More than an year back, my urge to travel beyond India increased and to my luck, was able to put myslef into a job in the UK which meant an entry into another culturally diverse continent - Europe!! After a good 7 trips old, here I am summarizing the diverty of thoughts I went through during my 6 odd months of travel alone (not a continuos one though...)
The first step towards a travel is the urge to travel. Even though the inquisitiveness of a homo sapien is natural when it comes to travel, for a few it may not be so very obvious. I discovered myself to be somewhere in between these categories of people. Though it was an immense urge to explore while travelling around the UK, I went through a phase of draught where I just wanted to stay back at home; do nothing; stare at immobile objects and stay blank... Sounds a little depressing but yeah! There you are - facts are facts! This lead me to take a break in between my travels to UK and the Schengen nations... A good break of a couple of months in between and I was on the roads again. A draught followed a series of trips again... That is when I realised the importance of chilling out while travelling. It helps you not only to take a break but also to appreciate the rich cultural diversity around! The more time you have to wonder, the more will you discover! - Yes, it is true while travelling!!
'Every travel needs to have a plan in place'! Nah...! The best travels I have had are the ones which are not planned! All I knew is the place I was travelling to and at times the place where I was staying. Having spent many nights at the airports and railway stations made me realise the fun of doing so. The endless conversations you get into with strangers while at airports, hostels and railway stations are always cherishing. A few end up being real good friends and a few remain strangers... Dealing with these uncertain situations makes you realise the importance of randomness in life and the amount of happiness it provides. Of course, no doubt that the planned trips also are filled with people whom you will cherish for a long time as long as you will cherish the place itself. But there is un imaginable fun in the way randomness can fill your happiness. The way you get lost in an unknown city, unknown language with strange people around; not knowing whether to trust them or not is fun by itself for sure!
Food and drinks can never be disassociated with you as an individual if you are travelling or not! But with a travel, the miscellany of the same increases. There is an interesting observation which I went through during my travels. The flavours in the food and drinks of a region has a direct correlation with the mood of the people in that particular region! The paelladors of spain does reflect the loudness amongst the Spaniards; the kick you get in a small sip of an authentic french wine does reflect rh passion of the French; the rawness of a mixture of Brandy and Caffiene reflects the aura of love prevailing in Praha; The coffee on the marbles reflects the exuberance of the Austrians! It is a similar trend across the globe. Having lived in India for over 25 years, this definitely reflects the trend out there.
Regional diversity and change in culture will definitely not affect the basic thought process of a human being. Having lived with strangers, moved along with them for quite a while, one fact is very clear in my mind. Be good to people and they will be good to you! No matter who they are... Where they come from...
The first step towards a travel is the urge to travel. Even though the inquisitiveness of a homo sapien is natural when it comes to travel, for a few it may not be so very obvious. I discovered myself to be somewhere in between these categories of people. Though it was an immense urge to explore while travelling around the UK, I went through a phase of draught where I just wanted to stay back at home; do nothing; stare at immobile objects and stay blank... Sounds a little depressing but yeah! There you are - facts are facts! This lead me to take a break in between my travels to UK and the Schengen nations... A good break of a couple of months in between and I was on the roads again. A draught followed a series of trips again... That is when I realised the importance of chilling out while travelling. It helps you not only to take a break but also to appreciate the rich cultural diversity around! The more time you have to wonder, the more will you discover! - Yes, it is true while travelling!!
'Every travel needs to have a plan in place'! Nah...! The best travels I have had are the ones which are not planned! All I knew is the place I was travelling to and at times the place where I was staying. Having spent many nights at the airports and railway stations made me realise the fun of doing so. The endless conversations you get into with strangers while at airports, hostels and railway stations are always cherishing. A few end up being real good friends and a few remain strangers... Dealing with these uncertain situations makes you realise the importance of randomness in life and the amount of happiness it provides. Of course, no doubt that the planned trips also are filled with people whom you will cherish for a long time as long as you will cherish the place itself. But there is un imaginable fun in the way randomness can fill your happiness. The way you get lost in an unknown city, unknown language with strange people around; not knowing whether to trust them or not is fun by itself for sure!
Food and drinks can never be disassociated with you as an individual if you are travelling or not! But with a travel, the miscellany of the same increases. There is an interesting observation which I went through during my travels. The flavours in the food and drinks of a region has a direct correlation with the mood of the people in that particular region! The paelladors of spain does reflect the loudness amongst the Spaniards; the kick you get in a small sip of an authentic french wine does reflect rh passion of the French; the rawness of a mixture of Brandy and Caffiene reflects the aura of love prevailing in Praha; The coffee on the marbles reflects the exuberance of the Austrians! It is a similar trend across the globe. Having lived in India for over 25 years, this definitely reflects the trend out there.
Regional diversity and change in culture will definitely not affect the basic thought process of a human being. Having lived with strangers, moved along with them for quite a while, one fact is very clear in my mind. Be good to people and they will be good to you! No matter who they are... Where they come from...
