The journey
behind the name.

Where my story begins

I was born in Kerala, India. My family called me Chinnu, and my official name is Liji Rachel John. In March 2012 I arrived in Bahrain.

Today, even though I am Indian by nationality, Bahrain is the country I consider home. It is not simply where I live. It is where I feel safe and where I belong.

Whenever I leave Bahrain, even for a holiday, it feels as though I have been sent away from my own home. Even in India I find it hard to stay longer than two weeks before I start missing it. And whenever I come back, I feel something I cannot fully describe. I am home.

India is where I was born, where my roots and family history began. Bahrain is where I grew into the person I am today.

The country that helped me discover myself

In more than fourteen years here I have lived many chapters. I have made friends, built professional relationships and worked with colleagues from different countries, cultures and religions. Some people brought happiness. Some taught me difficult lessons. All of it helped me grow.

Bahrain taught me independence, responsibility, patience and acceptance, and the importance of understanding people beyond their differences. Most of all, it helped me understand myself.

The choices that shaped my life

I believe life is shaped by the choices we make. I have had many ups and downs, and times when I felt tired, disappointed or completely overwhelmed. Sometimes I needed time to recover. Sometimes I had to begin again. But I always found my way forward.

I don’t believe every difficulty is necessary. What I believe is that even when I cannot control what happens to me, I can choose how I respond and what I do next. That belief is an important part of who I am.

My connection with ancient Dilmun

A few years ago I became curious about ancient history, spirituality and the mysteries of human existence. I spent hours reading, and that is how I discovered Dilmun.

Dilmun was an ancient civilisation closely associated with Bahrain and the wider Gulf. In Mesopotamian writings it appears as a sacred land linked with purity and life, and later theories have even connected Bahrain with the Garden of Eden. I loved those stories. I imagined what life in ancient Dilmun might have been like, and sometimes I imagined that I had lived here in another lifetime, born here and living in peace.

I understand these as personal feelings, not historical proof. But they deepened a connection I already felt.

The island of pearls

Bahrain is historically known as the Island of Pearls, famous for its natural pearls and centuries of pearling heritage. Of all the places in the world, I found myself living on one of them. To me that is a beautiful coincidence. I cannot say it proves anything about destiny, but it became part of the meaning I give to Bahrain, and it is why a pearl sits at the centre of our logo.

The Tree of Life

Another place with special meaning for me is the Tree of Life. When my heart feels heavy or I simply need some calm, I sometimes go and sit there with my thoughts. To me it stands for endurance and survival, and for the strength to keep standing even in difficult conditions. Strength does not always need to be loud. Sometimes it is simply continuing to stand.

The work that prepared me

My years in travel, tourism and transport, including my time with ABC Limousine and Salam Bahrain Travel & Tourism, taught me how the industry really works: customers, suppliers, bookings, documents, coordination and problem-solving.

I also learned that travel is not always predictable. A booking can become complicated. A visa can be refused. A flight can be disrupted. A customer may be worried or facing an emergency. Good service is not only about completing a transaction. It is about how we respond when something goes wrong.

Over time I developed my own ideas about how a travel company should work, with professionalism, transparency and real care in its everyday culture. I didn’t know then that those ideas would become the foundation of my own company.

Why I wanted a business of my own

I have always liked business, but my ambition was never simply to become very wealthy. I want to earn enough to live with dignity, meet my responsibilities and build a secure future without unnecessary financial fear. For me, success means independence, stability and peace of mind, and honest work I can be proud of.

The birth of Dilmun Journeys

When I decided to start my company, I wanted its name to mean something. I wanted a name that stood for the country I love, the history that fascinated me and the journey that shaped my life. That name was Dilmun.

Dilmun Journeys W.L.L. received its Commercial Registration on 24 September 2026. I handled the work of establishing it myself, step by step: the applications, registrations, documents, approvals and follow-ups. There were things I had never done before and procedures I had to learn. There were delays and complications that needed patience. Each completed task gave me a sense of achievement.

Gradually, Dilmun stopped being only a company I wanted to set up. It became something I am responsible for, and something I care about very deeply. I want it to grow beyond my own effort one day, with a team that shares its values and standards.

What “Always Reliable” means to me

The promise behind Dilmun Journeys is simple: Always Reliable. To me, reliability is not a marketing phrase. It is a responsibility.

It means being honest with customers and communicating clearly. It means treating people’s time, money and worries with respect. It means taking responsibility when something goes wrong instead of avoiding the difficult conversation, and never making promises we cannot reasonably keep.

I know that in travel, not everything is in our control. Flights get delayed, visas get refused and plans change. But how we communicate and how seriously we take our responsibility are things we can control. That is what reliability means to me.

The feeling I want every customer to have

Bahrain has always given me one feeling: safety. I want to bring that same sense of trust and reassurance to Dilmun Journeys. I want every customer to feel comfortable asking questions, to know their concerns matter, and to trust that someone is sincerely looking after their journey.

Because travel is not always a holiday. Sometimes it is a family reunion, a business commitment, a parent going to meet their child, or a journey made in an emergency. Sometimes it is a dream someone has saved for over many years. Every journey has a purpose and every customer has a story, and I want Dilmun to respect that.

I don’t want Dilmun to be a company that only sells tickets, visas and hotels. I want it to be a company people feel comfortable trusting. I cannot promise that every journey will be perfect. I can promise that I will always try to give my best.

What Dilmun really represents

The name connects many parts of my life. It connects my love for Bahrain with the ancient civilisation that fascinated me. It connects the Island of Pearls and the Tree of Life with my own search for meaning. It connects my choices, my struggles and my determination to keep moving forward. It connects my years of experience with my wish to build a company on responsibility and trust. And it connects the safety I have found in Bahrain with the experience I want our customers to have.

For me, a journey is not only about travelling from one place to another. Sometimes it is about discovering where we belong. Sometimes it is about finding the strength to begin again. And sometimes it is about finding the courage to build something we never imagined we could.

I was born in India. Bahrain became my home. Life here shaped who I am. And Dilmun became the journey I chose to build. Now, through Dilmun Journeys, I want to offer others the same care, confidence and belonging I have found here.

That is my story, and that is the heart behind Dilmun Journeys.

Within Dilmun. Beyond Dilmun. Through Dilmun.

— Liji Rachel John, Founder

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