Most travel channels start with a trip. Vishnu Saha's started with a laptop. Before Wandering Maniac became a travel channel, freelancing was how he paid for the journeys.
Freelancing first
He has described the order plainly. "I started doing freelancing and with that, I used to fund my initial travels and then slowly I started making videos on YouTube," he told the travel community NomadMania in 2023. Over time the balance shifted: "now I'm making videos on YouTube and travelling full time."
His own site describes the same path: he started freelancing before his YouTube journey, driven by a passion for working remotely.
Going further than most
The countries on his list are not the usual ones. In the 2023 interview he said his travel had focused on Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including places few travellers visit, such as South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan and Iran.
His country count keeps climbing, which is why sources disagree. The NomadMania interview, from August 2023, put it at around 35. The Hyderabad Hustlers conversation, published in December 2024, introduced him as a 26-year-old who had explored 55 countries.
Why Hyderabad
In the Hyderabad Hustlers conversation, Vishnu talks about his life before travelling, why he only travels internationally, and how he "ended up in Hyderabad", followed by why Hyderabad. He also covers a childhood fascination with English, running a music band, and a personality that wants to "do everything".
The lesson for would-be freelancers
His story is a useful counterweight to the idea that creators start with a camera and an audience. He started with a skill clients would pay for, used it to buy time and freedom, and built the channel on top. The audience came later.
In a separate story we look at what he now teaches other freelancers.
This story is based on Hyderabad Hustlers' conversation with Vishnu Saha and the public sources listed below. Country counts are as stated on the dates shown.
