What inspired me to “finally” take a solo road trip across India?
“To be or not to be”- this dilemma has haunted me all my life. My earliest yearning for adventure began when I was 6 years old, watching Bear Grylls in “Man vs. Wild”. Even since I was a child, my sweetest memories and anxious pinings were about travel. I jumped with joy when we took our first & only family vacation to Odisha- love at first sight with the mesmerizing Gopalpur beach, running up the stairs of Jagannath Puri temple in rain & drooling over fish curries being served on the next table (we stuck with vegetarian food, 😭)
As a rebellious teenager, I would take up any opportunity to get outside the house- be it paying electricity bills, offering to buy groceries or bunking tuition classes. My fondest college memories while graduating from NIT-Bhopal were all the road trips I took with my friends. Being an introvert with questionable social skills, that was the only bond I could form with my classmates. In a way, I saw this as a chance to get over my childhood regret of not traveling because of my dad’s work commitments & zero interest from other family members.
My life goals would be around traveling, the only criteria of a good job would be based on the opportunities it would provide to experience the world. I immersed myself in reading- autobiographies & newspapers being my favorite as they would take me around the world, see life from someone else’s perspective- fulfilling the cravings of a socially stunted girl in her early 20s.
Then the universe conspired and I moved to Mumbai for my first job in Larsen & Toubro. I still remember the 25-hour train ride from Chennai to Mumbai- filled with the excitement to try to build life from scratch in my dream city. Even today, the prospect of settling up in a new city fills me with ecstasy. I started building my social skills and join my colleagues for weekend trips in and around Mumbai. I was truly blessed with friends who would make these two years in Mumbai memorable by visiting Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, Kass plateau, Daman etc. Little did I know that I would soon get obsessed with it and take my first trip to the Rann of Kutch and then Kerala with a dear friend.
Dear readers, it would surprise you that soon after, I wanted to join the Indian Foreign Services, only dreaming about how that little red passport would open the doors of several worlds for me (It took me 2 years to realize that there are other interesting ways to fulfill my dream). Once I had this epiphany, I decided to make the best of what I had. I would accumulate my leaves and take long vacations. These vacations were my only motivation to endure the long working hours & endless meetings- I visited Assam, Meghalaya, Nainital, Goa, Ladakh, and Singapore.
When COVID hit, I was on cloud seven- first, because I could now avoid the awkward lunch sessions at work (eat in peace while binging on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and second, work from home was a true blessing. I could finally take the time to think about how I wanted to spend my mortal life. I have always believed in living a life with purpose. So on my birthday in July, I took the leap, left my apartment in Mumbai, put my stuff in a storage unit and left for a 3 month-workcation from Goa- working from the beaches, collecting coconuts on my morning walks, chasing rainbows on my Activa and trying my hands on Goan prawn curries. Goa is a true beauty during the monsoons!
All these experiences had now given me the confidence and a clearer understanding of my insane urge to travel and explore. After I came back home to my parent’s place (who were wondering if I had abandoned them; comparing me with the other folks who were working remotely from the comfort of their homes), I started exploring Jabalpur.
But the traveler inside me could not chill-I had to leave for another adventure with a little caveat- I had adopted a cute golden retriever Alexis in January (another life-long dream of mine), who would now accompany me on my travels. I was not the free bird now- I was a dog mom with a baby. So, after plenty of planning & several phone calls, I chose Jaisalmer. It was because of two reasons- I found a bus service that allowed me to travel with Alexis & second it was one of the few bus services which resumed before the second lockdown. Alexis & I packed our bags & began our journey to the Golden City, unknown to the fact that this adventure changed our lives forever & set us on the path which now seems like destiny fulfilled!
So, traveling solo has been a decision in making for me- mostly by choice & sometimes by accident; some made consciously and others while looking for escapes from life. And it isn’t as romantic as it sounds- it took a lot of effort- some skills I had accumulated over life helped (planning, marketing, business consulting) and others I had to learn quickly (like driving a car, starting an Insta account, functioning with uncertainty). Finally, everything fell in place (or it seems so) and we have been on a road trip since October 2021.
I am planning to share my experience while being on the road- the good, the bad & the ugly with folks who want to travel full time while being a responsible adult (i.e. holding meaningful jobs, paying your taxes & getting the best experiences out of every trip). I will share tips on solo traveling, traveling with pets, a detailed itinerary on the places I visit, and most importantly, try to inspire you to take action if traveling the world is your dream too!
You can reach-out to me on travel.shivanibohare@gmail.com or on my Instagram handle, Facebook page, or Twitter.
Happy travels! Woof Woof!
Shivani & Alzu ❤️
