Kindness Never Gets Out Of Fashion

People who never leave their comfort zone are the ones who give the advice to others to do the same. I have met countless people who tell me to stop going for so many road trips and stay in my city so that I can be safe. I have tried convincing them that the world is a safer place than they show in the TV, but I have stopped telling them so now because people don’t want to listen what I tell them. They are only interested in the scary stories that they see in the news.

I understand how tough it is for people who want to go for solo trips to trust their instincts and not the news, but I would still say that people around the world have many things similar in their hearts. They have same aspirations, dreams, needs, and necessities. There are numerous people around the globe who would go out of their way to help me and many more travelers.

Last year, we made an instant plan to travel to the Chandratal Lake in Himachal Pradesh, which was a huge mistake, for sure. We could not procure the permit online to cross Rohtang Pass, so we thought we would try our luck at the permit office directly. The entire journey was going against the plan, but we were still adamant to reach our destination. We had already begun our journey quite late, and there was no way we would reach in time in one day. After it was dark, we got at least two families telling us to take a halt and resume the journey the next day.

Again, we were in trouble because we could not find an accommodation. We even thought of sleeping in the car, but we were six people and we did not have enough blankets to survive the chilly cold nights of the region. We might have died of cold had an old man not helped us to stay at his hut. It was a low-roof hut where we could barely stand, but we slept well at least for a few hours. The kind old man helped us to find fuel the next morning. The best part is that he did not take advantage of our situation by charging excessive money. We coerced him to accept money, which he had not asked for, thanked him from the bottom of our hearts, and resumed our journey. However, we pledged that we would never make instant plans for such risky destinations.

Once again, when I was in Goa trying my luck at parasailing, even though I am scared of water, as well as, heights, I found a kind lady soothe me. My family had hired Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore and we had driven to Goa. They all wanted to go for water sports, but I did not. No amount of compelling convinced me to agree, but a kind lady did just by her empathetic words.

There are many other instances where I found several people compassionate and benevolent, especially when they know that someone is in trouble. We just need to give the world a chance; we live on a beautiful earth indeed.

How I Enjoy My Vacation in India and Abroad

After being a traveler for so many years, it is not easy to write down what I like the most about a place. Nonetheless, I do like to travel to various places, most of which are in India, and some of them are abroad. Here is my top list of things that I love to do, no matter where I am.

Enjoy being idle

Whether I am at an airport or a railway station, I just love sitting at a place to watch people busy in their lives. In my usual city life, I barely get a chance to sit with myself. That is why; I enjoy the waiting period at such places and do nothing at all. Even if I feel sleepy, I prefer to stay awake and observe people doing various things. There are parents busy with their cute kids, old people struggling to read the newspaper, people from various backgrounds struggling to find their train or the way to boarding the airplane.

I also love to wait for people at the cafés, restaurants, or public parks unless I have something urgent in my schedule. While I was sitting in the garden city browsing self drive cars in Bangalore, I met a lovely elderly couple who talked about their life history with me. It was intriguing to know how they survived a plane crash in London. I had never met a truly grateful person before that day, and just one session of conversation made me realize the gifts I had in my life. 

Read books

I am not a tech-savvy person at all, which is why I never thought of buying a Kindle to pursue my love for reading books. Even though I am a lazy reader, I am persistent at it. During my airport hours, I make sure to read something if the waiting time is too long. The railway stations in India sell interesting novels at throwaway prices, and I buy them in abundance whenever I get a chance.

Window shopping

There used to be a time when I would shop for literally anything that caught my eye at a tourist destination. However, I have matured as a traveler with time and I am not an impulsive buyer anymore. Nonetheless, it does not mean that I have stopped visiting the local markets completely. Now I prefer to go for window shopping and shop for things that I truly feel will not take any extra space at home. I don’t like to haggle too much with the locals of a tourist place, which is why, I tell the shopkeeper upfront that I am only looking around at stuff and I don’t intend to buy anything. They also understand my thoughts as they encounter several window shoppers in a day. I get out of a shop once I am done satisfying my eyes with the beautiful local stuff.

Travel gives a lot of time to kill, but I love to enjoy it rather than just pass the time.

Why I Don’t Quit Traveling Despite Facing Challenges?

Someone asked me in my office that I always tell them the difficulties I faced while traveling, so why don’t I quit traveling? Yes, he had a point, but I also had an answer. I asked him whether he will listen to my stories if I would tell him all the pleasant things. Wouldn’t it get too boring to narrate the stories of places of saw and the cuisines I ate? Moreover, challenges are a part of a journey, which I learned with time and I love those problems.

Leaving home for a long trip is pain; a real pain for sure. No matter I want to leave my comfort zone when I get bored of my regular life. However, when it is time to leave home for a long time, I feel the discomfort in my heart and mind. Moreover, I hate leaving the family behind for more than a week. I know that I would miss my family, friends, pets, and even the stray dogs in my street. Still, I cannot convey my anxieties to my family because they would never let me leave otherwise.

In contrast, the other challenge that I face is returning home after a long time. Just like I find my comfort zone in a regular job and routine, I find the same in wandering around doing random things. It is really tough to leave that solace that I get when I am on the road. In the backdrop, I know that the money in my bank account is vanishing and I need to go home soon, but I never want to do that. I want to be traveling all the time, which makes it even harder to go home again.

In addition, it also distresses me to see that I got out of the city to gain new experiences, but everyone else back home is busy in their mundane lives. Mom still complains about the faulty internet and TV connection. Dad keeps complaining about the politics in his office. And my friends never stop gossiping about people who make more money than them. I don’t want to call them losers, but in a way, they are. They are really harsh words for the people I love, but it is true that when you gain more than your peers, you cannot stop pitying them, if not hate them. I hate myself for saying that, but I have grown a lot more than my peers. I would never say that I don’t like them, but I cannot be like them again. I like to stay attached to my roots, yet, I like to fly high.

I have traveled to many cities in India in the last few years, and I knew that many of these places were not very safe. When I was in Varanasi, I had to be double careful about my belongings and well-being. I could never take my safety for granted because those staring eyes and incidents of crimes made me anxious. When I decided to do the bungee jumping, I knew that I could not guarantee my life. Still, I wanted to kick myself to come out of the box and I did so.

I hired Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore when I had to travel to the remote corners of Karnataka. And I took a flight when I had to travel from Bangalore to Kolkata, but nothing deterred me from being a passionate traveler. I have faced and I still deal with a lot of challenges, but nothing stops me from being who I am.

How My Dog Welcomed a New Member to the House

Dogs have much higher intuition than the humans. While everyone knows that dogs can sense things that are going to happen, it is still a miracle to witness any such incidence on your own. We had heard that dogs already know it when a lady in the house is pregnant. However, not many Indians keep dogs, especially when they have little kids in house, so we had never heard any story about a dog sensing a pregnancy.

We had a golden male Labrador who was very fond of all of us, and he loved playing with anyone who would come home. A week before I got to know that my wife was pregnant, King, the dog had started behaving much funnier than he was. He would be elated whenever he saw someone. He would roll on the floor and sit in my lap so that he can get a head massage. Although he had his designated bed to sleep, he would come between me and my wife every day to sleep for the entire week. He would embrace us like a baby and never stop licking us. We would have to hand-feed his food to him, at least his first bite, and only then he would eat the rest of his meal.

We were amazed at this sudden change in his conduct, but we realized it only a week later when we got to know that Riya, my wife, was pregnant. We realized that King already knew about the baby in Riya’s belly, which is why he never left her side since then. He would never stop licking her at any given chance. Whenever she would eat food, he would sit beside her. As she went for a shower, he would sit outside the bathroom as if he wanted Riya to come our safely and should not hurt herself in the bathroom. Every time, she would cook food in the kitchen, he would dance and rejoice outside the kitchen as if he is happy that the mother of the house is cooking food for him and the new baby.

The delivery

I did not want to trust the cabs in the traffic, so I had hired Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore and went to the hospital with Riya for her delivery. Around 4 am, my mom called from home and said that King had suddenly started barking at the door, but he seems cool. He was taking rounds around the house and jumping on the bed and sofa, and would not let her sleep. The moment my mom told this to me, I told her that King knows about the arrival of the new baby in the house.

Mom was elated at the news of the birth of a baby girl. As we got the baby home, King would never leave her side. He had got his sister in the house. That is when we again realized that dogs are actually much more intuitive than humans.

Why it is Fine not to Travel Alone

I have a problem, a problem with solo travelers who think so high of themselves and belittle non-solo travelers. I have traveled alone to a few places, loved my secluded time, but that does not mean that I would want to indulge in solo travel every time. Solo travel is not the sole best way to travel. I have seen many solo travelers bragging about their experiences, and they make sure that they make other people feel like they are missing something in life if they do not go to place alone. Many experiences in life are unique, but that does not mean that everyone should indulge in them to attain nirvana!

Many people, for example, would never think about scaling the Mount Everest. Does that mean that their life is incomplete?

Never!

I have not done bungee jumping yet, but I do not consider myself any less of a traveler. I am a mountain-trekker at heart, a sleeping buddy at the beach, and a random person on the streets of the world. I love to wander around places all alone, but that is because I have a personality like that. I like to be on my own. I like the space solo travel gives me, but I never brag about it. I hate promoting the notion that I am, in any way, superior to others. When I started solo travel, I had no idea that it would become the coolest thing on social media. I had never even thought about it. It was just more convenient for me to go around alone than wait for people to accompany me. However, I love traveling with people whenever we can make a plan.

Traveling with family

Whenever I go out with my family, I love the time I spend with them. Even if it is a short weekend getaway, I make sure to be with them. As they say, “We owe our life to our parents.” I feel the same obligation, as well as, love towards them. My parents and siblings are a cool set of people; they do not bore me at all. That is why; I love their company even if I have to go to a place like Thailand where other people would not even think about going with a family.

The spirit of travel

I don’t let anyone judge me for what I do. I have the adventurous spirit in me and the curiosity to explore places. I have the freedom to do things I like, be at places I dream about, and be with people I like. Then why on earth, I should not visit places with people. Personally saying, I get bored of my company sometimes. That is when I like to be with friends or family.

Solo travel may be fun sometimes, but not always. When the Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore were launched, I wanted to go for a road trip, but not alone. So I called two of my friends and convinced them to accompany me to Coorg. I got to drive an SUV for the first time, and I had a blast for sure. I, sometimes fall short of words when I comes to explaining my feelings to anyone. Friends are an awesome gift from God.

People are often educative, so are my friends. I love talking while driving or trekking, maybe about politics, education, country, or any random thing in the world. However, I make sure that I talk witt informative people. Many travel buddies have given me unforgettable memories, which would never have been possible if I were alone.

Most Popular Off-Beat Destinations near Bangalore

Bangalore is said to be one of the most happening as well as historical places in India. If you live here, there is no other place that you would like to live in. And not only is the city astoundingly beautiful, but it is also in close proximity from other really popular places that you must visit if you’re a resident of Bangalore.

Even though there are a lot of places to visit around Bangalore, but we’ve shortlisted 3 of the best and the most off beat ones where you could just drive down easily. Just Rent a Self Drive car, convince 2-3 friends, and you’re all set.  Also, Self-drive cars in Bangalore have recently become pretty popular among the youth, because of being accessible as well as economical. These places are a must visit, and if you haven’t planned a trip to them, then do it right now.

1.       Mysore –

This is merely a 5 hour drive away from Bangalore, and known as the city of Palaces, it is an apt destination for a weekend trip from Bangalore. It is one of the heritage sites to be visited, and one of the main tourist attractions of Karnataka. Some of the other attractions of this beautiful city are the museums, temples, gardens, zoo and most importantly The Mysore Palace.

2.        Hogenakkal –

At a distance of even less that 150kms from Bangalore, Hogenakkal has the one of the most beautiful waterfalls in India and it is a perfect one day trip from Bangalore. You can just sit besides the waterfall, and hog on some great snacks and drinks while enjoying the weather here. Fish fry is said to be a popular snack served here.

3.       Yelagiri Hills – Just 180 kms from Bangalore, this beautiful hill station is in a district in Tamil Nadu. You can see beautiful orchids, rose valleys and greenery all around. It is surreal and really peaceful and is one of the perfect places to go to if you need a break from your hectic life. You would be able to see how the tribes live, and it’s like delving in the village life.

Everyone requires a break, and you don’t even need to wait for a long weekend to go t these places. These can be easily covered in a span of two days and you can visit these off beat places any weekend. Self Drive cars are a blessing in disguise and thus there is no headache of getting your own car or going with a driver. You can enjoy your privacy and concentrate on counting memories rather than getting all anxious about how to travel.  So pack your bag right away, and leave for any of these places the very next weekend!