US, BASICALLY
How MW Travel came to life
MW Travel started with two people who were already far too obsessed with travel before they met. Matt had spent nearly 15 years in the industry, Wahyu had fallen hard for hotels, brands, design and the details that make a place feel special. Then one right swipe in Bali somehow turned all of that into a shared life. Romantic, slightly ridiculous, but here we are.
Working in hospitality changes the way you travel. You notice things. The welcome, the flow of a space, the way a team carries a property, the tiny moments of surprise and delight that make you stop and think, that was clever. We love luxury, we love beautiful design and yes, we really, really love hotels. But the part that keeps pulling us in is how a place comes alive through the people behind it.
The hotel might be what brings us somewhere, but curiosity is usually what takes over next. We want to understand the destination around it, not just the polished version. Having lived in Bali, Bhutan and the UK, Asia will always feel like a huge part of our story. It is impossible to treat it as one place, because every country feels completely different, but there is a warmth and openness we have felt again and again. The food, the welcome, the sense that people want to show you where they are from.
Over time, we realised that when we spoke about travel in this way, people seemed to connect with it. The hotels, the details, the people, the stories, the feeling of a place when it really lands. MW Travel came from wanting to give all of that somewhere to live. A place to keep telling those stories through photography, video and writing, and to share the parts of travel that continue to pull us in.
“I was told to say something profound here, but I’m better behind the camera.”
— Wahyu
“Somewhere behind every polished photo is us trying not to laugh, arguing over the angle, or wondering where the next coffee is coming from.”
— Matt
Matt’s travel style sits somewhere between “let’s climb that mountain” and “is there champagne at the hotel?” He’s worked in travel for nearly 20 years and still loves the feeling of discovering somewhere that changes how you see the world.
Wahyu has a soft spot for five-star hotels, beautiful design and anything that feels properly considered. He’s usually the quieter one, until a place, person or detail catches his attention. Then the camera comes out and the opinions follow. He also has a Mancunian accent strong enough to turn his own name into Wagyu, but that’s a different story.