My name is Marya. Before starting my blog at The BeauTraveler, I consider myself a late bloomer when it comes to traveling.
I got my first passport when I was 21, as I was trying to submit a scholarship application for a summer course in Turkiye. It was my breakthrough as I got the scholarship to study Turkish in Izmir, and the summer of 2010 highlighted the beginning of my travel journey as I checked three things on my then-bucket list:
- ☑ Flying for the first time.
- ☑ Traveling overseas for the first time.
- ☑ Living away from home for the first time.
For that reason alone, there are two places that I will always be fond of and call them home: Bandung in Indonesia, the place where I was born and raised, and Izmir in Turkiye, the city that exposed me to all the things I never thought I would experience previously.
In my adult life, I spent a year in Semarang, Central Java, in Indonesia. I got my first job in the aviation industry when I worked for AirAsia and helped them launch their first flight to and from the city. In the following year, I moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where I got a job as a flight attendant there.
I enjoy traveling, but not in a way that I like the idea of being a nomad who has to travel to the next destination constantly. And maybe that's why I didn't enjoy the job as a flight attendant as much. I quit my flying job and managed to get a corporate job after returning home to Indonesia. I resided in the capital city, Jakarta, for a year until I took a leap of faith and quit my job without any backup plan.
So after a few years of working and living outside my hometown, I decided to go back to my parent's house and try to rebuild my life altogether. I started The BeauTraveler during this period, and that was the beginning of my freelancing life.
At the beginning of my career as a freelancer, I helped an A-list celebrity in Indonesia as a part of her social media team. In addition, I also use this blog as my portfolio to land several side gigs as both a freelance content writer and a virtual assistant.
This opportunity to work online allows me to build the life I want: staying at home for as much as I want, with the endless possibility of traveling whenever I can. This lifestyle enables me to have quality time with my cats at home and occasionally explore some new places to the fullest when I can.
I've enriched my traveling experience ever since with sometimes pretty crazy stories, including getting sick just a few days before the pandemic in Laos and getting pickpocketed in Serbia. I also managed to come back to Izmir and reminisce about the good ol' days while enjoying my semi-digital nomad life in my 30s.
One of the initial reasons I named my blog The BeauTraveler was because I started it in my 20s when I was in my debauchery phase while looking for a reason to live and love.
In 2022, I met an English guy called Sam on e-Harmony, and we've been in a long distance relationship which makes traveling no longer just a hobby, but it's also now a necessity to keep our relationship afloat. Today, I'm proud to say that I've started traveling with my beau. Hence, the name is still relevant, just different context this time.
As of 2023, I finally bought my own house in Sumedang, West Java. While it may take a while until I get to move out from my parent's house (furnishing your own house is expensive, bruh!), I'm on my way there, whether it's to my own house or possibly moving in with my partner one day.
Until then, I will keep writing my travel stories and all shenanigans here on my blog. If you want to stay in touch or are interested in working with me, my inbox is open at marya@thebeautraveler.com!