Every month on Chapter Travel we interview another traveller. This time we spoke with Dimag, who you may know from the popular Instagram account @VacationWolf. We spoke about his current location, favourite destinations, the funniest thing that ever happened during his travels, where he is headed next and much more. Read on for the Interview of the month August with Dimag from the Vacation Wolf.
Thank you for your time. Can you please give our readers a short introduction about yourself?
First of all, thank you so much for having me here Chapter Travel family, it is a pleasure!
Hi everyone! I am Dimag, a 24-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur who loves life, travel and producing. Originally I was born in the beautiful Mediterranean Island of Cyprus and I am currently traveling the world, working on several projects that will fundamentally change the world! I am also the sole creator behind @VacationWolf as you may know from Instagram.
Being born on an island, I have always wanted to expand my horizons and explore what’s beyond the sea. I was attracted to different cultures and energies. So, as a kid I set a goal to hit 100 countries before 25 and I am almost there now at 24 years! Nowadays, I prefer slow meaningful travel to fasting around for numbers and pictures. Connecting deeper and learn more about places is so much more important.
I currently share my travel experiences with the world to help my people find the best places on earth! I believe the places shared on @VacationWolf are like checkpoints and people need to go collect them, so we live in a better world!
Thank you for the introduction! You travel a lot, where are you located now? Tell us a bit about it.
As a 92 kid, I used to play ‘Midtown Madness’ game and drive my car down the golden gate bridge, imagining myself being there in real life. Years later some magic has happened and I find myself moving to San Francisco to study my MBA at University of San Francisco. So, I ended up crossing the bridge not just once but almost everyday. I experienced a lot of manifestations here in San Francisco and thus I believe this place has some magic.
I know that I was meant to live here, because I have a very deep connection with San Francisco, this place is where I found myself and therefore where I located myself! Find where you belong and live there.
What is your favourite thing about travel?
My first favourite thing about travel is the constant ‘Learning’. I believe that travel is the best form of education and so it is the best investment you can ever make for yourself.
Second, travel is fun and I love to enjoy life! I love the feeling of freedom I get when I travel. Even the sun shines differently, music sounds deeper and food tastes better. Life is good when you travel.
Third, I love new things; I love discovering something that is completely new to me, whether it is a new person, food, drinks, places whatever it is. Finding something new makes me feel alive!
Lastly, I love travel because I love to create pictures and videos around the world and share them with people. I believe we all need to complete the cycle of creation, by creating something out of our own experiences. That is when we become complete.
Where are you headed next?
I am heading to South America next, can’t wait to share it with you!
Give us your top five destinations and tell us why they are in your top 5!
This is a difficult question! I am sad to leave so many amazing places out of this list. I will make this list based on ‘Where I would Live’ rather than where to travel:
- California, because it is the coolest place on earth.
- Barcelona and Ibiza in Spain because they are the most fun when young!
- Hawaii, because it is the most beautiful country.
- Bali because it is the most magical island.
- Amsterdam, because it’s Amsterdam.
Where do you still want to go?
I would love to visit Bora Bora one day!
Do you think travel can change someone’s life?
Certainly and it will change it positively. Once you expand your horizons, there is no way to go back and settle for things that are no longer serving you.
Once you start traveling, you will understand so many things that you would never be able to understand sitting at home! So you will just get better and you will grow. You can learn a new language, a new culture, a new recipe. Or maybe you will even find a new soul home, soul mate, or you will find yourself and your goal in life. The road is full of surprises! So get out, go explore, learn, find yourself and experience it.
What is one of the funniest things that happened during your travels?
Okay, this should be a top secret. Do not tell this one to anyone! The answer came in my mind immediately, because I will never forget this one incident. Okay, here we go:
Three years ago I booked a flight to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The plan was to stay there for a couple of days and then to take a 5-6 hour bus ride to Singapore. The last night before the bus ride, I met one of my friends that I studied with in the United Kingdom. He is from Malaysia, so he first took us to a local restaurant to have dinner. At this restaurant the food is served on a banana leaf and has Indian origins, so it’s very spicy and contains a lot of herbs.
The food was awesome and everything, but the next morning as soon as we got on the bus, I started feeling awkward. At first it was not that bad, but after sometime I realised that I will not be able to hold it for so long… It was a two-floor bus and we were sitting upstairs.
Two hours into the bus ride I went downstairs and begged the bus driver to stop at some place, I needed to go to the restroom so bad. The teethless bus driver did not understand English at all! The only answer I got was a smiling face without teeth, so I did not know what to do. I went back upstairs and tried to find something to keep busy. I was just a few months into my new relationship, so I was also trying to keep it cool for her at the same time…
Eventually, I decided to hold it for another two hours.
Those two hours felt like two years. I did everything not to think about it. For instance, I hold on to things, listened to all sorts of weird music to keep my mind somewhere else and in the end I started sweating like crazy. I did not know what to do. It did not seem like I was going to make it on time. But finally after two hours the bus stopped!
I could only hold it for one more minute at that point. But once I went downstairs, the police officer showed me the passport queue and it seemed like we needed at least another 15 minutes to go. I was so desperate at this point. So, I crossed the people and started running to the border police. There I told him the situation really quick and he saw my face and luckily he let me go to the restroom.
I will never forget the moment I saw the ‘ WC’ sign. Thanks God I made it on time! But it was not over yet. After I was done, there was no toilet paper, but just a water hose to clean up. While using the hose some water leaked on my shorts and I was wet all over. I got out, I looked at my girlfriend and the people around and I yelled ‘I MADE IT!’
First, she thought I did not make it on time when she saw all the water on me and then once I explained her the truth we both started laughing to what just happened. It’s just a crazy, weird, little dirty, but funny story that I will never forget. That was the day universe tested all my limits!
What is one of the scariest things that happened during your travels?
I can’t recall so many scary memories, mostly they are funny, but I guess I was scared the most when I looked in the mirror after I broke my front tooth on a night out in Barcelona while having so much fun!
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years I can clearly see myself in a position where I am giving back to earth; whether it be teaching to younger generations or investing into innovative and conscious organisations. I want to contribute to the greater good!
Do you have anything else to add?
I would like to thank you so much for having me here Lisanne and Jeffrey! Let’s end our awesome interview with a quote from my favourite explorer Thor Heyerdahl: ‘Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.’
Lastly, I would like to drop a couple of takeaways from my travels:
We are limitless, and we are capable of turning any dream into reality.
Open your heart, love more, feel more.
Open your Mind and be aware, be conscious, be mindful.
Be collaborative, not competitive. Don’t think terms of ‘I’, but think in terms of ‘WE’. And most importantly; enjoy your time here! It’s limited and we are lucky we came. The world is very beautiful. Celebrate your life, because you are one in a billion and you were chosen to be here. The world needs you. Find out why the world needs you and do YOU! Once all is aligned, you will manifest everything!
Goodbye for now!
All my Love,
Dimag
Thank you Dimag for your wise words. Happy travels!
You can find Dimag on Instagram on @VacationWolf, @Dimagetsaway and @DestinationWolf. You can also find him on Youtube, and on Facebook: Vacation Wolf and Dimag Ozgum.
Are you also interested in being interviewed on Chapter Travel? The coming months we have interviews planned, but feel free to send us an e-mail by using the contact form.