Now that we are starting the theme of travelling, I wonder what I should write and what I shouldn’t. It is because there is so much to say when it comes to this facet of my life. I mean 24 x 7 I am planning some trip. If someone was to pick up my diary (I have too many of them, pick any) they would see lots and lots of plans in it. Too many dates when flights are cheap and too many obscure lands where heaven and hell too might take time to reach.
Moving on. What is it that I will write to initiate this theme, is still left.
I thought and thought. So I decided that I will today of course write why I travel?
As a person I have a why for everything in my life. If I don’t have that I might as well create some to satisfy my own sense of curiosity.
Why I travel?
Because there is this innate need to feel other people and places.
How will I ever know that all those people who say Jammu and Kashmir is about Muslims versus Hindus have obviously not been to Ladakh and seen how Buddhists flood each area there.
Or those who claim that Rajasthan is a backward state have not seen the girls stroll at night and have fun in a small town like Pali without a care of the world?
Or that in Benares when you crib about their small by lanes, the autorickshaw driver gets offended and tells you five ways in which the crammed roads are better than the highways?
And speaking of highways how will you ever find out that yes, Yamuna expressway actually takes only about an hour and a half from Delhi to Agra only if you have survived the bad intra city Delhi traffic in advance.
I mean so many things you only know because you found them yourself. It is like they say growing up is fun and when actually that happened you were left disappointed.
What has travelling taught me?
And without knowing that what I have learnt from something can never complete my whys of anything.
It has taught me to lower down expectations to enjoy life. Yes you heard me right. As a kid I never enjoyed train journeys because I was too excited to reach the destination. The journey felt like a pain I had to suffer.
Do you want to know what happened when I actually reached the destination? I felt disappointed. Yes, if you ask me about any of my college trips or travels I don’t have very fond memories.
And then job happened. Somehow I started to see traveling as a way to escape work. Yes this is a confession which subtly indicated I don’t enjoy work.
Moving on, when I started to see it like that every single moment which ensured I was away from work helped to make my life better. Also I started to tell myself that the trip would be okay not out of the world awesome. And in turn every bit of surprise or fun contributed in becoming an ‘exceeding expectation’ element.
This now holds true for my life too. I wish I could say a hundred percent, but yes I am trying to incorporate it all the time.
And if I don’t connect my writing with traveling (or anything for that matter) this post would be incomplete.
I travel to experience places.I have a story in my head for each one of my travels. The people I met, saw or even thought of in that place are often seen through my characters in various stories. And they all trickle down in my character in varying shades. A woman who is crass or a man who is slightly more caring than his wife have all been a part of my travels at various times.
In coming week, and when the theme will return a lot of my travelogues will surface. Perhaps even odd stories that are there in my head waiting to be spread around. I do hope you all enjoy this and even come forth to be a part of it.
In the end, I would like to know from you, why do you think you travel?
* * *
And yes we have a logo for each theme. Designed by one and only husband dearest Vikas Agarwal.
say thank you to your husband
That I do for a lot of things 🙂
I travel to observe, explore and discover. Even a small journey can give you so many insights about people. their culture, their behaviour… every journey is fun, new and different even if you have traveled the same route a hundred times!
I agree with you Shilpa, re-visiting places have their own flavours..
Mommyyyy, yes yes yes, your baccha can relate to the past. Earlier, i was averse to travelling. Now, i lust for it. It is an escape as u said, from work and a few other things we always wanted to do but resent them now that we are doing them.
We are true mother-son duo bachhee, universe is telling us every now and then..
*can relate to the post.
For me travelling means eating unknown food, soaking in the sights, meeting new people n coming back with laods of memories
Yes memories and food! How did I miss this! Should have been included in this post 😀
Ah travelling, everyone has their own reason.
It works wonderfully as a means to escape, especially if you have lovely company that you enjoy. Looking forward to more of your posts on this. 😀
Thanks a lot Hrishikesh! You better look forward to all my posts not just this 😀 😀
Well Why I travel … To get away and yet not reach anywhere but to come back to where I was and feel good about it 🙂 ..can relate with most of your whys… but actually I am looking forward to a travel without a reason…it would be some fun…finding reasons on the way
Travel without reason sounds like an interesting idea! Deva sharif included huh ? 😀 😀
Traveling to me is fun way to relax and calm from day to day Chaos…Apart from seeing new places,you get to know the Lifestyle of different people
running away from chaos is always there for all of us…
I had read the head as soon as it was published, but got to read the post today. But when I read the line “Why I travel?” My mind gave an auto response and since luckily I remember it, I will share. I travel because it is close to attaining a new life. I travel to feel alive, to breath in a new air, to learn and to de-learn. I travel to gain and to lose somethings. I travel to walk in boots in hills, and stand barefoot on a beach. I travel to light candles in a church and offer flowers in a temple. I travel to bite in the authentic italian and drink like a real french. I travel to escape and to come back to home nostalgic.
I don’t know if it makes sense, but I thought about it and the first answer has stuck in a way that I can’t think of anything else.Looking forward to your travelogue, and if ever you run out of them and decide to open it for guests, I’d love to write one too.
Wow sugandha your comment itself is a post I believe. And yes you are writing guestpost! Already decided <3
I travel because I’m a bit restless… the need to see new things, meet new people is quite strong! 🙂
I love exploring new places and the memories are always priceless
Restlessness, yes that too forms a good reason to travel….
I love to travel, to see places, meet new people, understand other cultures and try new food. It expands my horizons
true Fred meeting new people and understanding their culture is an important part of traveling to any place 🙂
I love to travel and experience new places, things and meet new people!
And yes for all these new experiences we travel to different places!
Nice read! And I completely agree with you throughout the blog. I have been to Andaman & Nicobar Islands Richa. And two visits (before and after Tsunami), was enough to tell the entire story about the place and people. You must step out and explore. Well explained. All the best 🙂
Yes a lot of places need more visits to do them justice, I feel sorry to hear about Andaman and nicobar islands, I am sure it must be a sad site to see…
While I would love to travel, I simply haven’t in years. There never seems to be the money, the kids are in school, or my husband is on the road…so I stay home. You are lucky to be able too! ♥
True Kathy, but also I feel there is this feeling of coming home which can never be replaced..
I travel to explore,experience and indulge in new things. To see the out of the world and heartwarming sights. To get out of the comfort zone yet feel satisfied after a nice wandering around an unknown place.
Makes me wonder how exciting it’ll be if we bloggers could travel together to somewhere sometime….
I have been wanting to execute this idea from a long time. But the busy lives that we all live makes it difficult..
I may travel to the same place on three different occasions and there is an element of newness each time. i love to soak into the local flavour and taste the food.
True Kalpana and every time I believe we too go as different people 🙂
Even my reason is almost same like urs and travelling just is such a best sources to know many STORIES which you cant weave by sitting at a stand alone place
Loved the theme and post and ya yamuna express is butter smooth
I was extreemely impressed
Yes for a writer writing different locations is a must and imagination takes you only upto a certain point. So I do believe that traveling makes us a better writer…
Travel resembles our journey of life…so humans crave for it …I thought it..maybe I am wrong..anyway good post!
No perhaps you are correct, I quite like the idea..
Personally i feel Travelling really changes your life for this is the best feeling !!!!
your words strike a cord with me Richa Singh 🙂
I am happy they did, my purpose of writing is always that Veena 🙂
I used to love travelling. The best way to know places and people… Now age is catching up and making the body feel lazy 🙂
Haha 😀 😀 you and old Tomichan no no not at all!
It’s posts like this that make surfing so much plasruee
Travelling is a passion…And its a hard job to justify ones passion with a reason….So who cares why we love traveling as long as we enjoy traveling..:)
That is also another side and a happy side to the argument 🙂
🙂 … We travel, so we are ..
How complete that looked… 🙂
It’s really a marvellous feeling when you see your name on print. Congrats to you! Love the name of your blog! Best website design in bangalore
Thanks Chandru 🙂
Traveling to me is life …..i get frustrated if I don’t visit a new place for more than 2 months ….country,place,restaurant,coffee shop anything could do ….any place that I have never been before
For me that time is three months. But that needs me to change city. I need to go somewhere every quarter 😀
Travelling demands so much of effort-planning shutting the house then coming home to more work.
Haha yes that is also one side of the story 😀
What are the disadvantages of travelling?
Being away from home. After a while you do miss bits of it. But then yes the very next day it all disappears 🙂
Richa thats a very interesting read. Nicely put !
Thanks Paresh 🙂