About Us

NatnZin is a travel and food blog run by Nathan and Zinara, mainly focused on community-based, responsible travel. We are passionate about supporting local communities through travel and enjoy off-grid destinations. We focus on sharing information about homes on the road – be it luxury resorts, Ecolodges, homestays, hostels or BnBs. We are two storytellers, two big foodies, and love gastronomic adventures. Through NatnZin, we share our real, raw experiences on the road, and stories of our lives combined with captivating photography.

Some facts about us:

1. We met in a backpack hostel (hello, Clock Inn Colombo), fell in love, and started traveling together. We bonded over our love for cricket (please, don’t watch it).
2. Our first trip together was a small day-trip to Galle to watch a Test match. We never really watched the match but, we enjoyed wandering around Fort, having a thambili (king coconut), and finally enjoying a nice meal at one of the quirky restaurants.
3. Nathan was born in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), studied his Bachelors in Chennai, India, moved to Sydney to pursue his Masters, and finally came to Sri Lanka. So, although Sri Lanka is where his parents are from, the island is still very new to him.
4. Zin grew up in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, and was always a small town girl with big beautiful dreams.
5. She is younger than a lot of you think and still is at uni completing her Bachelors in Humanities while she works as a freelance writer, and a Social Media Executive. Yep! Busy life.
6. She was a science kid who ditched state uni and said bye-bye to her parents’ dream. At first, they were crushed. but now, they are happy and hopeful. Be bold, kids. Happiness follows you when you start doing what you love.
7. Nathan has a BEng in Computer Science and Master’s of Business in Marketing and now works as a Digital Marketing Executive. He’s also completed a few professional photography projects.
8. He also speaks five languages (we love a bit of boasting – after all this is the only page that’s solely dedicated to us): English, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Urdu.
9. We have an imaginary cat called Guppy, and an imaginary doggo called Trent Boult, named after the two New Zealand cricketers Martin Guptill, and Trent Boult (if you need to know why, say hi to us at info@natnzin.com).
10. We are two big cricket fans. It may sound confusing but currently, we both do not have a team. New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are some of our favorites in no particular order.
11. We love the hospitality and the warmth of rural villages, of those homestays and BnBs we get to call home, at least for a few days. Landscapes are beautiful but we believe it’s the people who create a big impact in our lives, specially on the road.
12. We are from two different races, two different ethnic groups, two different religions, two very different cultures, two very radically different home countries, and English is the only common language we both speak. Our friends and distant family often think our relationship is, well…rebellious. But it’s the 21st-century kids, and love sees no boundaries.

Already in love with us? Read about how we met here.

If you are a brand that has a fresh new idea, see our Work With Us page, or say hello to us at info@natnzin.com. You can tweet to us @illusionslk or to Zinara, separately, @Zin10SantaFe. Nathan is on Twitter as @Neshan_Nathan. If you need any help planning your trip, or basically just want to say hi, feel free to write to us at info@natnzin.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Love,

Nathan and Zinara

Founders of NatnZin