Intrepid traveller Ahmed El Sherif has been on 32 Intrepid journeys – yep, 32! – with extra deliberate over the following 12 months. We sat down to seek out out the place he’s been, the place he’s going and why he loves the Intrepid expertise a lot.
Ahmed, inform us a bit about your self.
I stay in Cairo, Egypt, and I’m 71 years outdated. I’ve all the time beloved seeing the world, even after I was a scholar. I’m retired now and my youngsters have grown up, so I’ve obtained extra time for locating different nations.
At first, I travelled alone however I discovered it very boring – I like having somebody to speak to. That’s why I take pleasure in Intrepid journeys a lot; if you’re getting round in a small group, it’s simpler to make these connections.
You’ve been on over 30 Intrepid journeys. Why do you want travelling with us a lot?
My first journey with Intrepid was in 2011, after I went to Vietnam and Cambodia. I fell in love with Intrepid’s fashion of journey – you get to see and accomplish that a lot.
I’ve toured round with different journey firms, however it’s not the identical; these journeys are inclined to concentrate on the large cities and also you don’t actually expertise a lot of the native tradition. But Intrepid is totally different – Intrepid persons are my sort of folks! In reality, I’ve met most of my buddies on Intrepid adventures. I by no means anticipated to make so many new buddies after retirement. Making buddies is definitely the principle cause I journey.
Tell us about a few of your favorite locations.
There are so many, and I’ve been to plenty of locations greater than as soon as! Visiting a rustic like China or Thailand one time doesn’t do it justice, as a result of there’s a lot to see, study and expertise. (I’ve been to each these nations 5 occasions.)
I’ve achieved Intrepid journeys all around the world: the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Costa Rica, Kenya… I’ve even achieved an Intrepid journey in my house nation of Egypt. Believe it or not, there have been so many issues I hadn’t seen on that journey, and I’ve lived right here my entire life!
After the COVID lockdown lifted and borders reopened, my first journey was to Croatia. It was good to be travelling once more, and I used to be so blissful to get these stamps in my passport. I be at liberty once more! My subsequent journey can be to the Netherlands in the summertime subsequent 12 months – I can’t wait.
What recommendation would you give to somebody who needs to journey, however would possibly really feel nervous about doing so?
My life motto is ‘why not?’ Travelling is among the greatest issues you are able to do. It’s a possibility to see new issues, study, eat some unimaginable meals and – in fact – meet new folks. If you’ve got the will to get out and discover the world, I say do it!
After virtually two years of not with the ability to journey because of the pandemic, it’s actually highlighted to me that we’ll by no means get that point again, so it’s vital to take advantage of each minute we have now.
