Happy greed
I think it’s the greed to spend time on my own, collect stories and so far, I have always travelled alone. A lot of work that I get and a lot of places that I have visited it’s either all alone or with my brother and mother. So, I have this incessant greed, which is a happy greed to experience new cultures, new tastes or have conversations with strangers. And I really do that…I actually sit with the people I have never met in my life and somehow the experiences tend to bond us. And the funny thing is that every single time I am in a new place and you meet someone for the very first time, you tend to leave a small impact on each other’s lives, which is so fantastic and so raw. And I think that’s the beauty of travelling.
Nature girl
Well, it would be fair to say that I have my head up in the clouds when I am in the mountains. I have my soul soaked in the ocean because when I scuba dive I can hear my breath very closely…almost like listening to my soul. And I have my feet firmly planted on land. So, it will be better to say that I am a person who is a mixture of the elements of nature.
Adventure matters
For me, it’s more about what gets my adrenaline shooting to crazy levels. I like scuba diving, I like to go and climb a mountain. Then I would also go for trekking, river rafting — so that is basically my thing to do. I enjoy disappearing into places out of the city chaos and just sittin in a place by myself, staring endlessly and possibly collecting my thoughts and myself together. And that’s my idea and sense of a holiday.
Talk to know more
I travel on whim and do research too. Most of the time I try to pick a place that I have never visited in my life. For example, last year I did Cambodia. It was like a basic little sketch on the places I must go to see. But you only get to dwell on the local places to eat, experience is when you have conversations with people which helps you know the place better as well. Hence, I try to kind of keep a mix of both wherein I do my basic research, for example, what currency I need, the kind of travel culture I need to imbibe to respect them or whatever reason. So when I get there I extend my trip by talking to people and make it more in-depth.
Travel with my tribe
I have never actually taken a vacation with friends, so that’s definitely something on my list. I would actually like to go on a trip with all my girlfriends. And I am a little inspired by Priyanka Chopra’s bachelorette party and I think it just looked freaking fabulous.
Digital detox
If I’m in a place with no reception then I only take pictures, and post them when I am back. But most of the time my eyes are very aware and I am always looking around and finally I end up finding out all the crazy things at the places of visit. So, when I was in Greece I saw this beautiful board, which was like a ‘No Entry’ sign but someone had added graffiti, ‘No Borders’ and I just found that to be so enduring, maybe because that’s the kind of world I would like to live in — a world without borders. Hence, I took a picture and someday I am going to put it up in my house.
Highs and lows
Japan has been my most favourite, I was actually getting away from the boarded pressure which I was experiencing in Mumbai. So, I disappeared into a brand new country and met the people of the place, learned a completely different culture, climbed on Mount Fuji. So just in terms of culture, helpfulness, genuine ears to listen because the Japanese do not speak any English so just to be able to communicate with them I think was an incredible and enriching experience of my life.
I wouldn’t say it was the worst but it’s just that I lived in Dubai for so long that it doesn’t charm me any more. So when I go to Dubai, I still go to my good old local places…have my chai and eggrolls but it doesn’t really please me. When I look around everything feels so fabricated. So, it’s a place I least look forward to visiting.
Light or heavy
Ninety percent of the time I travel light, like super light. My entire Japan trip was done in just a backpack. I am not that person who carries seven different shoes, seven different outfits, accessories or make-up. There is just one tiny little bag of make-up which is the basic and a few travel essentials. Even my hair is always tied up in a bun — that’s my style of travel.
Off the grid
So yeah, when I climbed Cangkrigan which was year before last on my birthday. It was 15 days of not using your phone at all and it was the best experience ever. I have gone off the grid a few times over and it’s just complete silence. I would possibly document my pictures that caught my eye or attention but zero updates on social media — I was completely off it.
Overcoming jet lag
I drink a lot of water and I try to push myself. I reset my clock, let’s say I travel to the other end of the world and I come back so I try my best to stay awake for the entire day and I do that for about three days. Or I just submerge myself in work because then I don’t have a choice and I just have to get back to doing what you gotta do! I think work is a good settler for you to just come back into the rhythm and that really helps. Yes, I might get a little hectic sometimes but if you get through those 48 hours, you are just fine.
Bucket list
I want to see the gorillas, climb Kilimanjaro, then I want to go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, sky diving, and all sorts of thrilling adventures. I also want to learn how to surf along with a new language. Then I want to settle in a brand new country for a while because it’s exciting.
