How My Solo Trips Evolved Into Group Vacations

I hated people. Yes, I dislike people so much that I sometimes wondered if there was something wrong with me. And in reality, there was something actually not right with my personality. I had become too detached to people. The sad part is that I knew that I needed to improve but I could not initiate the process. It was becoming too much for me to bear and when I could not do anything, I just went out for a solo road trip.

Going alone

When you are alone, you have a distinct advantage of being yourself. I utilized the most of this time since I knew that I could be myself without fearing the scrutinizing eyes of my colleagues and family. I wanted to be on my own for a couple of days so that I could unwind and relieve all the stress that had accumulated in my mind. It was tough, but I had to do it.

The first time I talked to someone was when I had to park my car in the hotel parking lot. It was such a relief to finally have someone who would smile at me nonetheless. I ventured out for many such road trips alone so that I can be comfortable at communicating with strangers. I would feel my heart pounding in my chest during the initial few days, but then it normalized later. It helped a lot to be open to conversation and this change was visible clearly in office.

Going for group vacations

As I had started evolving as a social person, I liked talking to people. I made a few friends and we started hanging out with them. I was on seventh heaven when I got a chance to go for a road trip with my office colleagues. We booked Self-Drive Cars in Hyderabad and we hit the road at night. We shifted the driving duty and had a blast while traveling.

It is difficult to pen down how I felt when I actually connected with people straight from the heart. The superficial talks that I had initiated deliberately in the beginning had started giving fruits. An introvert jerk had started becoming an extrovert dude. I loved being in the company of people, which was the result of just one thing, and that is solo travel.

Traveling alone gave me ample confidence to take decisions whenever it was crucial. I did not have anyone to depend on, which is why, it had become easier for me to take quick decisions. I also learned that I can enjoy my own company and be with people as well. I am no more uncomfortable with people around me. Nonetheless, I need my personal space at times.

I have learned how to define boundaries when it comes to social life and personal space. I have got friends who would back me in tough situations. I am glad that I ventured out for vacations alone; it helped me to become a better person.

Why Traveling Makes You More Appreciative

Travel makes you more indebted to whatever you have got in your life; at least I have experienced it for sure. Until I was in school, I had never thought that I have got a lot of things in life, which are way more than what people have in half of the world. I never knew that just a roof on my head makes me a wealthier person than millions of others. When I started traveling on my own, I discovered what it meant to possess things in this materialistic world.

The home cooked food

No doubt travel is a humbling experience and I love each moment of it. However, there have been times when I have literally craved for the basic homemade meal. I hail from Hyderabad; I start missing my staple food even when I am just a few hundred kilometers away from home. It does not mean that I want to return home as soon as possible, but it makes me realize the importance of a healthy meal. If I try to eat the authentic local foods in foreign countries, I am on the verge of killing my budget. And it becomes too difficult to survive on McDonalds for weeks, even though it is the most economical food available anywhere in the world.

I miss the bed

Over the years, I have made my room such that I can find out everything in dark without even opening my eyes. I know my room inside out, each wall of it, and every single thing that lies on the floor. I love to keep it messy and I even tell my mom to never clean it. I find peace in the things that I own. However, when I am away from home for a few weeks or months, I start hating the hotel beds. Even the hostel dorms do not appeal me anymore, and I just want to go home as soon as possible. And when I reach back into my room, I feel like hugging everything even though I can’t. Nevertheless, I can hug my pillows and have a sound sleep.

I miss my family

I hate to confess this, but I had started neglecting my family after years of staying with them. I should have appreciated their efforts in bringing me up, but I was doing the exact opposite. However, when I started being out of the home for studies in a different city, I learned their value. I would crave to hug my mom and they would obviously miss me too. Then, on their anniversary, I looked for the best Self-Drive Cars in Hyderabad and sent them on a romantic drive.

They still remember that day and praise me for what I did for them, but I refuse to take the credit. After all, it was just a small token of love for everything that they had done for me. Is it wrong to say that staying out of home made me more appreciative of everything I have in life? I don’t think so.

Why India is My First Choice for Solo Travel

Whenever I would hear about India from my friends in London, they would provide me with overwhelming information that confused me like anything. However, there was only one piece of advice that stuck in my mind- someone told me that different people have different experiences in India, which may be good or bad at times. The elderly lady told me that I should go to India to feel it myself.

When I landed in India at the Delhi airport, I did not feel anything that was unsafe. In fact, it was one of the cleanest airports I had ever seen. No doubt that the scenario outside the airport was not as pleasant as it was inside, I was open to what lay ahead that day. No mentioning the places that I visited in India, I would like to mention why I choose this land of Gods over and over again for traveling alone.

The ease of information

Internet has made things much easier than ever before in many countries including India. I researched about the places I intended to visit before leaving home, and found valuable material from the bloggers. Just like the situation is there in London, you cannot trust the commercial websites because they never tell the true information. These websites pay attention to inviting more readers and contain only positive information, and ignore the negative aspects of any place, which are obviously important to know for everyone.

The bloggers provide the right information that people like me need to travel to India, and that too alone. I could also talk to some of the writers and locals in India who would give me the real time account of any place. I once asked a person about the weather, safety standards, and food availability, and got the accurate data about that place. It was never as easy before.

The huge number of places

Each corner of India is a new country in itself. As of now, I have been to the south, north, and north-east India. All of these regions are just so mesmerizing and every state gives a different vibe. I now realize what my friends meant when they said that going to India is an overwhelming experience. When I was in the south, I saw the natural beauty at its best. When I was in the north, I witnessed the vibrancy of colors, joyful people of Delhi, and the most delectable food on earth. When I was in North-East India, I got to participate in the lively traditions and festivals with the locals. Every state in the country gave me unforgettable memories.

The ease of transportation

I never knew that the concept of car rentals existed in India. A friend of minutes found out Self-Drive Cars in Hyderabad, and we had a gala time in the city and its surrounding places. Similarly, I could find the car rentals in other metropolitan cities as well, but I did not dare to drive. Only the local drivers can maneuver the cars on the challenging roads of India.

I could easily book the cabs and auto-rickshaws using the mobile applications, which I did not know I could do in India. Railways and airlines were quite obvious to choose for long distances. The concept of manual rickshaw in Kolkata intrigues me, but I have not been there yet.

I loved India for being so vibrant, which makes it my first choice for solo travel. Not to mention that traveling in India is not too heavy on the pocket. I can go there zillions of times and never get bored.

How to Travel With Lazy Kids without Frustrating Them?

Traveling with kids between 10-18 years is extremely challenging because they are moody, stubborn, and many times lazy. However, when you are parents, you have to travel with kids as a responsibility and leisure both. Nevertheless, no matter what you do, sometimes the kids behave dogged, and you can barely do anything about it, but a few solutions are definitely there. You would never want to miss out on visiting the famous places just because those little monsters were not ready to leave the bed before 12 pm!

Tuck them in bed early

The adult travelers are obviously sane enough that they have to make the most of their time on the vacation. Your spouse and you may like to chill from early in the morning until late in the evening, but the kids may have no such interests. They may want to have a full night’s sleep so that they can have the energy to travel in the morning. They would find the tourist destinations interesting only when they have enough stamina in their body. So let them sleep before 10 pm while you may talk over wine with your spouse as long as you want.

Wake them up cleverly

You need to be tactful with kids to wake them up when required. You may play a sweet song on your portable speakers, an audio book that you want them to read, or let your pet do the job. Dogs are best at waking up humans and the kids cannot resist them either. You should also go to the kids and awaken them gently rather than shouting at them.

Give time to rumble

Almost everyone likes to stay in the bed after opening their eyes, no wonder your children would also love to do that. If you want them to wake up at 8 am, do it at 7:30 am so that they can take their time to simmer in bed. Let them smile at the dreams they had or ask you questions about the day’s plans as you bathe or arrange the clothes. Let them do anything they want while they are in bed.

To get them going

Now that you have finally managed to wake up, you need to boost them for the rest of the day. Keep them energized with fresh juices and health drinks. Explain to them what you are going to do throughout the vacation to create interest in them. They might get more excited at the mention of a few places while the other spots may sound boring to them. Ask them if they want to do something specific during the vacation, and fulfil those desires, if possible. Assign them tasks like they may look for best Self-Drive Cars in Hyderabad or the best restaurants in Delhi, which will also generate curiosity in them.

You may be interested in visiting the museums, but the children have little attention span. They are more interested in adventure parks and play areas. Do not shun their ideas; they are young bright kids after all.

Hunger pangs

Hungry kids can ruin your entire day, or a few hours at least, if you do not have anything to feed them. If you are at a place where the food is expensive or the food stalls are too far, you need to carry a lot of snacks with you. The children can also carry some snacks in their bags, which also gives them a sense of responsibility. They will be active in their mind about not losing their belongings and it also prepares them to share the burden with their parents.

My Experience of being an Indian in Tokyo

Since I have lived all my life in Mumbai, Hyderabad, ad Delhi, I am habitual of limited space in such metropolitans.  However, being in Tokyo last year gave me a different perspective of congested spaces altogether. I was there in the city to eat out with friends because of obvious reasons of touring new places. It was astonishing for me to notice that the tables were placed so close that I could hear everything the adjacent people talked with each other, and vice-versa. The only relief was that they did not understand my language, and I understood only a bit of Japanese.

After a few minutes, we saw a group of 7-8 people entering the restaurant; they seemed to belong to the same office. Unlike India, the colleagues in japan often hang out with each other, more out of compulsion than their wish. All of them were native Japanese people, except two guys, who did not seem to be connected quite well with the rest of the people. Still, they were trying hard to gel up with them.

As the boss of the team introduced one Indian to the rest of the group, it became evident that even the two Indians had met for the first time. They applauded to welcome the new member in their team and started talking to them. We had already placed the order for snacks and drinks. As our order arrived, their table was also covered with a lot of food and glasses of alcohol.

Even though all of them were being too formal with each other in the beginning, they gradually started easing up as they gulped down more and more alcohol. Their occasional laughter and a few words in English would nonchalantly enter our ears and we could help but notice them often because of our proximity. We tried to ignore them and let them be, and concentrate on our food and conversation.

After about an hour, we heard a sudden yelp from their table. What I saw was truly hilarious; the two Indian guys were hugging each other and the rest of the group was smiling and laughing their heart out at them. They were happy that two people from one nation had bonded really well, and that the new member will soon be comfortable in office.

It became interesting when they started calling each other bhai, meaning brother in Hindi. And things became even more interesting when I heard the Japanese people calling each other bhai!

This encounter with that group was the best thing I had witnessed in Japan. When I returned to my city, I went to a road trip with my friends when we hired Self-Drive Cars in Hyderabad. I told them the incident and they had fits of laughter imagining the Japanese people calling each other as bhai. This was the time I actually noticed how it feels like being an Indian in a foreign nation. No matter where you belong, your nationality plays a notable role in your personality. Lesson learned well!