Have Halal, Will Travel (HHWT)

Salam (Peace), 2016

The idea of Have Halal, Will Travel (HHWT) first came about in 2013, when we (Mikhail, Suzana and Elaine) were on an exchange programme in Seoul. We were surprised that the task of finding accurate information on halal food was extremely challenging, even with help from several online reference sources. We then realized that there was a need for a consolidated space where Muslim travellers could seek out recommendations about what to see and do, especially in countries where halal food is difficult to find. What first started out as a side project became our livelihood in October 2015, when we left our jobs to focus on HHWT full-time.

Our mission is to inspire more Muslims to see the world by making it easy for them to travel. We do so by crafting practical guides for popular destinations around the world on our online publication. Our guides range from halal food guides and Muslim friendly travel guides to complete itineraries. Inspired by the many Muslim travellers referring to our guides, we built our HHWT Travel Planner app to facilitate the planning process even further. Instead of relying on multiple sources to find information, users can easily find halal eateries, attractions and nearby prayer spaces, all in one place! Right now, we have Seoul, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hong Kong and Singapore on the app, with more to come.

Our hope for the world is to continue spreading peace and understanding among people of different backgrounds. For many in non-Muslim majority countries, their first impressions of Muslims is shaped by mainstream media and more often than not, these are not positive images.

We see travel as a force of peace as we meet people of different backgrounds when we travel. With these positive interactions between Muslims and non-Muslims, any biases and stereotypes that are held by either party can be broken down. The simple act of sharing a meal or going on a trip together is a great way for people to get to know one another.

Just look at our team, we're all from different backgrounds (Muslim, non-Muslim, different races) but we're on the same mission - to spread peace among people regardless of race, language or religion.

We hope that you do the same as well.