Moin Khan, who studied International Business from the San Francisco State University, California, is known for his vagabond travelling and love for Pakistan. In the summer of 2011, he left San Francisco for Lahore for an approximately 20,000-mile epic trip on a sport bike. Recently, he has been under limelight -- for releasing a travel film Rediscovering Pakistan - an untold tale, which he says is the most "organic film".

Here, Khan talks about travelling, the challenges he encountered, his most memorable experiences and how travelling changed the course of his life…

The News on Sunday (TNS): Where are you settled these days?

Moin Khan (MK): I really don’t know. Look, I came back from Kashmir last night and after three days I am flying to Mongolia for 16 days. I think I am settled on roads.

TNS: Did you always know that you wanted to travel or you discovered after San Francisco-Lahore trip?

MK: I abhorred travelling all of life. Perhaps, I still don’t like travelling. The only reason I travel is because I like talking to new people and I just love telling them about Pakistan. This is the only thing I love about travelling.

TNS: When did you realise that you are in love with Pakistan?

MK: I realised it the moment I landed in San Francisco. I told myself that I would finish my studies and head back to Pakistan. That said, San Francisco helped me in fostering my personality. I was a very shy guy but living in San Francisco opened me up. I became more confident and now I enjoy talking to people the most.

TNS: You have mentioned in your interviews that your journey from San Francisco to Lahore divulged the better side of Pakistan to the world and you did purely for Pakistan. There are people who think that you did that ride merely for your self-amusement, for your love of motorbikes.

MK: (shrugs) I took the path less trodden and that needs sheer patriotism. I don’t think I would have had such motivation to travel from San Francisco to Lahore on a sport bike had it not been for Pakistan. I wasn’t doing it for fame. I wasn’t looking for sponsors. Nobody even knew that I was doing this trip apart from two of my friends in San Francisco. On July 8, I called home and told them that I was coming to Lahore on a motorcycle and, on July 10, I left SFO.  So, nobody knew about this.

TNS: If you didn’t tell anyone, how come Shahbaz Sharif was there to welcome you?

MK: I don’t know! When I reached Multan, I was told that I was to go to the Expo Centre in Lahore directly instead of going home.

TNS: What’s your playlist when you travel?

MK: While driving a car, yes, I do listen to music but I loathe music when I am on a bike. The sound of the exhaust, the sound of wind blowing, the sound from rubber tyres, the sound of engine… all that is music for me, very melodious.

TNS: I have heard that you don’t use maps or GPS while travelling. Why is that?

MK: I like to get lost! And as a result, I get to talk to more people.

TNS: Are you a bag packer or someone who plans his travel way before the trip?

MK: I don’t plan anything. I am very spontaneous. I don’t even bother to Google weather forecast.

TNS: How much budget is important for having an adventurous trip?

MK: Well, it depends on the kind of travelling one wants to do. Having said that, it’s not the money you have in your pocket that unearths the adventurist out of you. I would tell a new traveller that the equipment doesn’t have to be the state-of-the-art to make your best adventure. I had a 2002 sport bike with USD9,000 when I came from San Francisco to Lahore, which is way below par and it turned out to be an amazing trip. The budget for the scooter trip from Lahore to Khunjerab Pass was Rs30,000, including the scooter price. So, budget doesn’t really matter.

The trailer of “Rediscovering Pakistan – The Untold Tale” – A motorcycle Journey

TNS: In the movie, Rediscovering Pakistan…, Americans on 125cc motorbikes travelled with you from Islamabad to Pakistan-China border. Considering the frenzy of fanaticism in Pakistan, weren’t you scared?

MK: Of course I was scared. I won’t be human if I was not scared. I knew that if anything wrong happens to one of the Americans that would hurt Pakistan, in fact would be catastrophic for Pakistan. But I just had a feeling that Pakistan would be nice to them. Sometimes, I can just tell - I had a gut feeling that nothing would go wrong.

TNS: One of the ladies (Natalie Goode from California) in the film broke down and was crying before leaving Pakistan. Why was that?

MK: She was crying because she said that since 9/11, Americans have been forced to hate the Muslim world. But she discovered so much love and kindness amid the people of Pakistan that she broke down.

TNS: Why did you call this film the most "organic film"?

MK: The reason why I call it an organic film is because it had no script, no retakes, was shot by a DSLR and a drone camera - all in the mountains with no animation whatsoever.

TNS: Would this film make a difference?

MK: The idea was to show the bikers of the world that they must visit Pakistan and should come and ride with me. Plus, the numbers say for themselves. In 2013, on my invitation, two foreigners came to Pakistan, in 2014, the number was 15 and, in 2015, 35 foreigners are going to visit Pakistan. Hence, I don’t think I am making huge difference but within my capacity I am trying my best.

TNS: Name three cities where you would like to live?

MK: The first unequivocally Lahore, second San Francisco and then Berlin.

TNS: What would you say to anyone who wants to be a traveller like Moin Khan?

MK: I wanted to be a guitarist like Slash and wanted to be a drummer like John Bonham, I mean I wanted to be somebody else but you can’t be somebody else. You have got to figure out what you love to do and just do that. You have to be yourself.

TNS: Which city disappointed you the most?

MK: Rome disappointed me the most. Though, it’s not the city that disappoints you but it’s actually the people.

TNS: What have you learnt through travelling?

MK: Travelling was spiritually stimulating; I learnt something new about myself everyday. The most important thing is that I am now fearless. I do not fear getting out of my comfort zone or fear the unseen. And then essentially travelling is about getting out there and exploring how other people live.

TNS: You are doing some social work also, aren’t you?

MK: Yes, I am running a girls’ school in a small village Akhtar-da-Dera nearby Lahore. I visit that school once or twice a week where I interact with these little girls and tell them my tales of travelling. Besides, I am also running a school where I teach girls how to ride motorbike, which is also absolutely free of cost.

TNS: Would social work lead to politics by any chance?

MK: I don’t imagine myself getting into politics. Though, I wouldn’t mind being head of tourism department because I reckon nobody has done anything for tourism in Pakistan. I can certainly contribute a lot in that sector.