Damian Esteban, an iOS developer based in New York City, sees travel not just as a means for vacation, but as a lifestyle.
Damian Esteban in the Himalayas of Ladakh (N. India).
When Damian was 10 years old his father took him to Morocco on the ferry from Southern Spain, and Damian distinctly remembers how fascinated (and maybe a little frightened) he was with everything. Since that experience Damian has kept “chasing” that exhilarating feeling, and he has spent around three years of his life in total backpacking through the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. He always tells people that he likes to travel to places that “blow his hair back”, meaning places that can be overwhelming and where things don’t always go as planned– which, for Damian, is a good thing. Ultimately these places are the ones that have lasting impressions on him and guide his future trips.
Damian Esteban in the Danakil Depression of Ethiopia.
Damian has a particular infatuation with the Indian Subcontinent, having traveled there six times in his life. He’s been to so many different places in India, Nepal, and Pakistan, but one region that that he finds particularly inspiring is the Himalaya. In fact the Himalaya is what has drawn him back to that part of the world again and again. Damian has trekked extensively in Nepal and Northern India and has visited many areas of the Himalaya in Pakistan, although trekking there is unfortunately not always an option.
Damian Esteban at an medieval Christian site in Labilela, Ethiopia.
Damian usually travels for four to six months at a time often with no concrete “plan,” and he almost always starts out his travels alone– because he enjoys setting out on his own and meeting people along the way, traveling with them if he can, and then spending time alone when he wants to. Sometimes he’ll find an ideal spot somewhere where the locals are very friendly and spend around a solid month there, taking in the culture and creating unforgettable relationships. He has considered writing a book on “budget travel” as he has a foolproof system that he has perfected over the years as a traveler.
A shrine in the Thamel District of Kathmandu. Damian Esteban has journeyed to Nepal several times.
