I did not know travel was a cool thing to do!
Travel was not a part of our growing up equation. Summer holidays were spent at grandparents’ and winter break meant a visit from relatives. When we finally started travelling it was with close family or friends all packed in a van road tripping and zipping through places at break neck speed or squeezing everything out of a destination. Travel was not immersive it was merely checking boxes
As an 80’s kid, technically me and my tribe belong to Gen Y but we do rub shoulders with Gen X in terms of what is considered culturally correct. To get your education, get a job, get married, work hard, earn money and then spend it on buying a home or a car or save it for your future. Everything is planned and these are your milestones in life. I tinkered with it a bit, by spending most of my money on travel, experiences and life.
I cannot pin point to an exact time when I started romanticising travel, but I do attribute it to my habit of reading during my years growing up. They shaped my imagination & then television and cinema became a point of reference. Travelling for me started in my early 20s after I became financially independent. Although it sounds clichéd, but I will not lie, my first real trip was Goa. My first stamp on the passport was for Maldives and my first solo trip was Austria. I cannot describe in words, the excitement of these first’s when it comes to travel. Since then it has been onwards and upwards.
Some of the most vivid ones are a non- itinerary bound trip to Spain, spotting the tiger in the wild for the first time, discovering ruins of a British era building in the mountains of Kumaon. Spending hours exploring Salzburg on foot and taking in the breathtaking beauty of that place. A one-way ticket to Australia and spending months in the country. Staying for a week with a family in a small hamlet in Uttrakhand, cut off from the world. Stuck at a deserted station in Spain in the middle of the night with not a soul around. Exploring the bazaars of Jaipur to catching the sunrise on the banks of Ganges in Varanasi. Discovering quaint beaches on our drive to Pondicherry and then walking around the colorful French boulevard. Discovering Calcutta’s rich history to relishing local food during every travel. I have stayed in BnBs, super luxurious hotels, boutique hotels, homes and hostels. I have travelled solo, on creative pursuits, for work, with friends, family & even rediscovered cities that I had lived in or travelled to when I was younger. I did it all and there is still so much more to do, to see, to discover to experience.
It did leave me financially poorer than my peers but much richer in terms of stories, experiences, value of human connection and instinct. The unknown in travelling excites me. The Culture, Food & People excite me. It is a fodder for creativity & inspiration, helps me take a break from the mundane and pick up interesting aspects that reflect in my personal and professional realms. It clears my head and gives me a sense of who I am.
I embraced travel a year or two before it became this cool thing to do and before Instagram arrived. I had a small audience for my stories and there were very few mediums to connect with fellow explorers. Today there is this online osmosis that is re-contextualising the way we look at travel. Instagram is shaping destinations and has become an important part of travel research. It has even created jobs that we never knew existed, read – influencers. Bloggers, communities and traveller tribes are connecting, sharing ideas and inspiring so many to travel. There is so much conversation around travel. What makes me happy is that meaningful & sustainable travel that looks at giving back to the community is gathering momentum and the fact that I am able to contribute to this narrative.
I say, find a reason to travel, even if it is for work, take out time to explore. Do it for that Instagram post or because it is a cool thing to do. Get out there and see the world and don’t let anyone dissuade you. Trust me it’s an investment because how else will you end up having a lifelong memory of cruising in a shikara on Dal Lake in Srinagar during the twilight hour, a slight nip in the air, sipping Kahwa trying to look for a shop in the floating market that would accept cards so that you could pick up that beautiful handmade scarf by a local craftsman for your mother. (more on this may be later). Oh and you do get a monetary return on investment – “all those air-miles”
