The Humans

¡Hola!

We are Phil and Sapna – a funny, friendly, and sometimes a bit crazy Canadian couple who decided to travel on a motorcycle and bring our knowledge, skills, and experiences to people who need them around the world.

We met while working together for a software company in Richmond, BC and became good friends. Friendship grew into more and here we are! Discovering that we share the same passion for traveling the world and the same goal of giving back more than we take, we decided set off on this adventure, starting the first leg of our trip from Canada and ending in Argentina. From there, who knows?

Traveling is more than just about collecting stamps on a passport for us. We place far greater value in learning about different cultures and how people live in different parts of the world. We like to challenge stereotypes and show that no matter where you’re from, we all are more similar than we are different. Think about it; if we differ from chimps by only 2%, can you imagine how little we differ from each other?

 

Phil

Born in France and a Canadian citizen since April 2017, I have spent most of my life immersed in systems, networks, and coding. I enjoy composing music (playing keyboards) and Internet of Things.

In April 2016, I decided to learn to ride a motorcycle and spent a couple of days at 1st Gear Motorcycle School and Training to get the needed skills. My first bike was a Honda NC750XA. Riding opened up new horizons for me and brought my desire to travel the world, discover new cultures and places, and “paying it forward” to reality.

In October 2016, I quit my Software Developer job and did a tour around the USA, crossing most of the States from West to East and back, returning to Vancouver in early December, right before my visa expired and the snow started falling.

In January 2017, I started building Sphyn (sphyn.com), a website providing travelers with cheap accommodations at people’s places, similar to Couchsurfing, along with other services like trip planning and reporting, traveler communities, and a blog directory.

As far as the blog goes, I am the resident nerd. I designed and coded the site, and am continuously bearing the responsibility of ensuring things are always working. I also write the occasional blog post, take pictures for the blog, record videos, and compose the music for our YouTube videos.

 

Sapna

Indian by ethnicity, born in Fiji, and a Canadian citizen since 2008, I have also spent most of my life in the technology field; however, leaning more towards the art, design, and gaming realm than Phil. Most of my time is usually spent behind a screen, but I like to do “normal” things like reading, cooking, calligraphy, and drawing too.

I have always been curious about the world and have constantly tried to explore different parts of it whenever the opportunity presented itself. Every place has something special; however, if I was forced to choose only one to return to, I would pick Tallinn, the Estonian capital, for its tranquility, friendly people, delicious seafood, and the fairy-tale-like medieval charm of its old town center.

Returning to my routine has always left me dissatisfied with the direction of my life so quitting my job as a Software Tester to travel through the world, meet different people, learn about different cultures, and help those who need it required no contemplation.

I don’t ride a motorcycle, but I am highly proficient at sarcasm, sweet talking, and politically correct BS. I am also the brains behind most of the blog posts, photography and post-processing, videos for our YouTube channel, and our social media profiles.

 

Our Ride

In June of 2017, we invested in a more capable motorcycle, a Honda CRF 1000L aka “Africa Twin”, and geared it up for the coming trip in July.