About the author

Hi, I’m Lily! I’m pursuing a bachelor in Southeast Asian Studies while travelling as much as I can – which is quite a lot; I’ve currently been on the road for a year. Fitting school and travelling together is sometimes a bit of a puzzle but I make it work. My partner through all this is my boyfriend through 9 years and we truly love experiencing the world together.


Lily in Udaipur, India

It all started in 2003 when I travelled to India for 3 months, having signed up to volunteer for a NGO in a small village in the Thar Desert called Shiv. But before starting the teaching I headed off to a lot of other things, I stayed with a host family, saw Taj Mahal, rafted down Ganges, rode elephants and camels, rappelled down a mountainside, saw a tiger in a national park, danced the nights away at Goa’s famous rave parties and so much more... That mixed with the rewarding experience of teaching in the school in Shiv made for an unforgettable trip that made an everlasting impression on me.

Left: Andaman Islands, India. Right: Bunakan Island, Indonesia

With that my eyes were opened to the incredible world out there – right at our feet, and I was amazed at how easy it is to experience it. I loved meeting other travelers and hearing their tales from previous trips, already before flying home I had started to plan my next trip – and this time I wanted to share it all with Martin.

Left: Southern China.
Right: Lily, Martin and Lenin in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

In January 2005 we had saved up enough to head off for 6 months; back to India and to Southeast Asia. Since then we have had a hard time staying at home and have had numerous forays back to Asia and especially Southeast Asia. I have learned to speak Indonesian and we have lived in Bali and in Bangkok for longer periods of time. Besides Asia we have also developed a keen interest in the Islamic world and we have had some very rewarding trips to Syria and Morocco. In addition we are planning on going to Oman later this year. Africa has also awoken our travel-appetite, so you can expect tales from that corner of the world as well in the near future.

Left: On horseback in Kyrgyzstan.
Right: Teastall on the road to Khardung La pass at 5602 meters, Ladakh, India