Three years ago, Omniya Fareed Shafik was working a steady job at a bank in her native Dubai. But banking wasn't for her, and neither was staying put. So last year, she decided to quit, pack her bags, and travel the world on her own.
Not everyone was thrilled with her decision. As a 26-year-old single Arab woman, Shafik said that in her culture, some people in her life still think that she's wasting her time traveling when she should be putting down roots.
"When I first started, almost no one got it and no one was okay with it," she told
So far, Shafik has yet to meet another Arab woman like herself who maintains this nomadic lifestyle.
"Most people are just married I guess, or their parents aren't really okay with it, especially the girls," she said.
That hasn't stopped her from visiting Russia, South Korea, Japan, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, and much of Europe, including Prague, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Norway, and chronicling her adventures on Instagram.