People travel for all sorts of reasons. They go for a vacation break, to get away for peace of mind, for work, to find themselves and in search of adventures. Here are two Malaysian athletes who have become “incidental vacationers” when they travel for competitions all over the world. Never missing a moment to explore, here’s what they say.

Zylane Lee Yhing Huey

Age : 27
Sports : Artistic Swimming (Synchronized Swimming)
Achievements : 3x Sea Games gold medalist , 2011(Palembang, Indonesia), 2015(Singapore), 2017(Kuala Lumpur), 2017 World Series gold medalist, Wuhan, China, 13x Malaysia Open gold medalist (2003-2015)
Participated : 3 World Championship, 2011(Shanghai, China), 2015(Kazan, Russia), 2017(Budapest, Hungary), 2 Asian Games (2014, Incheon, Korea and 2018 Jakarta, Indonesia)

Where is your favourite destination and what do you like most about it?

Japan because of its clean environment, punctuality, work ethics, technologies and beautiful scenery.

But I would like to visit and scuba dive in Sipadan, well-known for its pristine waters and undersea flora and fauna, I think it is one of the most beautiful dive sites in the world.

When you travel, what do you look forward to most?

Food as I’m adventurous in trying local cuisine and street food.

How do you make the most of your trip when you travel for competition?

We have limited time for travel during our competition as our purpose is only to compete. We can only steal one day away, the most. What I do is, I google to find places of interest in the destinated country and then prioritise the places that I am most attracted to. Usually they are iconic places. I will try to cover as much as I can in the hours that I have by planning the route.

Which country had the most interesting tales for you to bring home?

I would say Egypt as it was my first time flying and competing as a 9-year-old representing Malaysia. Moreover, Egypt being one of the seven wonders of the world really took my breath away. I had the chance to see the Pyramids up close, rode on the camel and visited the Mummies Museum.

Next would be Australia as we were there during Easter. I find the Australians friendly as we were given easter eggs chocolate by the toll collector. We found it so amusing. We manage to visit the theme parks and saw kangaroos.

And finally, Germany. My very first time to see and touch snow. I recall catching the snowflakes with my tongue and having a snowball fight with my teammates.

What would you recommend to ensure a most memorable journey?

Taking photographs as remembrance of the good times and beautiful places. Not forgetting trying their delicacy and street food to experience their culture and lifestyle. Learning a few common words from their national language would be fun and memorable too.

Johnathan Wong Guanjie

Age: 27
Origin: Melaka
Sports: Shooting
Most significant win: Gold medal in 2016 Asian Olympic Qualifying Match, New Delhi, and obtained quota for Olympic Rio 2016.

Where is your favourite destination and why?

Melaka, not only is it a historic city, it’s also a city filled with my childhood memory, friends and family.

When you travel what do you look forward to most?

When I travel I will always search for tasty food and wonderful scenery. For me it is always food and to take lots of nice pictures during a trip.

How do you make the most of your trip when you travel for competition?

It’s never easy to travel around and to discover places during a competition trip. Most of the time, I would just launch Google map to scout for any recommended place to explore that are near to the venue or team accommodation. I will travel only on the day when I’m not competing or training.

Which country had the most interesting tales for you to bring home?

I guess the place would be Brazil when I travelled to Rio for the Olympic Games. It was a beautiful place, and given that it’s on the other side of the world, all my family members were curious to know more about it. Not to forget Christ The Redeemer Statue being one of the Seven Wonders of the World is there. It is definitely a place worth visiting.

What would you recommend to ensure a most memorable journey?

In making sure that I have a memorable journey, the first thing I would do is to have a travel packing list. This is to make sure that I have a comfortable travel. The other important thing to bear in mind is  to have a great time! Always stay positive and happy, not to let small issues dampen my mood.