How I Minimize Use of Plastic While Traveling

What would you do to reduce using plastic when everything around you is made from plastic? How would you convince yourself not to buy or take plastic from anyone when every other person readily offers it? While buying milk and groceries from the neighborhood Mom-and-Pop shops, how do I refuse to take the plastic bag every time? Won’t that mean I have to carry everything in my hands? Won’t I feel embarrassed when people see me and point out my inanity?

When I thought of quit using plastic from my existence, all these thoughts used to come across my mind. However, as I progressed through my journey, I found myself getting successful day by day. It is easier to be eco-friendly when you are in your city or home than doing the same while traveling. I had heard stories of the dead bodies of millions of fish coming to the shores of the oceans because humans have polluted the waters.

At once, I thought that how does it matter if plastic in the oceans kills every creature? I was being selfish, I must admit. I researched further about it and talked to people in Mumbai and Bali. The aware, even though uneducated, people of these places had a common perspective that every creature on this earth is co-dependent on each other in one form or the other. People eat seafood and they are at the risk of contaminated animals. The vegetarian folks are at equal risk because they consume fish oils, which might be extracted from infected fish. Plastic does not disintegrate for hundreds of years, which is what we know. A meagre pet bottle of soft drinks needs 450 years to break down. Imagine the kind of mess we are leaving for the future generations. Anyway, without digressing from the topic, let me share how I minimize using plastic while traveling.

Not using plastic containers

As I said, it is easy to follow your principles when you are at home. My real test begins when I leave home to travel to my dream destinations. Last month, I had to car rental in Bangalore without driver for my road trip to Coorg. It broke my heart to see the amount of filth people had spread throughout the way. Since the day I have started loving wood and glass containers, I have never found the dearth of them anywhere I travel. Even for keeping oils and face wash, I prefer using glass containers rather than plastic tubes. Next, when I have to store my food in the car, I don’t touch plastic tiffin boxes. I have a variety of steel containers at home, which I blissfully carry in my bags. Some of them are so well made that they are equally air-tight as plastic boxes.

Not taking a plastic bag

Whenever I have to buy something, I refuse to take plastic bags. Indian shopkeepers readily give away a plastic bag to everyone who buys even a needle from them. However, I carry a durable and reusable plastic basket for buying things from the market and keep putting things in it until it is stuffed. Next, if I don’t have another basket, I use my backpack, which is always there with me while traveling. I don’t need to say more because I never buy more than I can carry.

In the last five years of going plastic free, I have realized that everything is possible if one is determined. All the excuses that I used to give myself were futile because I have actually gone plastic free in this day and age of enormous plastic use.

My Experience as a Foreigner in India

I went to India for the first time six years ago, which was to attend a learning program in Bangalore. After that, I have taken quite a few trips to the country, each of which has contributed to enhance my perception about India. During my last visit in Bangalore, I was volunteering as a teacher in a distant village. Wherever I went, kids and even adults would call me akka. They would point and stare at me, and some kids even followed me wherever I went. However, all these staring never made me uncomfortable because I had understood it quite early that these villages had never seen a foreigner in reality!

Well, this was not easy to grasp, but I had become habitual of these stares.

I would go to school, and every children in the school would beam up and shout, akka, in the loudest voice possible. The mother of one student once remarked that I looked like someone from the TV, maybe even more gorgeous than that. I had picked up a few Kannad words by then, and I felt immense gratitude towards that woman. People in India, I had heard, are sincere at heart. I would constantly witness there kind behavior every now and then.

The adults would often come to me and ask about my home, my husband, my studies, my salary, and my friends back home. Every person I met wanted to know about my life. After a few months in the village, one fellow-teacher pulled me aside and asked me,

“Why don’t you behave like other foreigners?”

That left me perplexed and I asked for further clarification. She said, “akka, I am surprised that you are American, and yet, you don’t smoke, drink, or consume drugs. You don’t go for late night hangouts, don’t have a boyfriend, and you don’t eat non-vegetarian food. You respect all of us, share our food, pay with children and teach them. You have already learned a bit of Kannad and you seem to be a decent person. You are like family to us now.”

I explained it to her that the smoking, drinking, and eating meat are considered right and wrong in different parts of the world. I don’t do any of it because it is my choice and that I prefer to live a simple life. I realized that she had made a perception about foreigners just as I had made the same about Indians. I helped to clear the stereotype image in her mind, and she was happy to hear my views.

When I had to leave from the village, had booked a Car Rental in Bangalore without driver. The entire village gave me a warm farewell, and a couple of villagers helped me reach the place to pick up the car. It was a profound moment for me as I said goodbye to those dear people. Although I may never visit them again, I will have their memories in my heart forever.

A relaxing day in the suburbs of Bangalore

What else would one want in life when there is a happy family at home, a flourishing career, and happy-go-lucky friends? It is rare to find so much of satisfaction in life, but the human nature is such that we always crave for more, no matter how much we get.  I have been working in a Japanese MNC in Bangalore for more than five years, and I have a great life that I feel is a gift to me from God. However, every time I think about my achievements until now, I still feel that I have a long way to go; as they say in Japanese, “mada mada desu!” I don't mean to say that I want to earn more in order to be happier than I am at present, but I have other long-term plans to attain more satisfaction. 

Since the Indian society, in totality, has given me a lot of things, I intend to return the favor in every possible way. Bangalore is a great city to live in the sense that I do not feel lonely because of the presence of thousands of migrants from other cities. When you have folks from so many different cultures around you, all of us tend to become a family. Everyone treats each other like their siblings and friends, and hardly any loneliness creeps in, barring a few occasions of course. Coming back to the topic of contributing to the society, I have found such friends in the city who are always willing to make efforts. I have been a part of social circles that includes members from various strata of the society, and these people cannot sit back at home every weekend sipping coffee and doing nothing. They have that restless feeling to indulge in social work rather than parties every week.

There was this morning in Bangalore when I was thinking of visiting a friend, who had got married a month ago. I wanted to gossip about his present life and how the newly married life was going on. A friend called me, who belongs to an NGO that educates kids in the suburbs and also trains the adults regarding personal hygiene. The guy, Sumit, wanted me to accompany the group to a hamlet near the city, where they had planned to educate the villagers regarding cleanliness and personal hygiene.

I must admit that it is not an easy task to change the mindset of the Uneducated concerning matters, which they believe are not important. However, we try our best and strive towards transforming at least a few lives. Just one life changed, we believe, is the entire village transformed. We just need to make efforts on our end; the positive results will follow one or the other day. Anyway, we stuffed our bags with informatory material and a few things that we intend to donate and left for the village.

The villagers of India never cease to surprise us, and it was a pleasant experience even this time. As soon as our car rental Bangalore entered the hamlet, the kids welcomed us with flowers, rice, coconut water, and sweets. Even though I do not have much of a sweet tooth, I could not stop myself from tasting the things that the cute little kids had brought for us. They also have tremendous gratitude in them that someone in the city is concerned about their well being. I do not wish to publicize the work we did there, but the entire day was really well spent. With the memories of times like these, I always look forward to contributing a little towards the society to make India a pleasing place to live.

How I overcame the fear of beginning my solo trip

I always believed that the solo trip is not a big deal, but the beginning of it is definitely scary. Even though I had planned my first solo trip to Coorg as perfectly as I could, I was still petrified to sit in the bus to my dream destination. However, it was only when a week was left to leave, I started calming down, and my fears became subtler than before. I also realized that no matter how headstrong I was, I could not avoid a few things around me. Wherever I go in the world, I have to adjust with a lot of things. I cannot change the perception of every person towards a solo female traveler, modify the culture of a place, and find out every little thing that comforts me.

Anyway, I had already decided that no matter how scared I felt inside my heart, I would not let my vulnerability show in my persona. I will deal with the challenges on my own, and ask for help only when I cannot do without it. After I journeyed to Coorg and reached there, I fathomed that most of the problems almost always came with a solution. I found myself developing a toleration for issues I had never even faced, and honestly, I managed it well. At the end of the trip, I felt proud of myself that my first solo trip was a success.

Dealing with security 

No one else is responsible for the security of a person, but the person himself, except in the extreme situations of course. After living independently in Bangalore for more than five years, I had already realized that an under-confident person is more susceptible to crime. It's not always the attire that attracts the attention of wicked men in India or abroad, but the timidity of a person encourages dominance. I made sure that I covered my body well with loose-fitted clothes, and walked with confidence even though I did not feel the self-assurance in my heart.

Concerning my belongings, I never left my valuables in the open and kept an eye on the people around me. I kept a watch that no one followed me wherever I went. It was tiring at times to be so watchful at all times, but the worth of being all on my own at such a beautiful destination never let me complain. It was a huge confidence boost for me when I realized that people were not at all bad at every place. It's just that I have to be cautious with people than feeling sorry later. I must say that I did not find a single person in Coorg from whom I could sense a threat. Considering the relative safety of a place was the first thing in my mind even when I had not finalized the destination. Still, I never went to the lonely places alone to be on the safer side.

Being in contact with someone at home was the other thing that I strictly followed. I am in my early twenties, and I understand the concern of my loved ones towards me. I made sure that at least one or two persons in my hometown or Bangalore knew everything about my whereabouts. One of my friend works in Car rentals Bangalore, and he had assured me that I could call him anytime if I wanted to return immediately from Coorg. I sent him the updates about my locations and activities so that at least one person can reach me in case I need help. Being carefree is different from being carefree. I took my safety seriously, which really helped me have a good time even with strangers. Just a little bit of pretending went a long way in making friends with strangers. Anyway, my first solo trip was indeed unforgettable, and I am grateful to God that I could finally make it.

How My Dad Deals With Unexpected Episodes during Travel

Having a composed and relaxed temperament at all times is not an easy job, particularly in our times when we do not have any patience to deal with unexpected incidences. I don't claim that my dad is the best person in the world, but he means the world to me. I have seen him dealing with several instances in life that can make anyone wonder from does he bring so much of strength and patience.

I become particularly picky when I have to travel to any place in the world. The anxiety of leaving something behind takes me over, and it becomes difficult for me to hide my frustration and irritation with things. At the age of twenty-three, I behave like a 10-year old kid in front of my parents, and it is my father who calms me down. Last month, we were planning a road trip to Coorg, and my father suggested to take a Car Rental in Bangalore without Driver so that we can experience a new car this time. Although I was not against the idea, my dad sensed it that I was not in favor either. I always preferred taking a driver along with us so that none of us gets tired driving the car. Anyway, he was adamant this time, and it was my duty to take the delivery of the car from a particular pickup point.

When we were about to leave at seven in the morning, we got a call from the car rental company that the driver who was supposed to deliver the vehicle was stuck somewhere and it will take some time to send the car to us. So the trip had not even begun, and we had started arguing at home. As usual, I started blaming others that it was their idea to Rent Cars in Bangalore and now we were stuck at home. We could not even take the chauffeur-driven car because we had already paid for the Self-Drive Car. Nevertheless, my dad was calm and unruffled as usual. He made me sit, handed over a glass of water to me, and asked me to show the itinerary. He justified the company’s act that they are also humans working for a company and they are allowed to make mistakes. We just sat there for a few minutes talking about random things and then he remade our itinerary according to the delay in departure. 

He has a habit of not making a fuss out of simple problems. When people like me lose our temper, he magically maintains his cool. He would either keep a poker face or even laugh at the situation. God knows where he draws his strength from, but he is amazing at handling life. Otherwise being very loving by nature, my mother is a little high tempered by nature (I guess this is where my temperament comes from). I feel amazed to notice that my father has hardly ever got angry with her. Whether it was the matter of Self-Drive Car Rental Bangalore or several other silly incidents in their twenty-five years of married life, he has managed to handle their married life really well.

I am no one to judge anyone for their habits, nature, preferences, or temperament. Nonetheless, after meeting thousands of people in life, I feel proud to be the daughter of such a gentleman who knows how to deal with the toughest situations in life unlike others. After waiting for three hours that morning, the Self-Drive Car finally arrived at our doorstep, and the driver had a bouquet with chocolates tucked in it. It brought a cheerful smile on my face, and my father again established it that the company runs with humans. No robotic establishment could have delivered the car with such a delightful gesture as compensation for their little slip-up. I, once again, learned a lesson to let go petty matters and take delight in the present.