Lilian, from the town of Barouk in the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon, is not just a tour guide or content creator. She is the story of a girl who started from nothing, with no support, dreaming of living life her own way—with honesty and spontaneity. She wasn’t seeking fame or fortune, only complete freedom to express herself and her story through her travels and diverse experiences.
At first, Lilian studied medicine, but quickly realized that it wasn’t her path. She couldn’t bear the closed rooms and strict schedules, so she turned to the open air, the roads, and chance encounters.
While the world hid behind closed doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lilian opened windows to the life she dreamed of. She traveled to Egypt and spoke to Egyptians about the beauty of Lebanon, convincing some to come and discover this small country. She didn’t promote luxury spots, but a kind of travel that reflected her spirit—simple, authentic, and close to people.
Lilian admits she can’t stay in a job for more than three months, nor can she stick to schedules or orders. For her, freedom is not a choice—it’s a necessity. She wasn’t looking for job security, but for self-discovery in every experience and space where she could be her true self.
When she first went to Egypt, she hadn’t yet begun sharing content on Instagram. She would document her moments through pictures and short stories. Gradually, “I began to see the camera as more than just a memory keeper.” Her page became a window through which she could share a beautiful image of Lebanon and connect people through tourism and real experiences.
She met tour guides from across the Arab world and started posting her daily life as short Instagram Reels, capturing her travel stops and the details of the places she visited. Her content evolved, eventually becoming full video documentaries shared on her YouTube channel. She was no longer just a tour guide—she was a storyteller traveling to connect people.
Her account quickly gained popularity. Many were drawn to her honesty and spontaneity. Success, for her, isn’t a coincidence—it’s a goal she approaches with steady steps and a firm belief that freedom and determination can shape a path that reflects who she truly is. “I don’t focus on negativity. The love I receive outweighs any negative comments. That’s why I stay focused on my goals.”
A turning point came when she decided to travel to Greece for two months as part of a summer job with a tourism company hosting Lebanese groups. There, she experienced for the first time the joy of traveling with people from different cultures who didn’t speak her language—an experience that left a lasting impression.
In Egypt and Turkey, more doors opened. But it was Georgia that marked a real beginning for her social media journey. After saving some money, she decided to fully step out of her comfort zone. With a backpack, she hitchhiked, stayed in shared accommodations, and lived an extraordinary experience.
It was her first time traveling alone, moving from one place to another with modest means, documenting everything through Instagram Stories before later sharing full videos of the experience. “I wanted to live something different—to be like Ibn Battuta… discovering and documenting.” Georgia became one of the most beautiful journeys of her life—not just because of the scenery, but because of how she chose to live it, reaching remote places like the highest inhabited village in Europe.
Even though travel can be expensive, Lilian manages her adventures differently. She says the flight is the biggest cost, while the rest is carefully planned with smart budgeting.
In Lebanon, she works as a tour guide, earning just enough to fund her next trip. She doesn’t spend on luxuries—no new clothes every season, no fancy restaurants, no splurging. She prefers nature and free activities that reflect her free spirit.
Her priorities are clear. Every dollar she saves goes toward travel. She only invests in what serves her work: filming equipment, a phone, camera, and microphone. For lodging, she uses hostels, couch-surfing apps, or hotels that offer her free stays in exchange for promotion.
As her Instagram grew, Lilian started receiving collaboration offers from tourism institutions and made additional income from ads. But the real shift came with launching her YouTube channel, where her travel videos gained wide attention and started generating income from views.
She doesn’t choose her destinations randomly. For her, discovering a country starts with the people—not landmarks or landscapes. When she travels, her goal is to enter homes, share meals, and listen to stories—living the locals’ daily lives.
She’s drawn to countries that still preserve human connections—where life hasn’t been swallowed by modern routine. “I don’t care about seeing a famous landmark. I care about meeting a human being.” That’s how her trips to Pakistan and other places were. She’s not chasing luxury, but honest experiences—where a tourist is seen as a guest, not a walking bank account. Her content reflects this: simple, spontaneous, and truthful—portraying life as it is, not how ads glamorize it.
Lebanon remains her closest story and the key to her success—whether she documents a village day, a homemade meal in the mountains, or a heartfelt conversation with elders. People resonate deeply because she reminds them that simplicity is still possible. That’s why her Lebanese content became the most widely viewed on Instagram and YouTube—it’s real and relatable.
When Lilian mentions Pakistan, many think of violence or extremism. She asks: “How can we judge 240 million people? All of Lebanon isn’t half the size of one city there.” That’s why she travels—to redraw the image and show the real, human side of people who are more like us than we think. With her camera, she captures candid moments and opens a window into cultures often distorted by Western media narratives.
She acknowledges the challenges: instability and the difficulty of freelance work that depends on mood and willpower. But she pushes forward with a bigger mission—“to introduce people to one another without prejudice.”
Lilian describes travel as “life’s most beautiful university,” where the key lessons are respect and acceptance, regardless of culture or habits. For her, travel isn’t just moving between places—it’s an opportunity to understand others and get closer to their essence, beyond judgment and stereotypes.
She emphasizes the importance of genuine interaction with her followers, replying to their messages to create a space of human connection. She believes everyone has their own path and refuses to imitate others—insisting on crafting a journey that fits her reality and dreams.
Lilian concludes:
“Travel is not just about seeing new places—it’s a comfort for the soul and a way to understand others as they are, without judgment or constraints.”