For actress Gulfam Khan Hussain, travel isn’t a hobby; it’s a way of life, one that constantly reminds her how small her problems are against the scale of the world. She recently opened up about the places that have shaped her outlook and why she keeps returning to one destination in particular.
She said, “I don’t only love travelling; I live it. I want to see this big beautiful world that God has created. One lifetime is not enough to see even 10% of it.”
Asked whether travel could change one’s perspective more powerfully than therapy, she was certain it could. She said, “It definitely can. When you see how grand this world is and how little you are, then you imagine how minuscule your problem is. Everything resolves itself, and what doesn’t becomes a part of your life forever.”
She believes travel has a way of making people stop and question the life they’re currently living. She said, “What are we running behind? What’s the purpose of this rat race? Isn’t life beautiful when it is simple? These are the three questions that pop into my mind often.”
Certain trips, she said, have left her with a completely different outlook on life. She said, “Seeing how people in Finland are so satiated, how warm the people of Turkey are, how simple-minded the Bedouin people are, with not even basics available even in 2026, and yet it is so normal for them.”
According to her, it’s rarely the circumstances that change after a transformative trip, but the way one sees them. She said, “How I see them, for sure. Their lives, their language, their rituals.”
Talking about how often she travels and the destination closest to her heart, she said, “On average, it’s three vacations a year. My favourite destination is Turkey. I just connect to it spiritually and keep going back again and again.”
