn’t count how many times I got caught in epic rain outside.

At the beginning of the trip, I started preparing videos. I even published four, all covering Thailand, if I’m not mistaken. You can watch them here:

After that, I kept filming but didn’t edit them. At some point, I stopped filming altogether. It was easier for me to prepare short videos on IG, especially since I also needed to earn money while traveling. On the one hand, I had to keep traveling; on the other, I had to continue growing my *60eksi* account (which I started as a hobby); at the same time, I had to produce travel content for my personal IG account, edit and upload my YouTube videos, and keep planning my trips. On top of all that, I had to keep working my salaried remote job 8–9 hours a day. I was getting by on 3–4 hours of sleep, or adjusting my sleep to bus or flight schedules.

For example, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I stayed for 14 days—but I only went outside about 5–6 times. The rest of the time I was stuck at home editing videos or handling company work, meaning I couldn’t go out for 7–8 days. But this was something I accepted. Otherwise, no money comes in—and without money, you simply can’t travel, or if you try, you’ll just end up miserable. That’s the reality.

One unforgettable spot in Malaysia was Batu Caves, with its colorful stairs, massive cave, and giant Buddha statue. I didn’t even know it was in Malaysia. By coincidence, I spent Eid al-Adha there too.

I have so much more to tell, but if I tried, it would become a novel. Next time, I’ll record voice notes on my phone as I travel, so I can capture my feelings in the moment. Those recordings could remain an unforgettable series and memory.

If I tried to describe every place, it would never end—so instead, here are just a few moments I can’t forget:

* In Indonesia, at 1:30 a.m., we descended into the Ijen volcano to see the blue fire. Wearing masks and goggles, thousands of us slowly climbed up 4–5 km into the crater. Then, when the sulfur smoke suddenly blew the opposite way, panic broke out. In that suffocating, fire-like atmosphere, when visibility was down to a single step and I thought I might die, a girl (from either the U.S. or Scandinavia) collapsed face down into the sulfuric boiling water, convulsing as if drowning. I lifted her up and saved her—it was unforgettable. No one else saw it, and no one could have—she would have died there. Allah let me see it and act. In that choking smoke, I don’t even remember how I carried her away. Only Allah knows. She didn’t make a sound when I asked if she was okay in the darkness. A minute later, her friends came back, so I left her and went searching for my own group of four. It took me 15 minutes to find my guide, but it felt like hours. When we found each other, we literally hugged. He had been scared too, not finding me. That’s the kind of memory that sticks forever.
* Talking with Europeans I met for hours, I learned so much about lifestyles, cultures, and perspectives that went against what I thought I knew. Many things we assume are true turned out to be wrong. This is the case for all cultures, really—when you consider each person as an individual before their nationality or religion, you meet personalities you’d never expect.

There’s so much I’d like to share—stories, photos, videos—but I’ll stop here. For example, in Busan, South Korea, an *ajumma* (elderly woman) thanked me for giving her my seat, then when the seat next to her freed up, she gestured for me to come sit. When I sat, she tried to chat with me in half-Korean, half-basic English.

Seeing a location is beautiful—you say, *“Oh Allah, how powerful You are.”* But at the end of the day, the most important thing is truly people. Places only have meaning through the people there. When you understand and are touched by them, the place becomes beautiful and valuable. Maybe I couldn’t fully convey what I mean, but if we ever sit down together and have a heartfelt conversation, we could dive deep into this.

For now, may Allah protect you. Stay safe and healthy.