Partners in Crime (read Travel)

My world on my shoulders

I have noticed that people are far more receptive of me when I’m traveling alone. Some want to know why I do it others pick my brain about travel experiences and always conversation and food flows and before long we part friends.

But I’m not always a single woman traveler. I enjoy company on the roads and I’m blessed with two fabulously different and unique travel companions. Between the two of them, they ensure that I have a great time and solid memories to fill up my backpack.

My partner Sajeev, is a busy corporate guy, whose idea of travel is associated with the words ‘break’ or ‘vacation’. Timeline, USP (unique selling proposition), constraints, value add and EOD (End of Day) are terms that come into play when we plan our travels together. Like all business heads, he likes to delegate, which means I end up doing all the planning, researching and booking, but within the framework of the above mentioned keywords. 

Corporate busy-bee

This I enjoy, because it allows me to design our trips in a manner that works for the both of us. For him the luxuries of a comfortable bed, relaxation massages and fine dining; for me, some local cuisine and interactions, neighborhood markets and breathtaking moments. It is a sort of middle path, that combines the 'holiday' with the 'travel' experience.

None of these rules apply when I’m traveling with my bestie. Gowri is a cinematographer turned social ad film maker, who like me, believes that having no plan is the best plan. This is also because experience has taught us that when the two of us plan things to the T, nothing ever works out. So we simply decide on a date, and pack our cases, and let the road lead us. Sometimes we get into trouble and then rely on common sense or friends to bail us out. But after what can only be termed as the worst experience ever (link here), we have learnt to travel more cautiously.

Gowri's photograph in print: ET-TRAVEL

Ultimately I believe that it doesn’t matter how you travel, so long as the means has justified the end. This is a travel blog, but sometimes I digress and talk about people or food or an experience or an observation because travel is not just about going to places and dotting the map. It’s those things that you discover, that makes every trip worth taking. 

One final thought. Sometimes the best travel stories can come from our own backyard (meaning city or town), and I promise to be on the lookout for those kinds too.