Bangladeshi woman tours 115 countries in 12 years, now a celebrity
Dear , Kindly allow me to introduce Kazi Asma Azmery, a young Bangladeshi woman who in her childhood had dreamt of travelling the world on her own, broke free after her graduation in 2007 and toured 115 countries in 12 years – all by herself, with Bangladeshi passport and with her own hard-earned money. “You don’t need a whole lot of money to chase your dream. You need courage, determination and patience. Even in travelling, I did not borrow money. I did not raise money. I travelled with my own meagre earnings as salaried employee,” Kazi Asma Azmery, who carries a Bangladeshi passport, says. Born and raised in a moderate Muslim family in Bangladesh, where an adult women is usually not seen travelling abroad on site-seeing visits on her own without a relative – she broke many social norms to chase her dreams. First she sold all her ornaments given to her as presents to collect Tk380,000 and used
Tk80,000 to visit Thailand, then Malaysia, Singapore and Laos.
She spent sleepless nights in hitch-hiking, taking car lifts, often stopping cars on the streets to go a few miles. She stayed in bunk-beds in hostels – sharing with 5/6 others including men – that did not go well with relatives in the predominantly Muslim society, where she hails from.
While in Milan, she lost her passport, wallet and other valuables, starved without food in the streets of Italy – only to be rescued by her fellow compatriots who helped her get back on her feet!
It is not easy to travel to many countries with a Bangladeshi passport – as the passport holder requires to go through rigorous checking. In one such incident, she was stopped from entering Vietnam and was put in Airport Prison for a night before being deported. Bangladeshi Passport is ranked 92 among 101 ranks, and ranked below countries such as Congo, South Sudan, Kosovo, Nigeria, etc. Bangladeshi passport holders usually face a lot of difficulties in getting visas to other countries.
During the course of the last 12 years, she spent time working 12-18 months to save enough to fund her travel expenses for the next six months.
However, she plans to visit every independent countries in the world. Currently a globe-trotting celebrity, she is a motivational speaker and a social media influencer on travel and tourism. Last week, she delivered a speech at the Global Business Summit held in Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dubai, as an invited guest.
Kazi Asma Azmery’s story could inspire and motivate thousands of youngsters in this more globalised world. Kazi Asma Azmery could be contacted on azmeery@yahoo.com
