I never really had the chance to travel growing up, and coming from Hong Kong where the culture is all about corporate and finance, I was honestly a stranger to the concept. You see, “free will” isn’t much of a thing in Hong Kong. It wasn’t until university, when I studied abroad, that I truly discovered what the world had to offer.

At first, I was inspired by my friends, who were some really passionate backpackers. After just one trip, I fell in love with travelling, experiencing new cultures, trying different cuisines, meeting people from all over the world, and doing things I’d never imagined. I realised the world was drastically different from the one I grew up in.

But like every student, money was a limitation.

At the time, I was living alone, and I had an idea: lock away my personal belongings and rent out my home as a holiday rental while I travelled to fund my trips. It sounded simple, but it changed everything for me. It allowed me to see parts of the world I never imagined I would.

Fun fact: at my peak year, I took 54 flights, visited over 30 cities, learned to snowboard, completed an eight-hour hike in Sardinia, and met friends from all over the world. These are experiences I would never have had without that decision.

But there were many drawbacks. Before every trip, I spent hours locking up my personal things, deep-cleaning the flat, changing bedding, and setting out new towels and toiletries. During the trip, I was glued to my phone. I had to stay on alert 24/7 in case a guest needed something, or to make sure they had checked in or checked out properly, or to handle any urgent questions. All of it was necessary just to maintain my ratings and occupancy.

It was honestly exhausting, and coming home was even worse. Instead of collapsing straight into bed after a long trip, I had to restore everything to its original place, replace my own bedding and towels, and reset my home before I could rest or go back to lectures.

I got asked all the time by people around me, “Why would you do something like that to yourself?”

The answer was always the same: it was for the love of travelling.

That experience led me to start Way Away.

I wanted to help people who love travelling but couldn’t always do so because of money, or for those who simply want a better-quality trip. I wanted people to enjoy travelling without the stress, the preparation, or the constant worrying, but still have the money to go. I wanted everybody to be able to experience the freedom I found, minus the exhaustion.

We are here for travellers, for people who simply want to pack their bags, catch the flight, live a life somewhere else for a while, and return to their home exactly as they left it, except cleaner and with fresh bedding waiting for them.

Way Away exists because I wish this service had existed for me.

Now, I’m building it for you.