Meet Shueyb Gandapur: A Pakistani passport holder who has travelled 85 countries

Shueyb Gandapur, who is just 40 years old, has traveled halfway around the globe and intends to tour more.

Shueyb, who lives in London, has visited over 85 countries on six continents in the last twelve years.

Out of those visits, only a few were business trips. The rest were planned leisure tours during his annual vacation.

Shueyb informed The Independent Urdu that he is a Chartered Accountant (CA) by profession, but his passion lies in tourism.

Shueyb keeps a keen interest in literature, art, and culture from all over the world and is also passionate about photography.

In addition to his travelogues, Shueyb also writes on politics and literature in various national and international journals and newspapers.

Shueyb hails from the Dera Ismail Khan district, from where he came to Islamabad for higher education after completing his primary education.

“As a child, I used to think that once I was out of the country, it would be a big deal, but I didn’t know I would go on a pursuit to travel the whole world,” he remarked.

Shueyb says most people feel a cultural shock when they return to Pakistan from abroad.

However, Shueyb experienced a cultural shock when he came to Islamabad from Dera Ismail Khan as the way of life between the two cities was drastically dissimilar.

While touring 85 countries on his Pakistani passport, Shueyb also faced severe security and discrimination in many places — one of the reasons being that he was suspected of traveling alone and excessively.

Shueyb starts his tour planning a few months before the trip even starts.

He tries to visit at least four or five countries close to each other, instead of one at a time. Nevertheless, it depends on which country he gets the visa from.

“It is important to plan a trip three to four months in advance because different countries ask for different times to apply for a visa,” Shueyb explained.

Interestingly, Shueyb travels lightly, carrying only one backpack.

After his two and a half week tour commences, Shueyb travels back to London and resumes his routine work.

Nevertheless, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shueyb has only been able to travel between London and Dera Ismail Khan.

Shueyb hopes that the pandemic will end soon so that he can go along with the winds and explore fascinating places worldwide.

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