ZafigoX 2017 breaks barriers with the first Asian women’s travel and empowerment conference, which is part of GTF 2017.
Every woman has a story to tell at ZafigoX to help empower other Zafigo Women Travellers to travel the world.
The first women’s travel event in Asia, ZafigoX, brought women together to meet, bond, learn, discover, and be inspired by other women sharing their travel tales.
Women’s travel is the new buzzword. Going digital has benefits, as more women discover that traveling solo is not so hard.
Sharing photos, videos and the evolution of travel blogs (thoughts) on social media encourage women to travel solo is possible.
As the speakers in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 60s share their stories, the participants warm up to bonding as a fraternity of women.
A travel website for ZafigoX 2017 Women Travellers in Asia
Zafigo and ZafigoX’s founder, Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, an avid traveler, wanted to make travel safer, better, and more interesting for independent women travelers.
As most travel information is geared towards male travelers, women travelers grappled with the little information they could find online.
Zafigo aims to be a platform and community for women to discover and share their travel experiences, knowledge, and advice.
This knowledge connects women travelers in Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.
ZafigoX 2017 Women Travellers Thirst for Travel
The international speakers come from far-flung places that most of us in Malaysia would only dream of.
They come from diverse backgrounds, but the common thread is their zeal and zest for life and adventure.
Out of the many inspiring stories shared by strong, independent women, we’ve summarized those that touched a chord and impacted us the most.
Contents
Getting the Frog from Under the Coconut
Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir shares her first childhood experiences traveling with her Dad. In her talk aptly titled “Getting the Frog from Under the Coconut,” Marina shares the big scary moment when she traveled on her own for the first time.
She realized there was a real need to share knowledge among a community of women travelers.
As women need more detailed information than men, they generally need to plan ahead.
In many countries, cultural attitudes towards men and women differ greatly. Women need to worry more about safety in seemingly peaceful countries.
Like the proverbial frog that peeked out of the coconut shell, Marina found the exhilaration and freedom of traveling addictive.
Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir shares her first childhood experiences traveling with her Dad. Photo: Doris Lim
Overcoming Expectations & Barriers to Women and Telling Their Stories
Women of India founder Deepti Asthana is a photographer, a storyteller, a traveler, and a Canon India mentor.
As she documents stories of women across rural India for ‘Women of India’, Deepti sees the dichotomy between the two countries.
While women’s rights change in bigger cities and rural areas, discrimination against women is rampant. Baby girls are still given away, sold, or even killed.
Her photographs are stark slices of rural life. Deepti is committed to bringing such stories out to provide a platform for the unheard voices.
Photographer Deepti Asthana is moved to tell the real-life stories of rural women. Photo: Doris Lim
When You Think Cancer Stops You from Life
Fresh out of surgery, Nelleisa (Nell) Omar, founder of The Godmothers, exemplifies hope and strength through her journey, amplifying her commitment to promoting cancer awareness.
Rather than succumbing to despair, she chose to go diving and successfully completed her Open Water certification.
Even when she was ill and undergoing chemo, Nell’s bold decision to share photos of her post-surgery impacted many women globally.
Nell’s journey of self-discovery and celebration of life makes us want to cheer her on her next adventure to conquer Mt Kinabalu and Mt. Rinjani.
Cancer did not stop Nell Omar’s exuberance for life. Photo: Doris Lim
Hitchhiking from Sweden to Malaysia: Of Money, Men, and Misconceptions
Solo Traveller Petrina Thong did the unimaginable and survived in Europe with only USD200 after she flew to Stockholm on a whim.
Famished and broke, Petrina dumpster-dived, slept at petrol stations, and hitchhiked back to Kuala Lumpur.
After a roller-coaster adventure of surviving by the skin of her teeth, Petrina clocked 22 countries in 13 months.
The kindness of strangers kept her going. Through it all, she experienced harassment from indecent drivers and dangerous situations and lived to tell the incredible tale!
Petrina Thong found her elusive Rainbow Gathering in the Baltics. Photo: Doris Lim
6 Years, 67 Countries, 62,000 KMs, 5 Continents, 1 Girl: What I Learned Cycling the World
Solo Cyclist Jin Jeong beat the odds and cycled through 67 countries in North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
She did all this without going home to Korea for six years. She clocked an amazing 62,000 kilometers (38,525 miles).
As a woman traveling alone, she has faced adversity, including being hit by a car, experiencing sexual harassment from men while on the road, crying, and feeling extreme fear.
Despite these challenges, she remains steadfast and refuses to abandon traveling.
She shared the 5 most important lessons she has learned cycling the world alone that changed her life forever.
Korean Jin Jeong saw the world on a bicycle. Photo: Doris Lim
Stepping Up & Out Moving My Family to Cambodia & What it Takes to Make a Difference
Ardent Traveler founder Deborah Chan’s mission is to inspire young adults to make a difference.
Witnessing the crumbling of the World Trade Center was the catalyst for her radical move from the corporate world to rural Cambodia.
In Cambodia, they built four literacy centers, trained and developed local leaders and teachers, and successfully kick-started a volunteer program called STORM (Short-Term Operation Relief Mission).
Having traveled to five continents with her family, including two young children, Deborah actively demonstrates the value of travel as a powerful form of education for her children.
Deborah Chan found clarity and purposeful living by building communities. Photo: Doris Lim
How I Built a Business in Travel
Kelly Lewis, founder of Go! Girl Guides (GGG), has authored the world’s first and only series of travel guidebooks for women.
GGG hosts the annual Women’s Travel Fest, a conference to inspire and empower women to travel.
Recently, she launched Damesly, a boutique women’s tour company for creative and professional women.
Kelly’s story of how her love of travel has morphed into several travel-related businesses is inspiring and encouraging.
For someone who has been to over 70 countries, Kelly’s enthusiasm and passion for empowering women to see the world are addictive.
For Kelly Lewis, it took a dream to build her travel-related businesses. Photo: Doris Lim
In Pursuit of Happiness: Why I Left Singapore and Became a Digital Nomad
Women Digital Nomads founder Chrys Tan ditched her advertising career to work as a Digital Nomad.
Currently based in Mexico, Chrys works remotely on her popular website and runs affiliate sites and online businesses.
Her workshop session shows how to prepare to work remotely as a freelancer.
Chrys’s sensible approach, good planning, hard work, thriftiness, and being sensible are the keys to a location-independent lifestyle.
Chrys Tan discovered that working online frees her creativity when she’s no longer location-bound. Photo: Doris Lim
Women’s Empowerment Workshop
Participants in the beauty-related workshops also learned how to pack for a cycling trip.
They also gained insights into starting a location-independent lifestyle.
Additionally, they were taught basic self-defense moves to escape potentially dangerous situations.
Ann ‘Athena’ Osman and Emily Barner demonstrate moves to get out of dangerous situations during the workshop “Self-Defence For The Female Traveller”.
ZafigoX 2017 Asian Women Empowerment And Travel Conference
Summary of ZafigoX 2017
ZafigoX 2017 Asian Women Empowerment And Travel Conference, which lasted three days and featured inspiring talks, panel discussions, and workshops on life and travel skills, is just the start of an avalanche.
Marina said in closing that the participants can proudly claim they were at the first gathering for women achievers. These women travelers achieved the impossible because they dared to dream.
The brevity of life impacts the legacy one leaves behind. The adventure and thirst for travel is just the beginning.
ZafigoX 2017 Women Get Inspired to Travel!
Meeting Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir at the ZafigoX Asian Women Travel Conference and being in the company of solo women travelers was a true inspiration! Find out more on Zafigo.
