Bino Chua: The accidental travel influencer

WHEN TRAVEL INFLUENCER BINO CHUA arrives at a place he’s never been, he already has a mental picture in his head of what it would look like. 

Before he even checks in at Changi Airport, he’s read up on the history and politics of his destination city. He’s done a thorough Google image search of its attractions. He knows what they may look like from different angles at different times of the day.

To those of us who travel for the thrill of encountering something new, his travel habits seem calculated and overly-serious. Why ruin the joy and wonder of discovery?

But the self-professed history and geography buff says: “I travel because I seek to view these images with my own eyes. Most people would see a place first and find out the background or history of it afterwards. But it’s just the reverse for me.”

The upside of his habits, however, is that his social media posts are much more informed than those of most influencers. His comments on a city’s architecture, landscape and culture stem from a deeper understanding of its locality. And his reputation as a trustworthy travel influencer has only grown over the years

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To be sure, Chua didn’t plan on becoming an influencer. He started out in 2009 detailing his journeys on his blog iwandered.net out of “a genuine desire to share about them with friends and family”. 

He had just returned from a trip to Yogyakarta in Central Java – one of his first trips after joining the financial industry – and found Borobudur to be magical: “I thought it would be good to write my memories somewhere so that I’d have a way of retrieving information on where I ate and went. Over time, I ended up getting more readers than I originally intended. And I guess it also helped that I started out by writing about places that few have written about.”

Today Chua has 47,000 followers on Instagram (@iwanderrr), earning the title of a legitimate influencer. (One needs a minimum of 40,000.) Meanwhile, his blog site draws as many as 100,000 page views a month. 

While other influencers put themselves at the centre of their posts, Chua typically puts the destination front and centre – even if he admits in half-jest: “I’ve been advised to do more #OOTD (outfit of the day) shots because the engagement tends to be higher when I put up such posts.

”HIS FOLLOWERS COME FIRST

During the pandemic, he stayed relevant by informing his followers which countries were safe to visit. One IG post reads: “San Marino, a country that most Singaporeans have never heard of, jumps two tiers in Category 2 of Singapore’s list of safe destinations.” (Admit it: You don’t know where San Marino is either.) 

And when Russia declared war on Ukraine, Chua conscientiously posted pictures of Ukraine, calling it a “fiercely proud country”, and relaying his hopes and prayers to its people. 

Although he typically flies business – “the best SIA business class seats on its A350 Regional are 19A and 19K because they’re standalone bassinet seats with extra storage space” – he does not typically select luxury destinations: His current bucket list includes Azerbaijan and Armenia for 2022; Syria, Lebanon and the Balkans in 2023, and Cuba in 2024/2025. 

When he’s travelling through less developed countries, he resists the temptation to hire a tour guide (unless in countries such as Bhutan and North Korea where it’s a prerequisite) and relies solely on Google Maps and Google Translate to figure his way around.

HIS BEST-OF LIST

Like most Singaporeans, however, Chua takes his food seriously. His food posts comprise picture carousels of mouthwatering dishes – unlike his location posts which tend to be one-off shots. Chua says his most memorable meals have been in restaurants such as Kanapa in Kyiv, Ukraine, which boasts dishes from the various regions in Ukraine along with a spectacular view and service, and Com Hen Hoa Dong in Hue, Vietnam, which has a delicious com hen (clam rice) dish that originated from the island of Con Hen in the Perfume River. 

“I don’t mind going to Hue again just for that,” he says with glee. 

If there were three destinations he wished more people visited, which would they be? “I know Banda Aceh gets a lot of flak because of their government’s harsh religious laws but it was actually one of the most pleasant Indonesian cities I’ve been to. You also have Pulau Weh with its stunning beaches close by.

“The deep south of the Philippines is also highly underrated. I found a road trip from the tribal areas of Lake Sebu up to Cotabato City highly rich and fascinating. It dispelled the notion that the Philippines is mainly about nature and beaches. 

“The Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) is also pretty much unknown in this part of the world. But it offers plenty of surprises. It does not feel like a place in Europe nor does it feel Asian. And it’s not Russian either. It’s quite unlike anywhere I’ve been.”

To get the best of your travels, Chua says: “Keep a more open mind and don’t dismiss a place just because of stereotypes or hearsay. There are a lot of beautiful places out there that don’t get their well-deserved exposure simply because of how they are usually portrayed.”

Photography: Darren Gabriel Leow Styling: CK Hair styling: Christvian Wu, using Goldwell.  Make up: Kenneth Chia using NARS  Location: One & Only Desaru Coast