Travels with a twist – Ukrainian couple hitchhike across Asia

THE advent of budget flights and travel has made tourism more popular and affordable, opening doors to little-known countries and cultures, and creating new categories of tourists and backpackers who are essentially experience seekers.

These travellers desire to interact with locals and experience life as locals do, being willing to take the path less travelled by the masses as they search for unique connections and experiences that touch their souls and spirits.

For many avid travellers, it would be a dream come true to be able to travel around the world and make a living from it. For most of us, this dream is confined to short getaways that are dependent on how much we have in our bank accounts, how much annual leave we still have and the availability of cheap airplane tickets and hotel rooms.

Till then, we live precariously through glossy pictures of exotic locations in travel blogs and magazines as we indulge in fantasies of finally shedding the shackles of our monotone offices and the grind of the urban rat race for the colourful, wide open living spaces of the world.

Path less travelled

However, there are those who have taken the plunge to put their dreams into plans and plans into actions, leaving behind the sanctuary of the familiar and the security of a nine to five office job.

Relying on the goodness of strangers to get from one place to another in a foreign country where you don’t know anyone and don’t speak the local language is a scary proposition for many people, yet, this is what Ukrainian travellers Iryna Shapoval, 27, and Anatoliy Shevtsov, 23, plan to do over the next six months as they hitchhike their way across Asia.

The couple started their expedition on Oct 1 in the Philippines, planning to end up in China on April 1 next year. In between, they will visit Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. They shared their amazing story with thesundaypost recently when they were in Kuching for a few days. They had just hitch-hiked their way from Sabah and were planning to spend a few days here to take in the sights and sounds before making their way across the border to Indonesia.

Travel with a twist

Iryna, 27, a freelance journalist, is undertaking the “Around Asia in 180 days” expedition as an editorial assignment for Travelbelka (travelbelka.ru), a Russian language information portal, aimed at backpackers and travellers.

Among the objectives of the expedition is to visit and highlight the cultural and natural attractions in the earlier mentioned Asian countries for readers of Travelbelka.

What makes this expedition somewhat unique is that wherever possible, Iryna and Anatoliy will try to hitchhike from one destination to another and only take air flights and public transportation when no other options are available.

For most budget travellers, hitchhiking would not normally be the first option as safety would be a primary concern. Most people would ensure they have enough funds put aside for their Travelling expenses before undertaking such a journey.

However, for Iryna and Anatoliy, hitchhiking as the main means of travel is both a necessity and also an opportunity. It is a necessity because of the tight budget they are on, only allocating a few dollars for their daily food and lodging.

However, hitchhiking has also opened up many opportunities for the couple to meet people and to experience the local way of life first hand.

Iryna has been hitchhiking in her native Ukraine since she was 17, after having been introduced to it by her ex-boyfriend. Hitchhiking is quite common in Europe as a way for people to get around in places where public transportation is not available or owning a private vehicle is too costly.

Iryna studied to be an interpreter and digital designer but her wanderlust grew too strong to ignore. Visits to other parts of Ukraine soon extended to nearby countries like Turkey and Georgia and then other parts of Europe.

This expedition to Asia is the longest trip she and her boyfriend Anatoliy, an auto mechanic by training, have undertaken so far. She admits she does miss her home, family and friends but at the same time, is excited to be on this journey.

Open hearts

It’s not been easy travelling on a limited budget. The couple are very careful with how much they spend daily by eating simple meals and finding creative ways to get from place to place. Many times it meant walking long distances with their heavy backpacks at the mercy of the elements.

Sometimes, they seek out odd or part-time jobs or sell bookmarks and small trinkets to earn a little money. Sometimes, it means sleeping under tents or in less than conventional accommodation as what happened once when they had to take shelter in an unoccupied house by the side of the road.

The couple also try to keep accommodation costs low by connecting with like-minded people on websites and forums who are willing to offer a bed for free or at minimal cost. It takes a positive mind and attitude as well as an inherent belief in human compassion to keep asking strangers for help at the fear of being rejected.

However, Iryna also shared there were also many times when help was kindly offered and welcomed even though the couple did not ask, and it led to many pleasant surprises and experiences they would not have had if they were typical backpackers or travellers.

For example, when they were travelling through Brunei, a man saw them walking on the road with their backpacks and after finding out they were hitchhikers, invited them to stay with him. From his simple clothes and appearance, they thought he was a working class person until they arrived at his house and it looked more like a 5-star hotel than an ordinary house.

Similarly, they have also met with the kindness of strangers everywhere on their journey through Sarawak, such as that of a man who offered them a ride just outside of Sibu and also took a detour to bring them to visit a longhouse and acted as their guide.

The hardest part

Being a freelance journalist offers flexibility to travel but it also has its challenges. For one, the pay is usually not much and Iryna only gets paid when her articles are accepted for publication.

Travelling in foreign countries over an extended period of time on a limited budget while working a freelance job is not an easy prospect but she is not daunted by it. In fact, her enthusiasm is rather contagious.

“It’s not so hard as you think. The hardest is getting your mind ready and just doing it,” she emphasised.

“Our planet is full of people who are doing wonderful, crazy, interesting things. I want to show travelling can be different. Our world is very wide and there are lots of attractive things in this big, big place.”

She shared that before travelling, research is crucial as one needs to be familiar with the unique immigration and visa requirements of each destination. Social networks and travel blogs and websites are increasingly popular sources of information and references for travellers. It is also important to always respect local customs and practices.

Still, research does not always prepare one adequately for all possibilities, and at times, the going has been tough, Iryna acknowledged. That’s when it’s important to keep a positive mind as well as keep things in perspective.

“I am happy to be here rather than to be there,” she said, explaining she’d rather be here in Asia out of her comfort zone doing what she loves than being miserable, tied to a job she did not love back home.

As for what’s in store once the couple reach the end of their current expedition, she said they had not decided but might hitchhike back home through Russia.

And what happens when they finally reach Ukraine?

“I don’t know. Maybe we will rest a while and settle down. Maybe we will travel again,” she replied.