A Journey to Remember

Sometimes, even when you are at home, the days fall short. For me, that time is when I am planning a holiday.

Travelling inspires me. It makes me want to do things I’ve never done before. It makes me want to stay fit to walk around every corner of the globe. I know resources are important, but even if you have the money, you may not be able to travel for several other reasons. I don’t want ANY of those reasons to come in between my plans to tour the world.

So, last few days have been crazy. We have two vacations coming up – one in July and one in September. Before that, we are going home for a month next week. That meant that I needed to chalk out my plans and book hotels so that we get the best rates. And we did.

Did you know there is no better thing than chalking out a plan for a holiday? It makes me visit a place even before I go there. Pictures never do justice to a town. So both the experiences are totally different. Whoever said that planning before going is not important, missed out on breathing the air of a destination before reaching it.

I’ve been visiting Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Cyprus since the last few days. My days start on the laptop, and end with a dream of the destination. We needed to find out the cities we wanted to visit. We had to see which towns had easier connections. We had to book hotels that were both quiet and centrally located. How do you do that? - By researching, reading and asking. I’ve now reviewed, asked and answered so many questions/destinations on Tripadvisor that people send me private mails asking about things. That makes me very proud actually!

Speaking about Tripadvisor, it is one of my favorite places to visit before and after venturing out. I spend hours on it planning my itinerary. And then I spend some time giving it back – by reviewing the places and filing trip reports. The map that I have there, oh well, I wish I could take out a big print out of it and stick it on my wall.

That’s the dream really - to stick a pin on every destination possible. Everyone around me seems to carry a Louis Vuitton or wear an Omega; but my motto is simple – I’ll rather buy a holiday than spend the same amount on materialistic luxuries. The same Rs. 20,000/50,000/2,00,000 (Yes, that’s how expensive these bags and watches are!) can give you immense pleasure on a mountain than carrying a man-made, society-driven, branded rubbish.

So take a weekend off, look into your bank account, open Tripadvisor, and breath-in the air of a destination you have never visited. Then go there and make your life a journey to remember.