How I Stopped Traveling Too Much

In my younger days, I opted to quit my job and travel around the world, which I surely don’t regret.

However, I had to quit that way of living as well.

I could not bear to be a lifelong traveler and I chose to stop traveling too much!

Let me share why.

During my initial days, I enjoyed each day of my solo travel. By the age of 30, I had already visited 30 countries of the world, but I had started getting tired. My body was the worst sufferer than my mind. Even though I wanted to travel more as a fulltime traveler, I had started realizing that excessive journeying was taking its toll on my body.

I would frequently experience high and low blood pressure, and my heart beat would fluctuate too much. Whenever I took the all-inclusive meals on lucrative offers, I could not stop eating too much at the buffet breakfast. And whenever I would travel on budget, I had to suffice myself with cheap fast food options. On some days, I would try to calm my stomach with unhealthy snacks and chips. I knew that I was doing the wrong practices, but travel forced me to do it over and over again.

Traveling in an airplane is the worst experience of all my fulltime travel time. I just hate airplanes, but I cannot help taking a flight at times for long journeys. If the distance that I have to cover is 3000 kilometers, for instance, I would never use any car booking app to hire a Car Rental. I would surely look for the cheapest possible flight that would save me time and money. In my heart, I knew that I was exposing myself to harmful pathogens, for which my body was possibly not prepared. Still, I had to do it because I could not travel such an enormous distance by car on my own.

Being a solo traveler for life was not fun after a few years. The agonies of solo travel had started aggravating and I had already started thinking of living a regular life. I had to search for work in a new country almost every six months. If my employer knew that I would leave work in a few months, they would hesitate to hire me, which made it even more difficult to earn and live in an unfamiliar place. My savings were always meager and I was always desperate to find work, the stress of which would not let me enjoy my journey.

Irregular workout routine also harmed my body. Sometimes, I would start losing weight, and sometimes, I would start losing it quickly. It had began becoming difficult to understand my own body that I had nurtured for 20 years in India under the supervision of my lovely mom.

Finally, as I turned 30, I promised myself on my birthday that I would find a healthier life in Indonesia as it was the place where I found my heart belonged. Now, at 35, I can happily say that I don’t have any regrets in life, and I am enjoying running my hotel in a little island in Indonesia.

And I don’t intend to leave this lifestyle any time soon!  

Why I Feel That Indians Are Sweet to the Strangers

While it is entirely true that Indian men are shy to talk to other females, the elderly people are particularly sweet to the younger generation despite their gender. There have been several instances when I have met utterly sweet Indian men and women who would ask cute questions, just randomly. There was a similar incident when I was there at the Delhi airport and was waiting for boarding my flight.

The battery of my mobile was low, so I decided to charge it at the waiting lounge in the airport lobby. I engrossed myself in the newspaper I was carrying since I could not access my phone. It was surprising to realize that I had not read a newspaper in many years. Just because I bought it that day on my way to the airport, holding a newspaper in my hands felt good and astonishing at the same time. 

An elderly man, who must be in his sixties, approached me and asked if I worked at the airport. I said no, but I was curious to know if he needed something because he was clearly disappointed. I asked him if I could help him to find someone from the staff at the airport, to which he said yes. Unfortunately, we could not find any staff member, and I finally asked him about the matter that concerned him.

He responded that he was there to pick up his son, who was coming from Bangalore. He just wanted to inquire about the timing of the flight that his son had boarded. I smiled at his concern, to which, he got puzzled. I told him that I could help him in this regard if he had the flight number.

Now it was his turn to smile because he had the number with him in his phone. I opened the required website and told him that his son’s flight will be landing in roughly half an hour. We sat together talking about things. He thanked me and asked about my job and introduced himself as a retired bank manager from a government bank.

I was impressed and told him that I come from Kanpur and that I live in Delhi for my job in a company that deals with Self-Drive Cars.

Although he was impressed at my introduction, he immediately asked me if was okay living alone. I nodded, and then he immediately kept a hand on my shoulder and advised me to eat properly. He wanted me to learn cooking and gave me his number so that I can inquire about the quick foods that I can manage for myself. He was really careful that I should not eat too much from outside because it is cancerous.

I was so amused at his elderly affection for a stranger that I could not help smiling for the remaining time that we spent at the airport. Many similar incidences have happened with me in India, where people have proven their sweet nature for me and other strangers. My friends are also the witnesses for the same. Whenever I used to visit any friend’s house for the first time, their parents would treat me with such affection that would melt my heart.

I had once gone to Punjab and the warm nature of the Punjabi folks took my heart away. They never asked any questions beyond my work, food, and family. They just wanted to feed the guest in their house with as much food as they can. Without exaggerating things, I want to say that I love traveling in India, even more than foreign countries.

Going for a Paan Break in Jaipur

A few cities in India are famous for certain things that are truly unparalleled. Just like Nagpur is famous for oranges, Jaipur has earned the fame for Paans. For those who are new to India and its traditions, Paan is a mouth-freshener prepared with a combination of betel leaf, areca nut, tobacco (occasionally), fennel seeds, gulkand, katha, mukhwa, and many other refreshing ingredients. The psychoactive and stimulant effects of this fantastic creation are well-known from centuries in India and abroad. The Mughals have it mentioned in their scriptures as well. It is a simple, yet complex creation, which requires years of practice and expertise. Only a few Paan sellers in the country have been able to become famous for their variety of paans. 

Jaipur is one such city in Rajasthan where eating a Paan after a meal is a must-do. When I went there last month in October, I had made an elaborate itinerary to visit various forts and palaces. However, all of my plans failed because I had not managed my itinerary well. Nevertheless, few good things also happened on our vacation. I am blessed to have a supportive family who does not crib over petty issues. Even though our plans did not work out well in Jaipur, we still had a great time with each other.

It was our first day in Jaipur when we saw a massive crowd in front of a bicycle. Our first thought was that there must have been an accident, which is why such dozens of people were present. However, the presence of BMWs and Audi’s made it a little fishy scene. I got down from my car to find out what was wrong as the traffic was already moving at a snail’s pace. To my utter surprise, it was nothing else, but the rush to grab the Paan from the seller. I had never seen such a swarm of people maddening around to grab a piece of mouth-freshener. 

I have bought Paan from a few sellers in Delhi who are really famous for their creations. They sell a wide range of paans in flavors like chocolate, strawberry, Maghai Paan, Saada Paan, Paan, Banarasi Paan, Meetha Paan, Silver Paan, Rasamalai Paan, Gold Paan, Chocolate Paan, Bangla Paan, Tambaku Paan, Misti Paan, Jagannath Paan, and Kalkatti Paan. I must say that I have googled these names from just one source, and these are only a few variants of Paan sold in Delhi. Despite such a vast assortment of their creations, none of the sellers are able to attract more than ten buyers at one time.

Anyway, I got down to know what was so special about this seller. After waiting for a good fifteen minutes, I could manage to have my turn to buy his special creation of Paan. To my utter surprise, the person was not even preparing the Paan. He had already got his stock ready from home, and he was selling only Meetha Paan, which was quite cold I must say. He would take out the required number of paans from his storage box, probably a mini-refrigerator, and give them to his customers. I grabbed the four paans for my family, paid the price, and rushed back to my Self-Drive Car Rental Jaipur. 

As I gave my parents and sister the famed paans of Jaipur, and opened my share of this majestic creation, I looked at my sister who was about to ask something from me with her mouth filled with paan. As I was gulping down the cold and fresh paan, she asked me the name of the seller, and my reaction was, "Oops! I didn't ask for it!" What a shame! No, I did not go there again in the long queue to ask it.

How I Managed the Trip to Bir on My Own

Some things in life are meant to change your course of existence forever, one of which is marriage in India. Compared to the western world, marriage in India comes with a bundle of restrictions and limitations. Females are supposed to follow a specific code of conduct once they tie the knot. On the other hand, the male folk is allowed to do almost whatever they want. Even if they have to answer a few questions, they are not expected to answer them. 

It is easy to manage a solo trip for men, but it is indeed a big deal for women, be it in any part of the world. When my marriage was fixed with a banker in Delhi, the first thing that came to my mind was that I still had most of my wishes unfulfilled from my bucket list. I could never say it to my parents, but it was tough for me to acknowledge the point that I would not be able to enjoy my bachelorhood again. 

Anyway, I had developed quite a good bond with my fiancé, and I talked to him that I wanted to go for a solo trip before marriage. He hesitated at once, but he asked me about my plans and how I was setting up my vacation. I did not have much to tell at that time, but the name of the destination and that was Bir. It is a small village located near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. I came to know about Bir when I had gone to McLeodganj and did Paragliding there in Bir. I had simply fallen in love with the mountaintop location of the place, and I had pledged that I would definitely go there to stay for a couple of days at least once.

After I found out the things that I could do at Bir and the hostel where I would stay, I told the details to my fiancé. It is difficult to express in words the happiness that I felt from the bottom of my heart when he agreed to my plans just so readily. I would have dropped my plans had he refused to agree with me, but I instantly fell in love with him again when I could sense that I am getting married to a person who understands me and my goals in life. I did not have to convince him too much to let me go, and he even agreed to keep it a secret for my sake. He realized that it was difficult to convince our parents, and hence, it was better that we kept this story hidden from them. 

Now came the turn to plan the itinerary, which again I prepared with the help of my fiancé only. He was very cooperative to help me find out the best places to visit and the activities I could do in Bir. I booked one night of camping, two nights of the hostel stay, and paragliding in addition to sightseeing in the quaint village. As the days to depart from Delhi came closer, my fears of going on solo trip diminished. 

I always wanted to be at a place where no one knew me, and I could be myself for as long as I want. The hills have been close to my heart since childhood, but the family vacations were somehow rushed at all times. We always had something to do or someplace to visit, which never left time to relax and unwind, which I did not even need during childhood. It was only when I grew up that I realized the importance of peace in life, and I was lucky to do it before I got stuck in the responsibilities of marriage.