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Saturday, April 6, 2013

Not all those who wander are lost *


Travelling is an art; a passion and an addiction. However, in the age of social networking, it has become a big show-off as well. Over the years, I’ve met different types of travellers – some I’ve had loads in common with; others I didn’t quite understand. Here are four examples, maybe you can relate to one of them as well:

The Lover: These people travel for the sheer love of it. They would pack their bags and venture into the known and unknown territories with equal zeal. For them, the next zoo is as fascinating as Masai Mara for they find beauty in everything they see. You talk about ‘A’ mosque and they have seen it. And loved it. Me, I find faults as well. Just because I’ve spent hundreds of dollars doesn’t mean I’ll come back and recommend you that place! Listen to this, while checking out from our hotel in Leh, the Manager asked us about our experience. He was shocked to hear that we had complaints as well. Ladakh's air can make you very-very sick. No kidding. 

“Another Paris Landmark is the Arc de Triomphe, a moving monument to many brave women and men who have died trying to visit it.” – Dave Barry

The Tick-marker: These people get on the hop-on hop-off bus and check-in at all the places recommended by Lonely Planet. They would spend 20 hours in the city and take a short nap only to get back on that bus. I, on the other hand, believe in leaving out a few places. Why else would I want to visit the place again? Also, I need to sleep for 14 hours a day!! 
A French hotelier frowned at us for reaching the breakfast table at 10:45 in the morning. According to him, the tourists started their day early. Ofcourse, his remarks didn’t bother us!

“Kilometres are shorter than miles. Save Gas, take your next trip in kilometres.” – George Karlin.

The Planner: These people know the city by heart before landing. I’m one of them. Really, I can be a pain in the neck but I can’t help it. I make notes, click pictures of maps and look for unusual things. I feel lost if there is a loophole in the itinerary. Not that ‘people’ let me do all I set out to do…anyway.
I can sell a city to you. If I like a place, I can draw you a mental picture about everything it has to offer and you’ll be blown. I can tell you which airline is best, the places to see, in-and-around the city and what not. Customization is my forte! A friend once saw my album and mentioned that she had not seen even one place in the same country which she had visited as well. You see, I don’t do touristy stuff… oh I can brag and brag. I think the Planner is also the Irritating One!

“Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.” -  Mark Twain

The Show-offs: First things first, I don’t like these people. They go to these places only to brag about it later. Now I’m a social media addict, but I don’t like the bragging part of it. They buy new clothes for all the cities and carry huge suitcases on a holiday. Their camera never stops clicking. These are the people who don’t know how to live in the moment. We all like to look cool in our holiday pictures (why else would we pose as if we were holding the Eiffel Tower??) but buying new clothes for every trip is a tad too much.
We usually carry a back pack and a trolley bag; so that the Boy can carry one and drag the other. Don’t laugh. He loves me.

“When preparing for travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” -  Unknown.

"A tourist is a fellow who drives thousands of miles so he can be photographed standing in front of his car."- Emile Ganest

 These are just four of the many types of travellers. I tend to enjoy conversing with people who relish globe-trotting. The ones who try to impose their taste on me get a red flag. Why this talk about travelling all of a sudden? – Well, it’s time to start the holiday season for us. We have three trips lined up in the next six months including one across the Atlantic and I really cannot wait to hop on! And so, you’ll be reading a lot about my journeys in the next few months! Be Jealous.

I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them". -  Mark Twain

*Travel Quote by J.R.R Tolkien

20 comments:

  1. That made for a very interesting read. Loved the quotes too and agree with all the travel types you mentioned. For me a holiday is for relaxation and enjoying and not some visiting all the items marked in the list from 8 to 8.

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    1. Although I always miss how mornings look like in a particular city, I can't venture out before 12! Don't know how people manage. Glad you liked the post :)

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  2. Anonymous4/07/2013

    I am jealous ..... So are we going to see some of the pics of your travels?

    interesting read btw :)

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    1. Well, two of the three trips are just for visiting friends and family in India. You will definitely get to see a lotttt of pictures from America! I'm so excited that I don't want to do the India trip which is before the U.S one :D

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  3. First of all, I am jealous. Just Kidding...
    I have done bag packing trips as well as planned and I love both - more the earlier but to be frank enough I have now turned to more of a planner now.

    Definitely as you mentioned, I can sell a city to anyone if I like the place and have inspired some of my fellow mates to be interested in travelling. :)

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    1. If I were you and had read this post, I'd be jealous as well. But as I tell everyone, travel stories don't say everything about a person's life. Soooo, don't be jealous :)

      I want to be a back-packer as well. Someday, when I'm exhausted from all the planning, I'll try to venture out without deciding anything. Wonder how that would be like!

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  4. Jealous, jealous, jealous !
    Have a happy trip ! And please let us know! Pics are welcome :-)

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    1. Oh you'll have to wait for sometime before the pictures come. The trips are well phased out.. this was just a very early teaser :)

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  5. Awesome!! Apt use of the quotes. . I can totally relate to the types of travellers. . For me travelling is all about the company, with the right group fun and enjoyement comes naturally but with some others, you just hav to keep telling yourslf to have fun. .

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    1. True. Over the years I've become so rigid that I just like to travel with the Boy. In a way I'm happy that I've found a perfect companion. Though I wish he enjoyed shopping :)

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  6. I think I have a bit of all the types in me. I have clicked pics holding the Eiffel Tower. :)
    And yes, I need to know the place before I land there. I was once lost in Paris and no one around me knew English and that was an experience I would not like to repeat.

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    1. All of us have a little bit of all these characteristics. At the same time, one of these dominates all other and that determines our travel style.
      The part I hate most about getting lost is walking in all directions. I try to minimize my walking by making concrete plans and this absolutely bugs me! And well, google maps are a Saviour now. With smart phones, you can't get lost even if you can't distinguish your Arabic from your Spanish!

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  7. Very interesting read... Loved the quotes. I am definitely the lover :D

    Cheers!
    Himanshu Nagpal | Being Traveler

    Being Traveler

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    1. It's good to be a lover - they are always sweet and positive!

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  8. Yup, that made me very jealous. Considering all our plans of vacations are getting screwed because of TBH work commitments, and that's the only thing we majorly differ on.
    For me travel is all about, exploring the local, the food, the roads, the art, the bazaars and the people. Taking the local transport and just wandering around. I am never keen on seeing the typical monuments n all that. And for him it's all about luxury and lavishness, staying in the best hotels n just laying around. But we till now all are travels have been mixture of both, we have managed to balance it.
    But considering the type of work he is into he just can not cut himself out, so his top most priority is network connectivity. Samandar ho, pahad ho, jungle ho ya nadiya he wants a place jaha phn kam kare n I m waiting for a time when he can take exclusive time off, may be thts causing delay in all out travel plans.

    Though now I know whom to contact when travelling next :)

    Btw you found some beautiful quotes to go with the post, I loved the which says about double the money n half the cloths, I m yet to learn the art of light travel, I will gonna take the cue from u n stick to a back pack n one trolley bag for obvious reasons :)

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    1. Thankfully my husband can cut himself from work when he's on a vacation. I know how annoying it can get. Although being a gadget freak, he needs a 3g network everywhere he goes! And well, slight differences make the relationship fun - it's all about bringing the balance.

      And ya, since it's hard to get a porter everywhere you go and traveling by subway is cheaper than taking a cab, you should stick to traveling light. On a longer vacation, we look for a laundromat and wash our clothes! See, you learn after a while :)

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  9. Nice categorization. I think I am a cross between the lover and the planner. Not a complete planner though I do go with a fair idea, do some reading beforehand and stuff. I would love to be a complete lover, just pack my bags and go - but it's difficult to change the basic nature suddenly :)

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    1. Being a planner needs a lot of vela time in hand. Since I'm a housewife, this has become my sole-purpose in life! Haha!
      I don't know how I'd feel if the Boy gave me a surprise one day and asked me to pack my bags and go on a vacation with him. That would waste probably a month of timepass that would have gone in planning :D

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  10. planner, eh ? Google Maps must have been a Godsend for you... I know the Android app was heaven for me.. I travelled an entire city, choosing my restaurants and dishes even before I walked the street :D

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    1. Google Maps help me choose hotels. The rest of mapping is handled by the Boy when we are AT the location and get lost.
      Normally I don't choose places to eat before going because we try to save money there. Also, my insanity will reach new levels if I did that!!

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Your sweetness makes my day. Gentle criticism will be taken in the right spirit too :)