5 Travel Essentials

There can be many essentials to carry when traveling but the following are a pure no-no. If you ever went on a trip and didn’t enjoy, you probably need to take notes. There are my five travel essentials I tick mark surely before I leave.

1 No Guilt

There can be a whole big list of trips I have had with the guilt of missing something important. A friend’s birthday, family occasion, some interview and what not. Throughout these many guilt trips, I have had the evident company of sorrow with a toss of weird emotional state.

Back when I began trekking and having big vacations, I was in college and would only have weekends to spend time doing something else. And so there would be some family gatherings or a night out at a friend’s place or something planned for the weekend.

It was still manageable back then as I would meet these important people during the week and make up for not being there for the weekend and traveling instead. But now that all work, missing a weekend gathering gives a bigger guilt.

After ruining a few trips, I added this to my checklist before I leave. I spoke with two of closest friends and told them why traveling is important for me. They have a better backstory of my life and they got it. It gets difficult, but now they always know when I am heading out and all our night outs and meets are planned way ahead.

2 No Emotional Baggage

How are guilt and emotional baggage different? Well, here I mean, if there is something is bothering you real bad, it is sucking the life out of you, it can be anything, big or small, don’t let it be in the way of you having fun on a trip, instead use the trip as a way to let go of it and feel lighter.

I have a habit of overthinking and it sucks. I still remember years back, I had a small argument with a very close friend before I left for a trip and I didn’t enjoy the day at all. It was so bad I couldn’t stop whining about the fight to a few I was traveling with.

I realized instead of being there and enjoying with people I was with, I spread gloomy vibes. Only if I could go back and change that day, and be a better person, I would. But hey, that day gave me this pointer. If you are an emotional fool like me, make sure you don’t miss ticking this off.

3 No Responsibility

This is one a little more subjective than the ones above. I am a responsible head otherwise. I have taken charge of things, people and situations and have done well. But, when I travel, I love to be with myself.

It is purely my time, where I get all my thoughts out and just be me. Be amidst nature and feel the love around without a single thought about the real world back home.

Last week I had been to Gorakhgadh and I trekked it with an eleven-year-old girl. It was her first ever trek. I saw the entire fort through her eyes, her observations, her happiness, her care and concern for others, her idea of fun and laughter. It was beautiful.

But, the entire climb up and down with her, I was worried. For this trip, she was my kiddo, she was my responsibility. It was different and difficult. I am not good with kids in general who are big enough to speak. I get very awkward, shy, or I don’t know why very conscious. But this kiddo was different.

Among the many things I learned from her, I surely figured that I can’t travel with someone’s responsibility. It was a fun trip with her but it isn’t something I can do often. I can do such a trip once in a while but not too often.

4 No Health Issue

This is the most important one and you should definitely add this to your checklist. I have traveled with a cough cold and fever and managed. But, always listen to your body, it does tell you if you can or cannot do something.

Do not mix this with the feeling of fear. Feeling sick out of fear is normal, but if there is something severe, just don’t go. Oh, yes, I have traveled sick and that trip is one of the worst I ever had.

I just had to travel and so I head out. But that day I realized when you are sick you slow down the entire group. You aren’t able to enjoy much and you kind of spoil it for others too.

I don’t even let someone carry my bag even if it is extremely heavy and the climb extremely difficult. If I am not able to carry one bag, how would someone carry two? Don’t let your health issue or any sort of physical trouble spoil someone’s fun. Stay back home and if you head out, give it all you got.

5 No Virtual Presence

I have made it a habit for my mom now that on one-day trips I call her only once when I began my journey back home and on two-day trips, I call her twice. On bigger trips, I call her once in two days. This is because of a simple rule I follow that is to use my phone only to click pictures, take videos and call mom once.

My phone is full time on airplane mode to save battery too as I still own an old Moto phone. If you have read my previous travel posts and loved how I connect to nature and people around, add this to your checklist and make sure to do it. This will help you be more present in the place you are more than just physically.

There is not a single trip I had where I haven’t followed this rule since my first ever trek. And the results have been beautiful. If not always, try this on your next travel, do let me know how it works for you.

These are five travel essentials I check before I head out. It may or may not work for you as they are purely subjective to my travel experiences but hey, if you try any of these, or do follow any, I would love to know your story.

July 28, 2018

Embracing Uncertainty

I was down there, on my bathroom floor, sobbing. I have done so before for legit reasons but this was the first time I didn’t know the reason. It was just a burst out of an amalgamation of many emotions at once.

Usually, I don’t share feelings. I write out to myself, cry and get done with. This is how I have grown. This is how I have lived. But each time I have dealt with something this way in the past, I was certain of what I am feeling, and what it was that I was dealing with.

But a few days back, I was sobbing in the bathroom without a clue. Only to realize after hours of being there, it was just ‘adulting’!

Last April I got done with my graduation and from then life has been nothing but chaos. I had a fun vacation to Manali and Ladakh in May. The following June I trekked every weekend to the Sahydaris. After which my mom retired from her first job after working there for 37 years and I managed to land upon my first job ever.

I didn’t think much at all. I just went with the flow. The May trips were pre-planned nothing after that. I took up a job because I had zero clarity about if I wished to do masters and if yes in what field. Luckily, with the soul-sucking job I managed to deal for eight months made me realize that yes, I should surely do further studying and am not so ready to be strangled in the work cycle yet.

It is easy to write down the above paragraph today, but living the last year of my life wasn’t so. I am the kind of person who loves to plan and wishes to follow them. If you know Monica from FRIENDS and how she loves rules and discipline, I relate to that side of her. And now imagine going through such chaos about masters, about doing a job etc.

The May trips made me write to me that I shall try to visit the Himalayas once a year at least. The treks after that helped me understand that I can’t stay away from the Sahyadris. Mom’s retirement made me grow closer to her. My first job molded me in many ways.

I faced my first failure at my first job. I dealt with a horrible workspace and a relatively dizzy boss. But this job and people I met helped me getting regular with my craft as I began blogging weekly.

So the chaos that I went through, lead to something good. Now I am dealing with a different set of uncertainty altogether. Earlier the uncertainty was whether masters or working. Now it is more like, what if after doing this master I figure this is not what I want, what if this is a wrong decision? What if I waste years of my life?

Unknowingly, in the past year, I embraced the uncertainty and started blogging weekly, realized my love for writing and traveling. And this is my hope to embrace all these thoughts in my head right now, the reason I sobbed, the uncertainty about the master, the fear of failure again.

I am embracing all these thoughts, all this uncertainty, in hope that it will turn out to be good, it will all sort out and fit in.

I don’t know in what phase of life you are right now, and what is it that you are dealing with. I just penned down a bit of what I faced and am facing and how I am dealing with it. If nothing I hope you take from this that there is no escape from the chaos and embracing the uncertainty without giving up is the only way forward.

July 20, 2018

Flashback – Travel’17

I am grateful that 2017 has proved to be a year full of beautiful experiences. A year where I managed to have 12 trips-some for a day, some for two and 2-3 trips of more than a week. During each trip I had experiences adding different shades to my personality.

I realized my potential in many ways. The very first trip in January to Korigadh tested my patience. I realized which kind of people I cannot travel with, luckily early in year so I managed to avoid them throughout the year. I understood my physical capability in my next trip in Feb to Alang-Madan-Kulang-the toughest range in Maharashtra. I still can’t believe I actually managed walking from Lonavla to Bhimashankar that is 65+ km in April heat. It was a tough challenge with a beautiful outcome. This year for the first time I went for trek, to Vikatgadh, without even an hour’s sleep. It was unbelievable that my body could dance all night and trek the next day, but wuhoo done that too!

For me the people I travel with are of importance too. And this year during my last Industrial Visit to Sikkim, with my then classmates, now batch-mates it proved to be so. Each of them, made me feel so special for being part of this batch of 2017!

I always wished to meet a celebrity not at some event but while travelling. And guess what, I did. I met Namit Das during my trek to Asherigadh in August this year and managed to have a conversation too. He has trekked a few other places and loves to trek and travel. Yayayay, I felt within, standing and conversing with a celeb about travelling on a trek!

I did my first snow trek during my trip to Manali. I realized how beautiful is the feeling when you give. I became a more giving person, I cared less about receiving. This was the total vibe of the trip because of the way the guides and other helping hands received while trekking high in mountains.

Ladakh was never part of my bucket list, because I like to be realistic and I didn’t think it was possible. But this is now gracious the super power is. Before I googled and added it to my list I had experienced it. Blessed is the word Ladakh taught me, the life people have there is difficult, I’ll leave the rest for you to go and physically experience it. I started respecting my life back in Bombay after this trip.

I am happiest when I am travelling. I don’t know how but my happy place is in the moments of learning during travels. This year, when I chose to go Harishchandragadh over one really important function, I knew it that the travel-bug has settled within.

I will rewind and play the flashback travel’17 a million times and never be bored of it. I hope my travel write ups inspire you to go out there and travel. There are many long vacations in 2018, time you start thinking!

December 17, 2017

Things that make me happy

What makes you happy? What is that one thing that makes you smile? What is that one thing that makes you wish, you live longer? It can be your better half, your parents, family or simply a hobby or a goal you wish to achieve.

When I sat down to answer this question, there are a few things that popped in my mind. Reading, writing, travelling, etc. When I tried to question and find out why exactly do they make me happy, the answer became complicated.

Its easy to know what makes you happy. It isn’t as easy to figure out why it makes you happy. Its like your first crush, you know you like them, you don’t know why.

I banged my head on this for a while and finally got an answer. Its the learning experience from each of the things I love doing that makes me happy. Every time I complete reading a book, a blog post, a travel there is a sort of happiness I cannot feel otherwise.

When I hammered on this question for some more days I got a link between these things that make me happy. Its people! I am a non fiction person when it comes to reading, and usually end up reading experiences of people that I connect with. (Eat Pray Love being my last read.) I love to write so that I get back response of at least one person who connects with what I write. Travelling that I do has many reasons, one of the biggest is to meet people and know more about their lives.

This year I have done my best to spend time doing things that make me happy than I ever have. And guess what it wasn’t even on my resolution or to do list! So I would like you to push yourself and find out what makes you happy, find a relation within them like I did or just make sure you spend time doing these things that make you happy and the rest shall be take care of.

Till the year ends, my last series of posts will be “Things I learned from…” This will include people I have learned the most from & who have molded me into the being I am today!

November 5, 2017