Hi, I’m Zainab. I’m originally a Hazara, but I was born and raised in Iran as an immigrant. I started traveling in 2013 with a deep curiosity about people, cultures, and the world and since then, I’ve explored 16 countries across the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.

Most of my travels have been connected to academic work and volunteer missions rather than pure leisure. I’m not a fan of high-impact tourism, but I truly believe tourism can have a positive effect on local communities when it supports local businesses and real human connections. For me, meaningful travel always comes first and fun naturally follows.

I lived in Germany for a few years to get my postgraduate degree, then moved to Vancouver in 2022. In 2024, I lived and worked in Laos, and in 2025 I returned back to Vancouver. Each place shaping me in a different way.

Professionally, I work at the intersection of the food industry and environmental protection, but my heart is deeply rooted in humanitarian volunteering especially advocating for women’s and girls’ rights. I’m also very active and athletic. I spend a lot of time in gyms, parks, and sports clubs. My favorite activities are volleyball (beach, grass, and indoor), hiking, kayaking, and Pilates.

I’m still on my journey of exploring the world, and next on my wish list are Latin America, Africa, Australia, the UK, and North and East Asia.

At the moment, I’m not able to host, but I’d love to hang out, meet for coffee, explore the city together, or recommend great places to eat and visit if needed.

If you enjoy deep conversations, active lifestyles, cultural exchange, and purposeful travel, we’ll probably get along really well

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I find many Couchsurfers to be a unique kind of people; those who choose the bold and sometimes risky path of life, leaving comfort and certainty behind to experience, learn, and truly feel new things. That kind of life takes real courage. These are the people with incredible stories to tell, priceless lessons to share, and wonderfully unique personalities to discover. Couchsurfing feels like a world where I can meet exactly these kinds of souls and that’s why I joined.

Interests

I was born to become a politician. Cuz my country as undeveloped as it is now, its located in the most politically sensitive and complicated area for which the political conflict seems neverending for decades ahead.
However now its time to practice works that strengthen the sense of humanity and compassion in me both of which are strongly missed among all the bloody, tearful, brutal, insensible life of Afghanistan.
No matter how much dirty the political world is, specially in Afghanistan, I say true leaders like Obama can keep hopes to it.

• politics
• sports
• humanitarian work

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In some districts of Afghansitan, traveling doesn’t feel like movement through space, but through time—places so untouched they seem frozen in another century.

What I Can Share with Hosts

An adventurous time travel to an amazing and rarely seen districts in Balkh province

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Albania, Belgium, Canada, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Laos, Pakistan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan

Countries I’ve Lived In

Afghanistan, Canada, Germany, Iran, Laos