Yasmine and Murad are a couple who left their jobs to discover the world.
Yasmine and Murad discover the world
TRAVEL INFO
1 Years
12000 Km
5 Countries
“Yasmine and Murad” is a couple curious to discover the world, a couple who left their jobs and went out on their stairs on a journey with no return history! Their self-confidence is the secret to the success of their adventure and to continue their journey.
INTERVIEW
We asked Yasmine & Murad : Introduce yourself, talk about anything you want, your age, your country, how did your passion for travel begin…?
They said : We are Yasemin and Murat, live in Istanbul, Turkey. We are both 35 years old. I (Murat) work in the advertising & marketing industry. Yasemin works as an academician at the university in the fields of cinema and art history. We met during our college years. We have been together for 12 years and married for 6 years. We both dreamed of traveling the world since childhood, but we never had the opportunity to do so. After we met, we started traveling first in Turkey and then abroad. In May 2022, we left our jobs and went on a bicycle trip in the Asian continent.
Question : What is your goal for travel ?
They said : Getting away and meeting ourselves! The first goal of this journey to get away from the stress of daily life, business life, and living in a big city. We are not looking for the meaning of life. We just wanted to be alone with ourselves. The second purpose is, of course, to get to know new people and cultures.
Question: Traveling on a bike is it easy ?
They said: In our opinion, cycling is the best way to travel. Neither too slow nor too fast… We love to travel by bike. But the answer to your question is definitely “not easy”. You cross all those roads, mountains, hills, and deserts by bike and with your own muscle power. It gives us pleasure, but we cannot say that it is easy. You are traveling open to weather conditions and are exposed to bad conditions from time to time. You stay in the tent and cook your food every day. None of this is easy. But we love all of them. A very experienced tour cyclist we met on the road summarized the subject as follows. There are two kinds of satisfaction in life. The first is current satisfaction. You will be satisfied with what you are doing. Like eating a delicious meal, for example. The other satisfaction is the satisfaction that comes later. You hate doing it, but when you complete it and look back, it gives you a wonderful sense of satisfaction. For example, crossing a mountain pass on a loaded touring bike with your own muscle power… It can be painful when you do it, but the satisfaction after you do it is unmatched. Traveling by bike is this second kind of satisfaction.
Question: Is money an obstacle to financing the trip and how to act ?
They said: Money is absolutely necessary for travel. It is not possible to travel without money in your pocket. Some argue this, but we strongly disagree. But the amount of the trip budget completely varies from person to person. You can travel with very little money, or you can travel with a lot of money. However, we do not think that free travel is very realistic. The budget may vary according to the comfort of the person. Here, it is necessary to know the personal comfort level well and to balance the expenditures accordingly. Sometimes there are expenses that are not in the account. Therefore, a margin of flexibility should always be determined in the budget.
Question: Tell us about your most important travels, how many distances did you travel ?
They said: We We are currently at the beginning of our Asia tour. We don’t know how far we can go. However, to give an example from the Asian tour, the Taht-ı Süleyman, which we reached through the mountain roads in Iran, was very challenging but also impressive. It wasn’t a very long distance. We don’t get too hung up on how far the distances are. Because we are already touring cyclists and we are in no hurry.
Question: What are your dreams and plans for the future ?
They said: We don’t plan for the very distant future. At the moment, our first plan is to finish this bike tour in Thailand… Then maybe we can go on a bike tour to different parts of the world. Maybe South America, why not? 🙂
Question: What are your tips for those who want to experience traveling on a bike?
They said: They should trust themselves and think simply… Trust themselves because we are not people with special powers. We are ordinary people. If we can do it, they can do it too. Let them think simple and not get too hung up on equipment and other things. The quality of the equipment only increases the comfort of the journey. Of course, they should be careful with some important equipment. They should look for equipment that will not put them in a difficult situation in the conditions of the geography they go to. However, we have known people who have been traveling the world for years with their very, very old bicycles on the road. Let them start pedaling when they’re ready. It took us 5 years to be ready. 🙂
Question: What is your impression of Eastern countries during your visit to Iran ?
They said: The Iranian people showed hospitality that is difficult to describe. We don’t know how to explain it. Wonderful people, welcoming and helpful. This is the first thing anyone who visits Iran says. It’s impossible not to be impressed. Hospitality in general is always important in Eastern countries. At the same time, these lands, where many civilizations exist, impress the visitors with their ancient history. There is so much to discover that no one should be hesitant to travel to the East. Also, Iran is a very safe country.
Question: What is your motivation letter ?
They said: Believe in yourself and go.
Believe me, there are beautiful people and memories on the way. You will surely find something to shed light on you. And that light will be your compass.
