I still remember the first time I stepped onto Baku’s waterfront. The Caspian breeze felt different from the predictable desert heat I knew so well from Dubai. Street musicians were playing near the Bulvar, couples were strolling with ice creams, and teenagers zipped past...

I still remember landing at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi early one hazy morning, sipping my tiny plastic cup of water while inching through the immigration line. Every few minutes, someone ahead of me would panic, flip open their phone and whisper, “Do we need some QR...