Henesey, 37

Teng Balili Ongpin
Dec 31, 2017
3 min read

Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, Rizal Philippines

How did you get to be such an avid traveler?

Since my mother is an ex-airline employee, I started travelling at a very young age. However, my first real traveling experience happened when I was 14-yrs old when I went to Brisbane, Australia with my younger brother and we had a tour of Universal Studios. That vacation made us realize that the world is such an amazing place especially by experiencing different cultures. Since then, I started exploring the world until I became a flight attendant where I was given the opportunity to travel to places that I thought I’d get to see only in my wildest dreams.

Pamukkale Natural Park, Pamukkale, Turkey

What is your most memorable experience while on one of your travels?

I had a flight to Madrid, Spain, which was a 6-day roster. Those 4 days off made me decide along with my 3 friends to fly to Ibiza via Barcelona. When we reached the place, we were so overwhelmed with the ambiance and good-looking people. We were so overjoyed with the beach party that we left our stuff in a bag on an empty bench with our passports and other valuables inside. We were robbed!!! From that point on we all felt exhausted and hopeless. After making inquiries with the police and other staff in the area, we went back to our hotel like soldiers that lost a battle. To our surprise, the phone rang and we got news that our stuff was found at last. To celebrate, we all went out to party and felt victorious from the battle. This incident made me realize the importance of always keeping an eye on your personal belongings and to not trust anyone! After that event, another major incident happened when we had a ground evacuation in Madrid on our way back to base. I am blessed to have been given a second life that I truly treasure.

Enjoying a gingerbread called Lebkuchen, in Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt, Germany's most famous Christmas market

Vayang Rolling Hills in Basco, Batanes, Philippines

What are the best travel tips you’ve learned throughout your adventures?

There are a lot of popular destinations that are on most people’s bucket lists, however, for me, what matters isn’t which place I visit but the experiences and memories I have with the people that I travel with. There are some itineraries that don’t happen to go as planned so I’m always open-minded to anything that may happen to avoid disappointment. Be ready for a back-up plan in case changes may arise!

The Bullring Shopping Centre, Birmingham, United Kingdom

If you could pick one destination from all the places you’ve been to, which would you recommend to someone and why?

Among the Seven Wonders of Nature I’ve visited, my favorite is Machu Picchu in Peru!!! The travel itself from Santiago to reach the peak of the mountain is a challenge, but at the top, the view, especially with the open rooftop and wide windows of the train that took us there was AMAZING!!! The surroundings were such a paradise, the culture is very colorful and the way the natives of the area live their life is very interesting!!! Breathtaking view once you reach the top...it changes its mood very quickly depending on the weather and time. This made me realize to not complain about life as there are people who aren’t as blessed with resources but still manage to smile despite their struggles in life.

Hotel del Coronado, San Diego, California, USA

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Travertine hot springs at Pamukkale, Turkey

What’s next on your travel bucket list?

Iceland! I want to experience the hotel made of ice and hopefully see the Northern Lights!!! I want to see the different color displays made none other than by nature itself.