It was her desire to strike a balance between her work life and personal life that instilled a passion for travel in Maria Al Shamsi, who is often called Marya or Mariyah.
Head of Marketing Communications and Online at Ooredoo Oman, her day job requires her to be updated with the latest trends of communication in a fast paced environment; but the gravity of her job hasn’t robbed from her the quest for fun travel.
Having travelled to Brazil, U.S, France, U.K, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Turkey and the Gulf – UAE, K.S.A, Bahrain and Qatar, she strongly believes that domestic travel is as important as foreign travels and so makes time for both.
Her passion for travel was first sparked by her desire to explore other countries and learn about their cultures and traditions. “The diverse lifestyles out there makes me realise how big the world is – there is so much to learn about,” she states, pointing out that she likes to learn about the different cuisines, clothing, music, architecture, literature and so on.
Although her recent trip to Sri Lanka was one of the best, her list also includes Cairo in Egypt, which is one of her favourite cities in the world. And while she is not willing to name the worst destination, she hints that it made her feel unwelcome, more so through the attitude shown towards tourists.
Equating travelling with breathing, she states:
“The process itself is a great stress reliever, and the anticipation towards the date of the trip is a rush I love having every once in a while to recharge my batteries.”
She believes travel has been a change-maker for her. She is particularly intrigued by the diversity among people – whether it is cultural differences or the differences in their perceptions of essentials and wants… Generally speaking, she says travel “is either a fascinating experience or a humbling one that makes you appreciate what you have or aspire to have more.”
For wannabe travellers who give ‘travel is expensive’ excuse, she has this to say: “It doesn’t have to be as expensive as some might think. Some of my travels include outdoor camping where you take your own gear and don’t have to worry about accommodation expenses. I splurge only if I have to do a solo-trip to ensure safety,” she maintains, suggesting checking online about previous experiences before making the decision to travel.
And while her bucket list of places to visit includes Japan, Greece, Zanzibar and Spain to name but a few, her top travel recommendation is Egypt – for the rich culture and history. The pulsating life of Cairo is equally beckoning.
