An adventurous soul

Ayesha Omar dishes out travelling advice, recalls memorable childhood

Travelling can be both grounding, as it lays bare the wonders of the world to you, and a learning experience that aids you for the future. Understanding this, Ayesha Omar spoke on the YouTube show Footprints, detailing her familiarity with travelling and making memories in different parts of the world.

Childhood glimpses

Being a TV host herself, Ayesha described herself as a "chatterbox", owing to the fact that she hardly realises when to stop speaking. A fun fact she shared is that she began speaking when she turned 11 months old. But the surprises didn't end there.

"I began hosting at 8 years old," she revealed, adding that she served as an assisting younger host to an older one. "So the childish questions were actually authentic because that's what I wanted to ask them."

Ayesha can still recall her first flight at age 2. After her father's demise, she moved from Karachi to Lahore. "And I still get glimpses of that. Maybe it's in my subconscious and not a memory, but that was my first travel [experience]."

Since then, travelling became an integral part of the 43-year-old actor's life. "In the summers, we used to go to Nathia Gali since it's close to Lahore," she said. "So that was our summer destination, in the mountains. So I grew up in the mountains."

Other than these frequent visits, Ayesha hadn't travelled abroad much in her youth. This was because her mother was a single parent raising two children hence major expenses were reserved for schooling and education. 15 or 16 might've been the age Ayesha travelled abroad for the first time, she vaguely recalled.

She has also travelled by train a generous amount of times, such as for the National College of Arts entrance test which was being held in Karachi. "So I had these huge art installations that I could only bring by train," she said.

Over the years, the Bulbulay actor began travelling beyond her homeland, often embarking on those journeys alone. The first time she took on a solo flight was when she had to shoot for a serial in Dubai. "When I started travelling on my own, I became a travel addict," she said.

Working in India

Given this frequency, Ayesha thinks that she has touched down on all continents. One particular instance that stood out was her voyage to Mumbai, where she shot drama serial Kaisa Yeh Junoon with Azhfar Rehman and veteran Indian actor Kirron Kher. "I really wanted to travel to other cities, but we didn't have the time. We were there for a month on a gruelling schedule, and it was amazing," she shared.

Ayesha gushed over the professionalism of the neighbouring entertainment industry, mentioning that the crew would assemble on set by 7 AM and shooting would begin promptly. "It was like rules were followed," she emphasised, adding that even lunch breaks were firmly abided by. "So the people were very professional, very hardworking, very humble. Really friendly. Oh, I met some amazing people there. It was a really good experience."

Despite having an overall thrilling journey, Ayesha succumbed to a viral infection for 15 days. She cited the pollution in Mumbai as the reason for the spreading sickness. "It was a miserable period, working day and night through a fever. I do remember how this felt," she said, chuckling.

Planning ahead is key

While agreeing that she is an organised person at heart, Ayesha admitted that she's more carefree when it comes to travelling. "I was lugging suitcases everywhere, carrying multiples, paying for excess baggage. Then I learned how efficient it is to begin planning early on," she said.

The Karachi Se Lahore actor believes that planning ahead helps you identify the logistics, such as how the metro system operates in certain places. Having become more thorough with this over the future, she consults friends on what the best spots to visit are.

"I also check what places are safe now for women to be alone in the evening," she shared. "There are some cities where you can wander on your own at night and use public transport. And for some cities, they tell you to avoid being alone at night."

A positive outlook

Despite the wealth of experiences and the possible ups and downs she faced at certain locations, Ayesha refused to label any spot she has toured as overrated. "I don't want to badmouth any place. There would definitely be something good about that place," she maintained.

Ayesha is grateful for the guidance of her friends who live abroad, as they help her integrate into their circles and enrich her overall experience. "I get to hang out with a lot of cool people. Artistic people. Non-judgemental, accepting tolerant people. So my experience has been really good," she said.