Monday, May 27, 2013

Travel Young ... Let it define the rest of your life.

This article has blown me away... I loved every word. It makes me dream to become one like him. To feel like a traveler from deep within. To feel that spirit entwined in me that I can confidently tag myself as a traveler,not just an amateur. Reading this may put you at guilt, but its a good thing. It might be the right trigger to wake up the sleeping love to travel. By sharing his article, I hope I can remind few more people of all the reasons he has mentioned to start travelling young; to make it a habit; to make you more human.

Enjoy reading! http://convergemagazine.com/travel-young-5278/ ... Here are few excerpts that might spark you to read the complete article:


" 'Yeah, but …' This phrase is lethal. It makes it sound like we have the best of intentions, when really we are just too scared to do what we should. It allows us to be cowards while sounding noble. Most people I know who waited to travel the world never did it.Conversely, plenty of people who waited for grad school or a steady job still did those things after they traveled."


"“We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle once said. While I don’t want to sound all gloom-and-doom, and I believe your life can turn around at any moment, there is an important lesson here: life is a result of intentional habits. So I decided to do the things that were most important to me first, not last."


"Youth is a time of total empowerment. You get to do what you want. As you mature and gain new responsibilities, you have to be very intentional about making sure you don’t lose sight of what’s important. The best way to do that is to make investments in your life so that you can have an effect on who you are in your later years.

I did this by traveling. Not for the sake of being a tourist, but to discover the beauty of life — to remember that I am not complete."

"You should take the time to see the world and taste the fullness of life. Traveling will change you like little else can. You won’t always be young. And life won’t always be just about you. So travel, young person. Experience the world for all it’s worth. Become a person of culture, adventure, and compassion. While you still can"


Now, what are you waiting for ?

Thailand!

My best friend and I had been planning for an abroad trip for long and suddenly out of nowhere it all started, and materialized. It was Thailand! 3 more of our friends and we had the gang to start on our plan!
We had a short time to plan, and as much as I am not fond of going for packaged deals, we did. None of us had enough time to plan out every single detail from scratch. And we wanted this to happen. Whatever happened we were going to make this happen :) So we compromised on true traveler tasks and took help from makemytrip. Luckily we weren't with any other group and could also tweak the itinerary to suit our requirements - Shopping, budgeted and some water sports :) We stuck to Pattaya and Thailand. Would've loved to go to Phuket for the real thailand beaches. But again, had to choose between Pattaya and Phuket. We went ahead with Pattaya based on budget and time limitation. 
It was such a fun trip! I wish I have time to write down more details later. For now, I am going to put down here a poem-sort-of's that I wrote the day we headed to Thailand from Chennai :) :

The passports have stamps
We've packed our bags
We are off from work
and all places of murk
We are gonna have some fun
Won't matter if its in the blazing sun
We will chill on the bay
And shop crazily in the day
We'll make this one
An awesome holiday
Kingdom of Thailand,
We are on our way!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

'Marry a boy who travels' - I wish!


Today I read this article by a writer Lena Day :
http://wherearemyheels.com/2012/05/12/date-a-boy-whos-travelled

As I read this, I was impressed by how well she collated her thoughts, and a part of me was also envious that these are the exact thoughts that run in my mind, but never thought to write it down so beautifully as she has. When I think of the kind of guy I would like to be married to, I usually start with the adjective 'free spirited' as I call it in my mind, mostly as a result of the travel exposure that he has had in his life. Someone who loves to travel more than I do. Wouldn't that just be ideal :)? Sigh ... anyways, coming back to Lena's blog, you should read it! 

Here are a few excerpts from her blog that I loved the most!

"Find a boy who travels because you deserve a life of adventure and possibility. You deserve to live light and embrace simplicity. You deserve to look at life through the eyes of youth and with your arms wide open. Because this is where you will find joy. And better, you will find joy together. And if you can't find him, travel. Go. Embrace it. Explore the world for yourself because dreams are the stuff reality is made from.

Marry a boy who travels and he’ll teach your children the beauty of a single stone, the history of the Incas and he will instill in them the bravery of possibility. He will explain to them that masking opportunity there is fear. He will teach them to concur it.

And when you're old you'll sit with your grandchildren poring over your photo albums and chest of worldly treasures while they too insert themselves into your photographs, sparked by the beauty of the world and inspired by your life in it."

She has beautifully woven with her words the dream of every girl who loves to travel. Years later, I hope I can write back to say that I indeed found such a man in my life :)
Till then let's travel!