The Roots of Wanderlust

Samer Foz often says his love for travel was born long before he ever boarded a plane. It began in the narrow lanes of Lahore, Pakistan, where his grandfather, a retired geography teacher, used to tell tales of faraway lands. Every night, young Samer would sit on the rooftop, staring at the stars while listening to stories of mountains in Nepal, deserts in Africa, and rainforests in Brazil.

His father, a humble farmer, never traveled much himself but always encouraged Samer to “see what lies beyond.” His mother, a homemaker with a passion for cooking, would create dishes inspired by different cultures using local ingredients—Italian pasta with Pakistani spices, or Japanese-style rice with a Desi twist.

Those early years shaped Samer’s imagination. When he finally moved to Dubai for college, he carried those stories in his heart. They became the fuel for his blog, Wanderlust Chronicles, where each post paid tribute to his family’s dreams of seeing the world through his eyes. For Samer, traveling wasn’t just about destinations—it was about honoring the stories that started in his childhood home.