My Idea of Solo Trips in India

Some things are beyond your control, and so is my urge for solitude. I do like to be with my family and friends, but I cannot ignore the compulsive need to spend time with myself every few months. This may not make me a real solo traveler as other people are around the world, but I love intermittent solitude every once in a while.

Trip to the mountains

If my love for mountains could be put in words, I would do that here, but I cannot. On my last trip to Kasol, I had very high expectations of the place, but that place was too much crowded with people. There were hundreds of folks wandering around, which made me felt even more claustrophobic than Delhi. I so wanted to leave that place and reach a quiet one that I just spent one night there. I left for Tosh the next morning and had a great time in the camp. Then, I went for trekking the next day, which was a really challenging experience. Although the mountains of Kheerganga trek intimidated me at that time, my heart still goes to that place whenever I think about it. The plush green forests were so breathtaking, even though tough to hike, that I wanted to click a picture at every few meters. I have been to several other mountain treks with friends and a few of them alone, which makes me confidently say that I love the hills of North India.

Trip to the beaches

I had heard it somewhere that mountain-lovers do not love the beaches, and it is absolutely true in my case. I like the beaches, but my love for them is a little lesser than the hills. Thankfully, I have never been to any beach site alone. There were people with me whenever I had a plan to go to a beach city, whether it was in India or abroad. I don’t know why, but beaches do not give me that peace that I receive from the mountains. I can enjoy my solitary time only for a while at such places. After that, I need someone to talk to, be it anyone.

Trip in the city

I have never met anyone who likes to walk around the city alone, but myself. I like to explore the new streets and cafes of Delhi, the religious shrines around the city, and the roadside restaurants as well. I hired Self-Drive Car Rental in Delhi last month and just drove to random streets wherever I felt like. It was an amazing day-out, which is unexplainable. I have been to various libraries, museums, and parks just for the sake of being in silence for a day. It gives immense gratification that I cannot elaborate in words.

A solo traveler, according to me, is not just the one who leaves footprints around the world, but the one who can enjoy silence in the mind and heart even while being among the people.

How I Deal with Difficult People While Traveling Solo

Even though I am an urban Indian female, the challenges of traveling solo are no less for me. I have been lucky to live in Delhi for most part of my life, but I have seen the small town life as well. The narrow minded perspective of the North Indian society makes it challenging for women to travel alone, no matter the distance. With a significant number of experience at hand, I have learned that there I no way I can teach the right way to behave to some people, regardless the gender. There are men, as well as, women who do not know that they need to conduct themselves carefully in public places. However, I know how I should give them a piece of my mind to warn them immediately.

Dealing with men  

Luckily, there are men in my home who are very polite and understanding. I have been to several road trips with them, and we had a blast every time. Yet, when I had to travel alone for the first time, my choice was Rishikesh. Even though I had thought that I would not face any issues, I found that men would not stop staring at me. Yes, I accept the curiosity of men about foreigner and native women who are brave enough to travel alone, or wear modern clothes. Still, the stares from ogling men is not acceptable.

There was a man in the train to Rishikesh who was fiddling with his phone as I enjoyed my journey to my destination. He was smiling while looking at his phone, and I thought that he must be enjoying a funny chat with someone or looking at photos. He was keeping his bags underneath his seat when I heard the sound of flash from somewhere. As I looked up, he was clearly confused about something. It took me a minute to register that he had clicked a picture of mine without my consent.

I went up to him and asked him to hand over his phone. He clearly denied and said that he was clicking pictures of the landscape outside, but did not want to give his phone. All that argument made sure that he had clicked my picture, or probably someone else’s photo, but I had to take an action anyway. People had turned to us within a minute or argument and a guy asked him to do as I had said, or he would report him to police. Thanks to the supportive crowd in the coach that I could check his phone at ease.

He had snapped my photos, as well as of many other females inside the train. When I told this to everyone, they wanted to beat that man, but a few sensible stopped the mob and they warned him t behave in public. I hope that he had got his lesson about public conduct.

Dealing with women

No just men, but women can be really rude at times. I had hired a Car Rental Delhi last month so that I could go to the movies with my friends in South Delhi. Even though this region of the national capital is supposed to be more sophisticated, we had an entirely different experience altogether. My friends had traveled all the way from Jaipur just to celebrate an evening, but there was a women who pushed Rohit, my college friend. She alleged that he was misbehaving her and had pushed her. We were shocked, but we dealt with her sternly, and she had a good dose of learning from all of us along with the public around.

Traveling alone is a great deal of challenge sometimes, but that does not stop me from going solo. I accept the everyday contests and take them as opportunities to grow.

How I Manage the Challenges of Solo Travel

While the challenges of solo travel do put me off sometimes, I do not intend to quit this form of traveling anyway. I have realized that everything we choose in life comes with pros and cons, and so is the case with solo and group travel both. You cannot control the challenges both forms of travel offer. That is why; I prefer to deal with the challenges of solitary vacations rather than group travel.

Dealing with heavy bags 

I am not a typical solo backpacker who travels with minimum stuff. In fact, I like to pack everything I use at home for my daily needs, including a travel iron. I cannot stand crumpled or unwashed clothes, which implies there many choices of garments in my luggage. I also like to pack various toiletries in small bottles, my towel, a couple of shoes, books, power bank, documents, and anything that comes to my mind. However, it means that I have to be prepared to deal with the challenge of keeping my things secure at public places, especially when I have to use the washroom. I have rarely asked a stranger to look after my luggage when I have to go to a bathroom urgently. I try to relieve myself whenever I get a chance even if I do not feel the urgent need of it. It has helped me escape many embarrassing situations when my luggage is not in safe hands.

Stay at one place 

My thumb rule of traveling alone on public transport is that I book only one hotel for my entire stay in a hill station, even if it means I have to travel more to visit places. It saves me the hassle of carrying my luggage around and I don’t have to drag it unnecessarily. Staying in one hotel also lets me haggle for some discount for single occupancy room at times. I have also stayed at traveler hostels to save money. For going around different places, I like it better to use public transport with just a small backpack that contains my essentials. Yet, it I have the budget for a Self-Drive Car hire, I can book multiple hotels in just one vacation since there is no trouble carrying my luggage in the car.

Clicking photos

Since I don’t like selfies, it is certainly a pain to ask strangers to click photos for me. And for such a photo freak that I am, I do not feel satisfied if the photo does not turn out well. I would pester the same person again, or another stranger, if I have to, and ask them to take the pain for me. I have heard many solo travelers complaining about this aspect of vacationing alone that they cannot get photos to their hearts content because they do not have a friend along. And nagging strangers for the same does not look good. My reply to such friends is that you have to be a little shameless to get that perfect shot at the beach or the mountaintop. What else would you do? Come home and regret that you did not have the courage to ask someone? Never!

Eating alone

Dining out alone is also another annoying aspect of solo travel at times, but not always. I like to eat in peace and watch people indulged in jokes with their families. Whenever I feel like having a meal with someone, I try to strike a conversation with a kid or the parents.

Solo travel in India is a dynamic experience that lets me explore different people and places. Despite the trials it throws in my face, I would continue traveling alone, no matter what!

How I Embarrassed Myself on My Road Trip in Delhi

So I am just another youthful person with stupid feelings in her heart, and I cannot keep them to myself. I have lived all my life in Delhi, and I refuse to feel ashamed of the fact that I fall for cute guys. Moreover, I keep embarrassing myself at several occasions because I confess my love at first sight to everyone I like. This time, I was destined to make a fool of myself in front of Yash, the damn cute guy in my office.

I fell for him and day he entered the office last month, and the best part was that I was supposed to report to him. God had listened to me finally and I had already started planning my life with him in my mind. The names of the kids were decided, the venue of marriage was finalized, and I knew that I would have at least three paneer cuisines on my wedding!

So… he was not coming to office since last week and I was constantly in contact with him over the call. He wanted to discuss a presentation with me yesterday, and he called me to meet him over a coffee. It would be an understatement to say that I was jumping out of joy as I disconnected the call. His words were reverberating in my mind as he had said that he would rent a car without driver so that he could drop me home. A road trip or a drive date! Whatever it was, I was elated about it.

So it was 6 pm at Café Coffee Day when I went to meet him. As we discussed the presentation, my heart was pounding in my heart. Even though I knew that I should have calmed down, I could not. I finished the work somehow, and we left for the parking lot. The coffee still felt hot in my stomach, but I pacified myself as we went through the way talking about random things.

As he saw a beggar sitting on the pavement, he donated the burger that he had got packed from the café, and I was going all awe in my heart. When he returned, I told him that it was very sweet of him to do that. I was already imaging myself as his wife donating alms to the peddlers!

It was then that he dropped the nuclear bomb!

“Do not forget to praise me when you meet my girlfriend” he blurted out!

I just somehow controlled my emotions and stopped my mouth from dropping on the ground. My body was walking on the pavement, but I was numb from inside for like 30 seconds.

He dropped me home and that road trip was the worst ever drive date with anyone. For the rest of our journey, I felt so embarrassed and talked about random things just to keep communicating. And had a sigh of relief as I reached home!

Pheww!

How I got lucky because of rental car in Delhi

My office is in Connaught Place in Delhi, and I commute by bus. Like every other day, it was Friday and I stepped out of the office to catch my bus at 6 pm. I was there at the same bus stop where I have been going to since the last two years. I rushed to reach the bus stop at 5:55 pm so that I do not miss the bus. Just when I was walking swiftly towards my destination, I felt a minor push from a man. I almost fell at the push, but I could not do anything about it. It is common for the Delhi-ites to push people to make way for themselves.

The man probably wanted to catch another bus, and hence ran after it. However, I could not reach my bus stop on time, and I could see the bus going away right in front of my eyes. I cussed that man for making me miss my bus, though he had caught his bus. Now I had to wait for another half an hour or more to find another bus on my route.

I took my phone out of the bag and got busy over various social media sites. What else I could do? I had to pass my time somehow. Occasionally, I would look up at other people indulged in talking, walking, and a few of them eating chana-bhel from the vendor at the bus stop. Just when I was about to get back to my phone, I saw a colleague from my office in a car that was decorated like a poster.

He stopped near me and told me to hop in. I gave him a puzzled look and said, “I have to wait for my bus. And how did you get this funny car?”

He laughed at my reaction, and said, “It’s from the promotional offer running by a company that gives car on rent. Jump in for a quick ride; I’ll drop in back in a few minutes. Else, I’ll drop you home.”

It was an interesting offer, indeed. I did not take me long to hop in for a quick ride.

Coincidentally, we drove in the direction of my bus route. After only a kilometer or more, I saw a huge crowd of people around one spot. We thought that there must be an accident. However, it turned out that the bus that I had just missed was overturned because the driver was trying to outpace someone. He could not control the vehicle and hence, the bus capsized.

I felt immediate gratitude for that man who had pushed me!

Luck was on my side that day. I had missed the bus for good.

I later learned that no one in the bus had been seriously injured, but a few passengers were admitted to the hospital for minor bandage. I reached home with my friend in that blessed Car Rental, and thanked God that at least I arrived safely, no matter a few minutes late.

How Beggars Can Be Funny in India

The scenario of beggary is quite bad in India as it is in many other developing countries. Although I do not like the behavior of beggars with the locals and tourists, I cannot ignore their immense sense of humor and sarcastic tone of language. There have been several incidences when the panhandlers have turned sarcastic if their stubbornness to fetch money does not work. One such instance comes to my mind when I was traveling to Pune with my friend.

My college friend, Shikha, is a gorgeous looking girl, and she has been in touch with me for more than seven years now. In most parts of India, if a man is just standing with a girl, almost everyone assumes that they are in love. I am not talking about the hamlets of the country; this judgmental thought process prevails even in the metropolitans. We had planned a trip to the mountains with a couple of more friends, and we were to meet them on the Hong Kong lane in Pune. Since Shikha could not think about anything but shopping in the market, I decided to devour on some pav-bhaji.

I was silently enjoying my food while admiring the young crowd in the bazaar. Even though I had no intentions of entering even a single shop, I could not help but visit a couple of outlets that looked promising. However, I was tired of shopping in just a few minutes, and I decided to call Shikha. She, thankfully, answered and promised to stay with me until everyone else came.

As we were talking while enjoying our glasses of watermelon juice, a little child around seven years of age comes to us. He has a beautiful smile, but his clothes reveal that he is a beggar in the market. As he asks for some money, I cannot help but refuse since I do not encourage beggary, no matter what. He starts pulling my pants and says, “Bhaiya, paise do na." His act irritates me, and I try to shun him to go away while saying sorry to him.

He again pleads and blesses us saying, "Aap dono ki Jodi bani rahe” meaning may God bless you two to be together. I laugh at his words and tell him that the girl is not my girlfriend. He stops smiling and shows sympathy towards me saying, "Bhaiya wo to lag hi raha hai” meaning it was quite obvious to him. I ask him shocked what he meant by his words. He walks away while uttering, “Didi kafi achi hain” (Sister looks quite good).

I stood fixed in the ground while the savage child walks away, and I can hear Shikha in the background, laughing and rolling on the floor. I knew that I was slain for the day, and she will narrate this incident to everyone coming to meet us. Even I could not help, but feel impressed by the high levels of sarcasm running through the veins of every person in India, or Pune, I would say. I rested on my Self-Drive Car Rental and waited for the time when everyone would come and make lame jokes on me. Pheewww!

The Coziness of Traveling With Family

No one in the world can teach us the way our parents teach us. My father has also been the legendary in making me what I am today. He has given me some values, which I can never forget ever in life. His schooling for me and my sister have been monumental for us as well as our extended family. One thing that he always insisted upon to keep the family united was going for a vacation at least twice a year. Even when we could not afford a car, we used to go by bus or a train. Nevertheless, he made sure that we went out to another city in India to rebuild our bond with the family.

Values we get from traveling

We went to Shimla last year, and the weather was not very pleasant. We were expecting a snowfall, but we did not find any. All of us were in a lousy mood, expect the head of our family. He thought of making the most of every minute we spent in Shimla and Kufri, where they say it snows every year. It was the end of December, and heavy tourist footfall was expected in a couple of days. We bought a fruit beer from a small shop in Kufri, and he did his best to boost up the mood of the family. Acts like this from his side made sure every time that we did not have a bad time. As usual, he was successful in his attempts to cheer us up.

Nonetheless, we were about to return from the place when the snow began falling from the sky. It was the first snowfall of my life; I was only twelve years of age. The smile on my face as I enjoyed the snowfall is still captured in the photograph that he clicked. His passion for photography has effortlessly passed on to me. Now that I have become a father, I do not forget to capture every significant moment in my Smartphone.

By traveling with family, I have learned the importance of sharing and caring. Although I would fight with my sister over every little thing, I can still remember when I was dressing the wound on her feet in Jaipur. My parents watched us with the feeling of proud in their eyes as I helped her calm down and let me do the dressing. Another instance that I can recall is that my little princess would always share her piece of cake with me after I was done chasing her for an extra share. She has a habit of teasing me until I get frustrated with her, but she does not forget to give to me everything I need.

Recently, I planned to rent a car without driver to take the entire family to Bir where we could enjoy some peaceful time. When we grow up, we become busy in our lives, and the same has been the case with us. After living in Bangalore for more than six years, I realize the occupations of typical urban life. I used to like shopping for clothes so much, but now there is no time to go to any mall. I have to suffice with surfing online and buy whatever is available.

Nevertheless, the comfort that I feel with the family is never the same with other people, no matter their closeness to me. I try to pass on the same values to my kids so that they can also relate their experiences of life to the ones gathered during childhood.

How I Prepared For a Trekking Holiday with My Friends

Failing at something is more humiliating to yourself than it is in front of others. I had been to Chadar Trek with my friends last year and failed at it miserably because I was not strong enough to cope with it. I hate to admit that I used to be a chain smoker, and this miserable habit had taken its toll on my health. Even when I used to be in Delhi, I could realize that other people around me were healthier than me. While they could easily walk a kilometer or two, I would look for my car keys even for a small distance. 

When I would see my friend, Shreya, walking from the metro station to her office and home, I would ridicule her for saving a meager amount of money on auto-rickshaw and cabs. However, she would give just one argument that walking keeps her active an fit. I realized the futility of my lethargic lifestyle when Shreya trekked up kilometers in just a few minutes without panting, and I could barely walk up a few meters. In the end, I had to say that I cannot complete the trek, and I would wait for my friends at a hotel at the base camp. It was incredibly humiliating to wait for them all alone in the dreary hotel room where I could not even access the network, while all my friends were enjoying on top of the hills. This was the time when I realized that I need to work on my body immediately. Over and above, I resolved to quit smoking straightaway. 

How I built strength in a year

Saying it to myself that I would strengthen my body and leave smoking was easier said than done. I could not fathom the mighty force to wake up at 5 am on the first day of my fitness regime. However, the body weight of 95 kilograms somehow pushed me to wake up and get set to go. I had already taken out my running shoes, joggers, and a t-shirt so that I do not feel lazy because of this small errand in the morning. Anyway, the first two weeks of jogging were terrible for me as I had to literally force myself out of bed to go for a walk and run. 

After two months of plain jogging and mild exercises, I started working on my strength of legs. After reading extensively about trekking and physical fitness, I knew that I needed to work on my legs. I had already modified my diet and lost a few kilograms, and then I began squats! This awkward position of half sitting and standing on my knees could not have been more difficult for me. It took me another two weeks to gain strength to do three sets of 8-10 squats.

Did I succeed?

Yes, I did. How could I not succeed after a complete year of running, jogging, and exercising? Leaving smoking was not easy, but as I felt the positive changes inside my body, it became easy to stay away from the smoke. I am happy to boast today that the smoke of cigarette or even sheesha irritates me now, and my friends are glad to see this positive change in me. So I made a plan to go for a trek with Shreya and gang again, and this time the destination was Triund, which is a moderate trek. We looked around to rent a Car but decided to go by train. And nothing makes me happier to proclaim that I finished the trek, and that too easily! Voila!