Travel has been a part of me since childhood. Dad worked with an Airline and so, by default, we travelled with him often. By 5-6 years of age I had seen NY, London, Far East etc. And travel was something I simply loved doing. He has retired since, but my insatiable appetite for exotic travel remains, the more offbeat, the better!
I often find myself planning for trips I intend to take in the middle of a busy day! I will suddenly open up a travel website and check out options for trips. The trips dont often materialise, but what the heck, that doesnt seem to stop me! Last year, I managed to visit 13 destinations, and mind you, all but one was an official visit to Goa.
Travel gives me a chance to disconnect with my mundane life. It allows me the anonymity of an unfamiliar destination. It broadens my mind to new ways of living, to new ideas, to new insights which staying at home doesmt allow me. I love to take in the history and culture of a new place and relate it to my own. I love to feel the peace of a remote location and contrast that to the hustle and bustle of chaotic Mumbai! Small town India fascinates me no end as I observe it through the eyes of a cosmopolitan urbane citizen of a bustling OTT metropolis like Mumbai. I love the small eating joints, the friendly welcoming nature of the small town folk and the local often amusing dialects and languages! India has so much to offer to us city people! Mumbai or Delhi is not India. India lives in its small towns of Pune, Jaipur, Amritsar, Manipal or Kochi! And I long to go back each time I visit a new city to make sure I've done almost every nook and cranny!
So also, with places abroad. While I love the appeal of international shopping destinations like Bangkok or Dubai, what atracts me is the more off-the-beaten path locales. I went to Koh Samui and was awstruck by the brillant green of the waters or the single monolith like rock islands which jutted out from the crystal clear waters of the Indo China sea. I loved equally the old style souks & the modern flashy malls of Dubai and yet found our crab fishing expedition off the coast of Umm al Quain delightful and exicting! The old world charm and architecture of Budapest was as appealing as the old church I went to in Frankfurt!
Travel gives me the opportunity to push my limits! Whether it is rafting down the mighty magnificent Ganga at Rishikesh or my terrible attempt at paddling a kayak or just snorkelling with the myriad colourful fish in Thailand, it challenges me and sends adrenaline pumping through my system! Makes me feel young & alive!!
Oh!!! I could go on & on! What I am trying to get at is that Travel for me, is my abode of peace, so to speak! I feel at peace when I am out on the road! Even if I have to travel alone, which I prefer, because I dont have to put up with anyone's diverse preferences to put it mildly, I love the idea of being out there taking in more of what this magnificent world has to offer!
So please ditch the tour operators, do it on your own, ''coz it more fun and hugely gratifying! And especially if you are a woman! Take along a companion or two (mostly like-minded, hopefully) and make the effort to travel because of the broader perspective it gives to your life! And trust me, with each journey, you will learn a little more about your own self, in addition to a little more of the world we live in!
I remember that Tata Safari ad. Posted here for your reference!
At the end of your worldly journey, you wont remember your corner office, your boardroom battles, deals you won or reports you created! What stays with you are your experiences, your extraordinary journeys and the people you met along the way!
Happy Travels People!!!
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