Travelers have taken the backseat in this pandemic world. With several visa regulations and restrictions, people are unable to travel as freely as they once did. There are restrictions on inter-state travels as well. In the current scenario, traveling seems like a distant dream and travelers seem to have taken quite the hit. Traveling and exploring the unknown is a number on most people’s bucket list. Other than the occasional vacationers, there are many people out there who are ardent travelers, for them, traveling is something that keeps their souls alive. Fahim Maharoof is a young traveler from Kerala who is extremely passionate about traveling. When he talks about his travels, he sounds happy and incredibly positive, he makes you want to set out on a journey yourself. Fahim founded Trip Triangle with the hopes of helping all the people who are unable travel because of the lack of proper travel planning and a travel companion. In conversation with Fahim, we learn more about Trip Triangle, his travel dreams and his plans for the future!
Tell us a little about Trip Triangle.
Trip Triangle is a travel platform for budget travelers, backpackers and for the youngsters out there who enjoy traveling. It is a platform to connect people from different places and to share different travel experiences. There are many individuals out there who do not have the right travel companion and for this reason put off traveling, Trip Triangle helps connect people with the same passion for traveling and exploring, and this connection is the main motive behind Trip Triangle.
What inspired you to begin Trip Triangle? Is there a story behind the name?
What inspired me is as I mentioned before, the number of people out there who struggle to make travel plans and who are inadept in budget traveling, these individuals cancel travel plans because of the difficulties they face in choosing a destination, their unawareness of cheap travel methods and the absence of the right travel companion. Trip Triangle is the solution to all these problems. With regard to the name, I had in mind the idea of a triangle, which represents mountains, and I of course wanted something related to travel with it. Initially I had thought of naming it Travel Triangle, but during my research I understood there was already a well-known company with the name. After that, in search for similar words, I came to the decision to name it Trip Triangle.
Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this Trip Triangle?
To tell you about myself, I was studying BA Travel and Tourism but I have dropped out. I plan to go abroad to study, God willing. I am 19 years old, I was studying and managing Trip Triangle together until now, I had to take a lot of leaves for the same as I am really passionate about Trip Triangle and traveling. I want to inspire people and help them travel as much as I can. I have been to almost 18 States in India. I am also an Instagram Influencer ????
What does traveling mean to you? Tell us about your dream destinations?
Traveling for me is something that has changed me as a person. It changed my personality, my perception of the world, taught me a lot of lessons, helped me meet a lot of good people and I realized a lot of stuff through my travels; this is why I travel, and along with that I get to see new cultures, I get to experience a lot and learn a lot. It also helps me keep a fresh mind. My dream destination is definitely Bali, but my dream, without doubt is to travel to all 193 countries in the world. I am very passionate about this and I am sure I will be able to achieve this one day!
How was the initial response when you started Trip Triangle?
The response was very overwhelming, my family members were very supportive and very happy. My friends helped me out by coming on my first trip and it was a huge success. The second trip was with my followers on Instagram, everyone enjoyed the trip and the service, and that is how Trip Triangle began to make its mark as a brand.
You also have a YouTube Channel. What type of content do you aim to create?
There are many people on YouTube that dish out videos with the sole intent of making money. I want to make sure my videos are useful. When it comes to travel vloggers, their travels tend to be expensive and luxurious, all we can do is watch and enjoy, not really gain anything from it. I want to make sure that my vlogs will be helpful to my audience, on watching them, they should be informed enough to make the journey themselves. It is with this intent that I make content for my YouTube Channel.
The pandemic has affected travelers restricting them maybe more than others. How are you coping with lack of freedom?
Travelers are a group of people that have been affected severely because of the Pandemic. But honestly speaking it has also benefited me. I was able to plan my travels from the 10 countries I already had to 20 countries and did a lot of research on the same. I have also used this time to create an idea on what I wanted to do with my life and valuate my goals during the quarantine days. There’s no point in saying the pandemic is sad, which of course it is, but I believe in utilizing any situation as positively as possible.
Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?
My team would be Aslam, Mubarak VKD, Mubarak Moosa, Asif and Shaanu. They are much older than me, we met through Instagram and made this community of friends who like to travel together.
Could you share some of your travel experiences with our readers?
I have had many experiences while traveling, from having starved to seeking help from the people around me. I always make it a point not to go free-loaded, I pay whatever small rate I can, we never know when we’ll meet kind-hearted people. As travelers we shouldn’t be a bother to people and we don’t know when we will meet people willing to help us. I’ve even had an experience of transgenders running after me. There have been many different experiences.
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