On Travelling

I love traveling…….

I write about my travels ………

I have a travel blog ………

My travel blog ……….. https://walkwithanil.travel.blog/

When I was asked to write an article about one of my travels, I felt that rather than writing about my travels, I should write about how and when and why and where to travel …….. besides you can always read about my travels in my blog.

I think the first question one must ask themselves – why do you want to travel?

The answer will often reveal your preferred travel destination –

Some wish to travel because

• It shows you have arrived financially
• Upgrades your social status when in reality the only recollection of the places you spent a fortune to visit has to be refreshed by the photos/selfies taken
• Peer pressure – Every one does it and/or If they do it – we should also do it
• They had fun when they were there and we should also have fun
• Meet friends/relatives

Above are some of the most common reasons for traveling, another reason why we Indians love traveling overseas – you will hear this refrain more frequently than recitation of the gayatri mantra on the banks of the Ganga at Benares – “Oh, everything is so clean” – we just want to see a place that is clean and oh – the added bonus – we did not have the responsibility to keep it clean.

I invite you to travel for reasons other than the above.

Look back at your oldest of memories, of trips/visits you will note the fondest memories are those that connect people with the places you visited and not the places themselves.

Two years ago my wife Revathi and I took a trip to UK, we visited Scotland – the Loch Ness, the Edinburgh Castle, a distillery, London of course is a tourists paradise, but the memories I cherish are – no not the Westminster/Castle Edinburgh/Loch Ness – yes they were impressive when I visited them, but I cherish the memories of our nephew Prasad getting me a case of assorted Belgian Beer when he had to hop across the channel on a business trip, his two daughters Anya and Tanya trying to plait my thinning hair and their fascination at my homegrown generous midspread, the warm hospitality of Prasad and Anjali. My cousin Jagadish whose wife Jahnavi whipped up an amazing meal for us, and Jagadish driving us across the country to Wales (and yes we took pictures and selfies). Meeting two batch-mates Yogi and Vivek Puri and reconnecting with them at altogether different levels. Our reunion with Ben and Gemma, our young English friends whom we met at Udaipur (Christmas 2006) and who stayed a few days with us in Mumbai, on their journey around the world before they settled down and decided to start a family. The lovely dinner we had where Ben introduced me to the best fish n chips I ever had, the care they took to select vegetarian dishes for Revathi. The sense of history that pervades and is so rigorously maintained at their national and heritage sites. For me these memories define my trip to UK.

Do not plan a trip to a place that you do not have a connect with intellectually, emotionally or not to be underestimated – curiosity and a spirit of adventure.

I firmly believe that the real fun and understanding of a place comes after multiple visits – my all time repeat favorites are Jaisalmer and Udaipur, Himachal and Goa (really doesn’t count as I partially live there) – SE Asia (food and hospitality – awesome) and a recent surprise Tamil Nadu – considering we had a driving holiday during the hotter part of the year last year, I plan to go back again whenever I can, the places I HAVE to go back to – Leh, Dharamshala, Bhutan and Sikkim.

It is impossible for anyone to absorb the full feel of the place during one visit, unless you stay there for a sufficiently long period where you can re-visit the places you liked and hang around spots where you can feel, experience and soak in the ambiance of the place.

Traveling with family is good, but traveling with friends is often better – try it.

But – Travel alone, to places where it is difficult to find companions with similar interest else everyone is going to be uncomfortable or worse miserable.

If it is a new place you are traveling to, read up on it well before you travel, I have found the Lonely Planet very useful, the Trip Adviser also gives very useful information, also connecting with people who have been there before gives you a great idea of what to expect, avoid and seek.

Choose what interests you and what you wish to see, if you are strapped for time avoid museums and art galleries unless they are a serious interest – and you are willing to devote more than a “walk-through” tour time.

In case you are not on a package tour, you should stay in a homestay or AirBnB – some of the hosts are really fantastic and give you a better feel of the local atmosphere and are reliable guides and advisers.

When to travel? Anytime – there is always some place in this country or planet that will be benign and hospitable at that time of the year. It also depends on what you want – we prefer off-season, less people – more affordable, but it may also lack the “buzz” and/or “we are safe with so many people around” factor.

How to travel? As light as you can – learn from the western back-packers, during our earlier trips we used to overload ourselves with clothing that returned “as packed”. Carry extra underwear, unless you don’t wear any or you get emotionally attached to these garments and wear them till your olfactory system threatens to commit suicide. Unless you are a photography freak – avoid carrying bulky cameras, the mobile today is quite good but do carry a selfie stick and small tripod as accessories.

No matter why you wish to travel, when or how – travel you must, this is the best form of education you can gift yourself, and in time even some tense moments can become warm memories like our drive down from Ladakh in a car with a burnt out clutch, no garage in sight, no spares but a brilliant mountain driver, – now that’s a story for another day.

Happy Journeying