He or she could be your best friend back
home, but not the best companion on a journey. As travel becomes an inward
journey -directed towards self-growth -no one is ready to compromise on who
they are travelling with
I
was feeding my persistent sense of wanderlust when I headed to Bangkok last
June. It was a much-awaited trip with my besties; but, alas, it was a bumpy
ride. One of my friends and I just couldn't see eye to eye. While I would want
to eat like a local, she would spend all day googling `Indian restaurants in
Bangkok'. While I'd explore the night bazaar, she'd check party places. The
much-awaited trip changed my perspective on travel, and travel companions. They
may not always be your best friends or even family because travelling is no
more what it used to be ¬ an annual summer or winter vacation with family that
would include sightseeing, eating at well known restaurants and relaxing at
hotels.
MY DESTINATION,
MY CHOICE
Today,
people have an independent outlook towards life, an urge to learn, reflect and
introspect... Thus, holidaying is more about “travelling with a purpose“.
Travel blogger Sachin Bhan dary says, “Travel has become a very serious aspect
of our lives. The chalta hai attitude doesn't work. It's about `my choice' and
a lot of thought goes into planning vacations.“ While some people are
travelling for self discovery and personal growth, others are travelling to
make new friends, eat good food, follow their favourite music bands or to visit
their favourite art and culture spots. What ever the kind of travel, one thing
is be coming distinctly clear ¬ no one has the patience to tolerate an irritat
ing travel buddy anymore. They'd rather go with a stranger. Several online
travel communities, where you can find like-minded company, have cropped up
over the last few years.
Hari
Nair, founder of an online travel portal, says, “When two people with
completely different ways of dealing with a situation come together, it can
lead to arguments and discomfort, turning the holiday into a nightmare.“ You
may have to face a lot of challenges on a trip ¬ delayed flight, loss of
important documents, unavailability of vegetarian food, a terrible hotel etc.
These test your ability to adjust, compromise and find a solution without
whining.“
It's
not always the other person. Travel also gives us all a rare insight into
ourselves ¬ it gives us more or less an accurate understand ing of where our
boundaries are set, how far we can stretch the limits of our basic emotions.
BBC World News presenter Rajan Datar says, “I travel quite frequently for work
with my cam eraman, producer and local researcher, and I pretty much get along
with everyone. One of my worst experiences was travelling with an
over-talkative person. I love my space on long journeys, while soaking the
natural beauty around me. But this person didn't fail to miss a single
opportunity to fill the silences with silly, random conversations about
himself. That is when I found the intolerant side of the traveller in me.“
SEEK ANSWERS,
KNOW YOURSELF
Intrepid
traveller and award-winning blogger Shivya Nath believes if you travel to seek
answers, or even the right questions, it's important to travel with the right
person. “At times, the person can be just yourself. Or travel with someone who
pushes you out of your comfort zone, adds another dimension to your
perspective, and shares your curiosity to see the world. The wrong travel
companion could do just the opposite ¬ reduce your travels to a mere outward journey
that changes nothing within. Then you might as well just stay at home,“ she
says.
STRANGERS OVER
SPOUSE
Travel
certainly isn't just one of those things people do these days. It's a life
lesson and no one wants to misinterpret its chapters due to a wrong teacher. In
fact, travel as a self-growth process has become so vi tal that people are
seeking like-minded companions even over their spouses. Architect Archana Mehta
says, “While being busy with work and household chores, we often tend to forget
our priorities, likes and dislikes. During my last holiday, I travelled alone
and met various people. We would chill at a bar to gether and talk for hours
about ourselves. It was refreshing talking to people other than my friends,
husband and fami ly. I came back from the trip feeling peaceful yet energetic,
and it was great to reconnect with my family af ter the break.“
Travel
enthusiast and writer Lakshmi Sharath, who writes about her journeys in A
Travel Blog of an Indian Backpacker, explains why people closest to us at times
don't make for good trav el partners, “Travelling with someone is not like go
ing to dinner with a friend ¬ where you can both or der different dishes, have
a good conversation, hug and leave. It's not even like going to a movie ¬ where
you come out with different opinions about the film but enjoy the popcorn
nonetheless; travelling brings out who you really are. When you are on the
road, you are in touch with your core and don't want to deal with any nonsense.
The masks which you can keep on in a familiar environment of home, office, your
neighbourhood and other known surroundings, come out when you are travelling.
At that time, you just want to be yourself. The freedom, the space, the new
surroundings all together propel the real you to come out on the surface. You
don't want to compromise on that.“
Advertising
professional and avid traveller Kanaad Chatterjee from Ahmedabad gives a whole
new dimension to the idea of travel companionship when he says, “Think about
travelling like you'd think about marriage ¬ if you're with the wrong person,
it can deprive you of the people you could have met, the food you could have
eaten, the fun you could have had, and the person you could have become.“
ONLINE TRAVEL
BUDDY
Travbuddy.com: One of the largest services for finding a
travel buddy online, this one will ask you to register and write a bit about
yourself as a traveller with a picture or two. It has over 43,000 members and
185,000-odd future travel plans.
Thelmandlouise.com: A women-only search engine, this
site helps you find someone who specifically matches your criteria through
advanced-search options.
Meetup.com:
Prefer group vacations? Meetup.com
lists worldwide get-togethers for specialist interests. Yes, they have a
special group for people who love to go for road trips and attend local events
like movies, coffee and clubbing.
TripTogether.com: Started by a team of 30 avid travellers,
the website has a lively pool of over 50,000 enthusiasts. You can share your
experiences, find new friends, show visitors your favourite spots and get to
know a lot of things about places you're interested in.
Travel-buddies.com: Aimed at backpackers looking for a partner or
group to travel the world with.Absolutely free of charge.
Article
by shikha shah
No comments:
Post a Comment