Is travelling all it’s cracked up to be? People leaving their jobs, routines and homes to explore the world outside. The thought itself is romantic, isn’t it? But not realistic. I am sure many of us would agree to that. Then what is realistic?
We have been taught life is a bitch. It is tough. It is unfair. But no, It is not. It is pretty easy. It is easy to stay at a cozy and comfortable house of your own. It is easy to embrace your paychecks to keep stuffing your fridges and wardrobes even more brutally. It is easy to follow the protocol. Get a degree, a job, a spouse, children and again inspire them to be nothing but to follow the same protocol. It is easy to survive. But what is difficult is to live. To live for what makes you happy. Well, somehow we managed to do that.
Two years ago, I got married to the man I love. We had everything that a young regular couple needs on their palette. A beautiful house, professional success, well paid secure jobs, fulfilling social life, peers reputation and what not. But we wanted ‘more’ out of our lives.
We decided to take a break from the routine and take road trips across India. Travelling was more of an escape than a passion then. But now it is more than even that. It is our lifestyle. Maybe our future.
The nomadic lifestyle comes with its own costs. We had to give up our comfortable urban lifestyle. We had to give up our jobs and hunt for remote jobs. This was the biggest and the toughest part. Apart from that, making small compromises to accommodate a travel plan that was spread across 4–5 months is not easy. It is easier for students and bachelors to adopt this lifestyle but not for couples. This adjustment is magnified and multiplied to two when it comes to two. But anyways we took a chance. Here is why this chance is worth taking at least once in your life.
CHEAPER
When we compared our monthly expenses while travelling to our expenses in regular lifestyle, travelling turned out to be not only an affordable lifestyle but also cheaper. In the routine, we pay huge rents for accommodation and even if we own a house, EMIs make a deep hole in our pockets. Apart from that cost of basic amenities, food, domestic help, maintenance so on and so forth left us with very little to spend. Even if travelling was not cheaper but as expensive as my regular lifestyle, I will still opt for travelling for it allowed me to have a quality life at some of most scenic locations. I don’t have to depend on my savings or incentives to come my way for planning my family holidays.
We got to stay at some of the most beautiful and scenic accommodations at very affordable prices during our trip. Even best of the resorts or hotels (usually overpriced) we usually rely on for weekend getaways cannot give you such experiences. We felt a sense of belonging while staying in these admirable accommodations. A home away from home.
Tent House in Dholavira, Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
Tent House in Rann Utsav, Dholavira
Tent House in Dholavira
Atithi Guest House in Pushkar
Atithi Guest House in Pushkar
Atithi Guest House in Pushkar
Atithi Guest House in Pushkar
Bishnoi Village near Jodhpur
FRIENDZONED
Blah Blah figure salary and how well the house is maintained are no more the criterias you judge your spouse on. On this journey, we became friends than being mere responsibilities. Words ‘Husband’ and ‘Wife’ comes with a lot of baggage and are plagued with stereotypical expectations. When routine responsibilities were taken care by others, we found much more time left to ourselves to appreciate and invest in each other.
SELF DISCOVERY
It is in the paradigm of extremities that blogs of self-discoveries are written. On my travel, I came across many physical and psychological challenges that helped me to discover myself. Such profound moments gave me the strength to tackle my life and its mysteries with maturity. Things inside and around made sense to me now. My inner peace and happiness helped me to love myself. And when you are able to love yourself, you are also able to receive it as well.
COMMUNICATION
One issue almost all relationships fall prey to is ineffective communication. Sometimes we get so busy that we don’t even know how the other person is feeling, forget about addressing the issue. Does that mean a relationship is finished? Routine ruins us all and we have no time to be companions. While travelling, we had many things to discuss, plan and share which brought us on the same page and helped to complement each other. I had some of the most memorable and romantic moments of my life with my spouse on this journey, which would not have been possible otherwise.
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
With the nomadic lifestyle, you have ample time to follow your hobbies, rejuvenate yourself and make some significant self-improvement that makes you even more professional. Our efficiency and productivity improved while travelling in spite of working for only a few hours. We were able to realign our career goals and make some sincere efforts to improve our profiles. We read and studied a lot during these days that not only strengthened our knowledge in our respective domains but also added the dimension of satisfaction in the jobs we do.
We made road trips across 5 states of India (Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra) for 150 days, transcending through several Highways, Cities, Monuments, Rivers, Forts, Mountains, Oceans, Deserts and back. The experience was rewarding as well as revealing. This odyssey made us a bit nomadic and romantic both. And now we take pride in calling ourselves ‘Romads’.