This Malaysian travel writer inspires wanderlust on Instagram

Connecting with people and learning about new cultures is something Mohd Shahril likes to do when he travels.

The Instagram profile of travel digital content creator Mohd Shahril Fawzy Suhaili should come with some kind of disclaimer. Browsing through the close to 2,000 photos, one can’t help but get a serious case of the wanderlust.

One photo depicts a refreshing waterfall in Lake Toba, Indonesia, while the other shows the cool contemporary interior of the Tianjin Binhai Library in China.

But the 27-year-old Sabahan doesn’t take these photos with the intention of sparking envy. He just wants to document his love for travelling – and help other travellers along the way.

"I feel the joy of helping people by sharing useful information about travelling. Indirectly, I’m also able to inspire the young generation to travel the world and see what it has to offer, ” says Mohd Shahril, who is better known among his followers as Pojie.

His digital endeavour started with an unassuming blog that Mohd Shahril kept while in secondary school.“I would share about my daily activities like homework, how I dislike History, and other random things, ” he says.

One day, he decided to write about his first overseas trip to Krabi, Thailand. Suddenly, people began to take notice.

“I received a lot of questions from my peers as well as requests to share more about my travel experience. Ever since then, I have slowly turned my website into a professional travel blog where I write mostly about my travel experiences, destination guides, useful tips, budget and itinerary, ” Mohd Shahril says.

What started as a hobby has now turned into a budding career. To date, Mohd Shahril has travelled to over 20 countries across five continents. Many of these trips are work-related, as he is a professional travel writer.

"But even when it’s for work, I still try to explore at least the essence of the city and country, ” he says, adding that he makes it a point to connect with locals and learn their culture.

"Travelling gives me the opportunity to learn new things in life. I meet people from different walks of life and learn about their cultures, what they eat, and their lifestyle. They teach me things that I don’t experience in my country, which is priceless for me, ” he says.

Mohd Shahril recounts how he met many friendly and helpful locals while trekking up the Himalayan mountains. But what made it memorable was a moment of suspense one night.

"I can still vividly remember that feeling when I woke up in the middle of the night and found out that there was a sound of footsteps close to our tent. Who could have known whether it was a Himalayan tiger or just our local guide checking around?” he recalls with a laugh.

Above all, Mohd Shahril believes in the transformative power of travelling. It forces him to step out of his comfort zone.

"When I travel, I become more brave to talk to people from different backgrounds. I am more comfortable asking questions and most importantly, I become more independent in whatever I do, ” he concludes.

The Paper’s People is an occasional column about Malaysia-based everyday folk who do what they love. If you have someone to recommend, email us at [e-mail].