You read that question, right? And perhaps, you’d also ask it to yourself sometimes- doubting if you were traveling right if you were only doing the typical touristy things? Social media influencers and travel apps and websites have been preaching an idea for a few years now- the idea of finding an ‘offbeat location’ near the touristy town. Another concept that’s associated with this preaching is ‘finding yourself on your way to travel’. Can you really do that? Let’s address these two questions one by one.
Traveler versus Tourist
What’s the difference? A few years ago I was reading a blog that covered a small village near Manali. In the blog, the author interviewed people from that village and asked how they felt about the idea of their village being a hap travel destination?
“There was peace before this chaos,” a 59-something man said, “Now, we see motorbikes, cars, litter, alcohol, and drugs more often. They’re making it a city,” he said.
“But, is it also not opening a lot of employment opportunities for your community?” the interviewer asked.
“It is, but everything comes with its price. And we wonder is it really adding value?”
That’s one side of this story. If I address this question from my perspective, from the POV of someone who would want to go anywhere away from home during vacations, I’ve my own comments.
While I really think that doing the offbeat travel things is in vogue these days, thanks to the Instagram reels, I also find absolute peace in doing the regular touristy things, because it reminds me of simpler times and comfort that I would rather crave.
Back in the 80s and 90s, we packed our luggage with hats, SLR cameras, walkman radios, and very touristy clothes. My father booked a comfy hotel where my mother could get a break from her daily rut.
The family would go paddle boating, ropeway through the valleys, bazaar hopping, mall road strolling, clicking pictures in local attires, and hogging comfort foods. Everything about those holidays felt comfortable and somewhat luxurious to our simple middle-class Indian families. The 36-or-so pictures spoke volumes about the times when we took a break from life. We came back refreshed and recharged, ready to take on the rut with newfound spirit. I still remember every single detail of my childhood holidays, of the times spent with my parents and siblings.
But that simplicity and comfort of touristy traveling is now replaced with the “find-your-life’s-purpose” kind of traveling. I’d rather call it acceptance, validation, and FOMO traveling, which is only adding a lot of societal pressure to our generation.
The other day, I was sitting with my sister on the terrace- dipping biscuits in our ginger teas. She was seeing her Instagram reels. I was looking at the clouds above. “Everyone is on the mountains these days, and look at these peaceful little villages they’re posting about,” she proclaimed, “and we’re just sitting here in our home doing nothing.”
That fear of missing out (FOMO) is what defines our purpose of travel today- well for most of us, if not all. Holidays are now called vacations. Going to the grandparents’ home is so outdated. And if you haven’t checked at least one offbeat location, you haven’t really done the vacation right. More so, we want to spend more time without our families on these vacations, because their energy drains us. Solo traveling is on our bucket list, including mine, because I want to spend time away from the people I know. Honestly, I have no idea why that is. Family and friends should be adding comfort to our life, but now we want to spend time away from them to find what we really need, who we really are, and what’s the purpose of life?
Can you really find life’s purpose through offbeat traveling?
You may, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. The concept of ‘I found my soul in the mountains’ is very subjective. India certainly is a spiritual land, and you would find at least one temple with a 100-year-old history on any mountain here. You could meet the local people or the temple priest, listen to the folklores of that temple, and even try to sit and meditate there. But, that wouldn’t certainly mean that you found your soul or life’s purpose. Because, if you return home the same, and still feel drained- you have neither relaxed on your holidays nor found your purpose in life.
There’s a greater depth to that question- finding your life’s purpose or soul. That’s more of an inner journey- of going deeper inward- exploring the ebbs and flow of what’s in your inner landscape. Once you’ve touched the horizon of that experience, you can definitely find peace in going solo- anywhere- not just in the mountains. You can find your mojo anywhere.
A few weeks back, everyone whom I was talking to on a regular basis was on their vacation. My office colleagues, everyone in my family, and all my friends. I was alone at home. I realized it was perfect divine timing to set me on my inner journey- to have that entire time and space to myself- to do anything and everything I wanted to do- to recharge my solo energy- to meditate and reinforce my life’s purpose. And I offloaded all my emotions; and simply relaxed. My energy was neither high nor low. It was in a state of complete relaxation. But when my time was over, everyone around me came back. I was surprised how the universe made arrangements for me to be completely alone so that I could observe my emotions and be in my own energy.
What’s right?
Anything that makes sense to you is right. The other day, I was telling a friend that my idea of a perfect vacation would be to book a nice hotel and treat myself to all luxuries and comfort of it for good about 4 days. I would neither go touristy, nor offbeat. I would also not want to give in to the pressure of finding the purpose of my soul or life.
I’d rather sit and relax my mind and body. I’d rather enjoy the simple comforts of morning tea and breakfast in the bed- then sleep again- and again- and read a book perhaps- not wanting to get out of my room at least for day 1.
For the next day, I would perhaps want to sit by the pool, then have a massage or spa day, and go back to my hotel room for a 4-hour day nap. Who’s with me would be more important to me than anything else.
There’s no definition of a perfect holiday. What fits your bill- whether it is touristy, with family or solo, offbeat traveling, or camping under the stars- it’s totally up to you. What soothes your soul, and adds value to your experience is really what a holiday and breaking the rut should be all about.
World of Dreams 