If you are here, I am hoping you are interested in knowing the person behind the face so read on!
Why this blog?
I share stories from my travels across India and the world in this blog. I devour maps, travel articles and guide books. To be honest the world is far larger than we can fathom and even if we seek to see a new part of it everyday, we aren’t going to be able to see it all. I love travelling through other people’s experiences and love sharing my own.
To let you in on a secret, I quit my job way back in 2004 hoping to become a travel writer. I ended up doing a whole variety of things and met some incredible people along the way, but none of this had anything to do with travel. I have changed and so has the world around me, but travel is an addiction that I can’t seem to shake off!
There isn’t a defining moment that turned me into a traveler. Its my state of being and I think my parents unknowingly nurtured me into becoming a wanderer. I really do owe this to them!
Travelling as a family
I can’t imagine what my childhood would have been had it not been for my parents who took us on trips big and small across the length and breadth of India. I was just 9 when my parents sent my two sisters and me on a 13 day trip across Europe. We travelled with unknown people, went to countries where the food seemed strange, where the language sounded absurd, just dealing with all the different currencies felt overwhelming, but that trip was definitely a highlight of my growing up years.
Ever since my daughter was born in 2012, the way I travel has changed. I now explore the world through my daughter’s eyes and we have a lot of fun as a family discovering new places together.
We seek to find experiences that our daughter would enjoy and also those that would enrich her, as we believe that travelling is a great way to learn outside the classroom. We hope to expose her to varied travel experiences ranging from staying on a farm, to taking her on road trips, to going hiking, to discovering the soul of big cities that’s often hidden behind a facade of steel and glass.
Travelling solo
A trip to Kutch, Gujarat last October was my first solo trip and it blew my mind. I had so many apprehensions about safety, being alone and so on before I headed out, but I have come back a changed person and can’t wait to do this again.
I indulged myself and enjoyed doing that. I spoke to people who otherwise I would never have spoken too and I felt very confident and comfortable in my skin. Travelling solo is such a heady feeling and one that I would urge you to try once at least.