He avoided death countless times, but fear is his friend. His life is shaped between airplanes and the most beautiful places on the planet. With a backpack and a limited budget, he has seen over 30% of the world’s countries. He loves adrenaline, and all that means danger. Yassin Awane (27 years old), is from Morocco, and is a flight attendant, with aspirations to become pilot, in the next 5 years. 

How many countries and cities have you visited? 

I have been to 30 countries and more than 60 cities so far. 

Are you the kind of traveler who goes on vacation with a satchel and a limited budget? 

I do always prefer to take my backpack which is easy to carry wherever you want to go instead of pulling suitcase, mainly when I am going in long trip. If I am going for three- or four-days holiday, then I would take my suitcase. I am kind of budget traveler. It gives me the opportunity to discover many places and save more for the coming trips. 

What was the lowest budget you could handle? 

I could handle 20 euro per day, but as always, my friends say, that I am good at dealing with money when it comes to spending and planning the trips. That is one of the skills that I have learnt from traveling. Lowest budget between 20 and 50 euro per day, with my bag in the back. South Asia between 10, and 20 euros per day, Africa around 30 and 50 euro. 

How was the meeting with Maasai tribe in Tanzania? 

I had chance to meet them two years ago while I was on safari trip. They are semi-nomadic people who inhabit in the South of Kenya and North of Tanzania. They did not baptize me, but I had warrior dance with them, and I wore their lovely costume. It is sort of mating dance, when a young Maasai man has just become a warrior to demonstrate his strength and attract a bride. Up until recently, the only way for a Maasai boy to achieve warrior status was to single-handedly kill a lion with his spear. They are known as courageous and calm regardless the danger. They also drink cow blood on special occasions like circumcision of a child, the birth of a baby and girl’s marriage. I got mesmerized how they have no fear living in the middle of wild plains surrounded by many predators. 

Surrounds the earth with a backpack and only 20 euros in his pocket, to feed with adrenaline. He became a warrior in the Maasai tribe, caressed a shark, and danced with a cobra. 

What is the strangest food that you have eat in the vacation, on layover? 

The strangest food I have had was in Philippines. Its name “Balut”. It is a fertilized bird egg usually a duck egg that is boiled and eaten from the shell. It is kind of popular in the South Asian countries like China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. 

You’re the kind of traveler, adventurer who likes adrenaline, which is the most dangerous situation you have ever lived, how it was, describe? 

I am kind of person who is hungry for adrenaline and seeking for adventures all over the world. I did Zip line from one island to another one, I laid on the top of wild crocodile, and dive with sharks. One day, I was in road trip in the South of Turkey. I found amazing high cliff in the middle of valley. I climbed it till I reached the summit. While I was walking by the edge, my foot slipped. I avoided death, I fell from 30 meters, but a tree raised in the high cliff saved me. I shot a terrible fright. That was one of the scariest situations I have ever had. 

What did you feel when you were close to the sharks?

I felt so excited and fun while I was swimming with Sharks. They are amazing creatures. We should change that idea most people have about them, as killer. Once you get a bit more educated, you realize seeing a shark is like spotting an animal out in the wild. I would not hesitate free diving with sharks over and over.

Dangerous situations are scary, but they also make you try your limits even harder. It’s just a ‘detail’ on the agenda of each future pilot. 

Most of your layovers are in Africa, how you can describe the life from there, people, mentality, culture? 

Africa is my favorite continent so far. You cannot talk about Africa without mentioning animals, the beautiful sunsets/ sunrises, the lush green landscapes, and vast gorgeous savannas. Africa has the friendliest, generous people ever, always they greet you with wide smile and kind words. It rips my heart apart when I see people are living under extreme poverty and striving for the basic needs of life, kids are struggling to get water underground, food so on… 

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years and where do you like to travel? 

I see myself as a pilot and I am trying to visit each individual country of the world. Since I like tropical islands, I would like to visit all of them as well.