Seeking Adventure? Go on ‘Safareya’

With a passionate mission to embrace the desire for adventure and inspire Middle Easterners to go after their dreams, Safareya is clearly one of a kind. Launched by Omar Samra – the first Egyptian ever to climb Everest – and covering all topics travel-related, the online publication gives you the ultimate motivation you need to seek your next adventure.

With content quickly reaching over 3 million people through Facebook alone and everything on the website being published in both Arabic and English, Safareya aims to include everyone in this venture by capturing the unique narrative of the Middle Eastern traveler through adventurous stories and comprehensive guides and resources. This is based on the team’s vision for more Middle Easterners to experience the revolutionary power of travel. Cofounder Ahmed Fares explained, “If we can equip just five people with what they need to adventure, we’ve changed the world for the span of those five people’s lives.”

Ever since its launch in August 2018, Safareya has been throwing the spotlight on stories of the region’s unconventional adventurers and discussing the practical challenges Middles Easterners usually face when it comes to travel. For example, they tackle women issues from both sides of the spectrum, so there would be an article for those who wear burkinis and another one for those who wear bikinis. We love that! We also love the fact that they have a whole page dedicated to Middle Eastern female travelers. Beyond just sharing the inspirational tales and epic adventures of those who’ve shattered stereotypes by exploring the world’s every nook and cranny, Safareya is taking responsibility in equipping Middle Eastern women with what they need to prove to the world – and, more importantly, to themselves – that restricting cultural barriers are made to be broken.

More than that, they also cover the basic travel enquiries, including visa requirements and comprehensive experience-based travel guides. There is an interactive passport section where you are provided with detailed, up-to-date information regarding paperwork and the processes you have to go through to plan a trip somewhere, and it’s all easily accessible in image-based content that you can download straight to your phone. After that, you ought to check out your destination’s ultimate guide that walks you through every element of your trip. So far, they’ve covered Egypt, Lebanon and UAE from transportation and pro tips and authentic local experiences.

For the background story, Safareya started out as a passion project of two Egyptian explorers with insatiable wanderlust, Ahmed Fares and Monica Gerges. They walked into Omar Samra’s office and pitched the idea to launch “the first online publication that not only tells the stories of Middle Eastern travelers, but tackles the obstacles they face – visa complications, finding low budget options, finding good Arabic and English travel content, etc, so they can get off the sofa and go discover their hometowns, nature, and the world”. Samra went on, “It sounded super hard to do, so I jumped in full force.”

By Sarah Guirguis