July 24, 2015

I Don’t Have To Pretend On The Road…

“I’m my real self while I’m travelling.” This thought has been wandering my mind for a while now. Ah! Now when I’m able to travel quite frequently (or at least oftener than I have been until this year), I realise my life is so much more ‘real’ and ‘worthwhile’. I’m so happy with the fact that travel is my vocation in life.

Also read My Experience Of Traveling Alone In KASHMIR

My friendships and acquaintances are more genuine now. I don’t have to fake a smile or talk to somebody for the sake of it. I can’t believe travel can change your life so much. Mine has changed for sure. I was never a people’s person. I was never exactly an introvert, but I wasn’t an extrovert either. I was shy, reserved, serious and aloof (most of it was labelled by people, though).

Travel makes you real. It makes you come to terms with life. I don’t feel the pressure to please anybody on my travels. I talk to people on my own whim and I enjoy it immensely. In fact, I find it weird if I’m around someone and I don’t get into a natter with that person. The joy of talking to anybody to everybody is priceless.

So yes, I’m not reserved or shy anymore. Now I look at people differently. Now I find everybody interesting. I’d say I have learnt to live like a traveller. I don’t feel confined to a place or a situation. I feel the world is my home and I can go anywhere, explore, learn and just be myself.

Travel is liberating.

It allows you to be the person that you want to be. I’m so relieved that I’m not judged for who I am on my travels like the way I was when I was working in a corporate firm. Be it your neighbours, your close acquaintances, relatives or colleagues, they all tend to tell you what you should be doing at some point or the other. It’s strange but true. But when you are travelling, you are free to live the ‘real’ you!

The best part about being on the road is that you never get too close to anyone. You have no expectations from anyone whatsoever. So, you are more in control of yourself. You learn to look at life from a perfect distance and perhaps that’s why you find everything beautiful.

I also adore the fact that travel has no barriers of age, gender, class and beliefs. It’s exciting to meet new people every day. Nothing is defined or preset. You get to discover so much about a place by the conversations that you get into with people.