Celebrating A Decade Of Travel: 2009 – 2019
Whoa! Can’t believe a decade of travel is over! I’m so glad and proud of the history that I have created for myself in the last 10 years. Although I had been traveling even earlier (with my family), 2009 was the year when I seriously thought about travel – it was ‘the time of my life’ that transitioned me towards the real purpose of my life.
To be honest, the day I chose travel as a serious business, I got a solid direction in my life. The last decade has enriched me and made me a different individual altogether. I’m not sure what my life would have been without travel.
So, as the end of 2019 is not just a year end, but a decade end as well, I thought I should give you the best of my decade – the best of my travel memories.
A Decade Of Travel: 2009 – 2019
The year when my ‘travel life’ began: 2009
My life of travel began on a very casual note. There was no inspiration, no social media, no blogs… I was working as a content writer for a media company. I was quite happy with my job, as I was getting to learn a lot of new things.
Those were my raw days as a traveler. I remember my mom planned a trip to Sattal (Uttarakhand) and I took an extended weekend off from work. Yes, you read it right, it was my mom who designed the trip to Sattal. We have a culture of travel in our little family. It was a trip with my mom and my siblings, which turned out to be the most memorable trip that we ever had together. We stayed in a modest guest house in Sattal. The place and the surroundings were so beautiful, serene and quiet that it made us happy like a child.
Also read: Who’s My Favorite Travel Companion
Thankfully, there was no phone network and I got no call from my office during the trip. Yes of course, I did get a questioning about my extended weekend later when I got back to work. Ah…those were the days!
2009 was also the year when I visited Kerala for the first time at a friend’s invitation. To have friends in different parts of the country and get invited by them is one of the excuses to travel often.
The year of ‘work’ travel: 2010
My job as a content writer required me to travel occasionally, which made me love it even more. I got to visit a charming city like Amritsar and a divine place like Golden Temple because of my job. FYI – my job was not about travel. I was a content writer for an architecture + design magazine, and I used to travel to compere the events related to architecture.
Besides, I’d also travel to Mumbai occasionally, as Delhi was my home at that point of time. I remember I was so fascinated with Mumbai! I’m even now. But, those were such carefree days!
Also read: Top Two Cities Of India – Delhi vs Mumbai
The year of my ‘first’ international trip and my ‘first’ solo trip: 2011
Wow! 2011 was so exciting for me as a traveler. My sister was in Sydney, Australia and she invited me to visit her. It was the beautiful month of March (which is autumn for Australia) when I planned my trip. I still remember how nervously I went inside my boss’ cabin to get my leave sanctioned, and it was sanctioned! It was my sister who egged on me to do that as soon as possible, so that we could start the visa process. Now as a digital nomad, when I look back at those days…I feel so much joy within.
It was also my first year of solo travel. Not that I hadn’t traveled alone earlier. I had begun traveling alone when I was 21, but the real journey of my solo travels began a little later. Anyway, it was a completely new direction in my life. Thankfully, my mom didn’t stop me from traveling solo. She let me do what I wanted to do. Udaipur was my first destination as a solo traveler.
Also read: Why I Like Traveling Solo
The year when I began writing this travel blog: 2012
By 2012, I had garnered many travel experiences, which made me start a blog. I wouldn’t go into the details of how I started and why I started blogging because I have written separate posts on the topic. You can read: How My Blog Has Changed Me and How Travel Blogging Saved My Life.
Although I had started blogging, I wasn’t really traveling much around that time. The first few posts on my blog were about my past travels. But then after a while, I felt the need to travel as I wanted some fresh content for my blog. Thus, I explored my own city, Delhi, like a traveler. I also visited places like Bangalore, where my sister lived, and Mysore. So, my travels were mostly like ‘take up what’s coming your way’ kind. I didn’t choose my destinations; my destinations chose me in those days.
The year when I left Delhi: 2013
Delhi was my city for a decade until I left it for Mumbai in 2013. I moved to Mumbai for a job, which didn’t last long. You can read: How Did I Quit The Cubicle For The Road to know my story of adopting a digital nomad life.
2013 was a crazy year for me. It was a turning point of my life. I quit my job and got into full-time travel blogging and freelancing towards the year-end. Even though things were hard for me, I was relieved to be doing what I enjoyed doing. It was like someone had set me free!
I explored Mumbai like a local, and later Hyderabad where my family had moved. But, before all the craziness happened, I took a trip to Rajasthan – Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. It was my first trip as a travel blogger, which means that I traveled with the consciousness of being a blogger. It was one of my most memorable solo trips – embracing the regal air of Jodhpur and then traveling to Jaisalmer, going on a desert safari, and capturing the colors of the narrow alleyways of Jaisalmer Fort.
Well, 2013 was also the year when I got my first press invite to visit Dandeli, a beautiful place in North Karnataka.
The year of my indefinite travel through Sikkim and Darjeeling: 2014
By 2014, I had totally transformed myself into a full-time traveler. Now I chose my destinations instead of my destinations choosing me. I’d like to confess that I broke my LIC policy to do my indefinite trip to Sikkim and Darjeeling. And, it was a hell of a trip! It was a totally spontaneous, adventurous and an intense travel experience for me. I traveled to beautiful places, met so many amazing people both as hosts and fellow travelers, experienced new things and learnt to survive on bare minimum.
Also read: 10 Highlights Of My Journey Through Sikkim
The year of incessant travel: 2015
Every traveler wants to travel incessantly at some point if not always. There are people who get exasperated by constant travel, while there are some who are always on the road. While I love returning home after a trip, I enjoy incessant travels occasionally. I traveled back to back in the first half of 2015, which I just loved.
My most memorable trip that year was Kashmir, which was also a dream trip. I also loved Coastal Karnataka, which was one of my best experiences on a press invite.
Also read: My Solo Travel In Kashmir
The year when I ticked off a couple of ‘bucket-list’ countries: 2016
It was unbelievable to be able to travel to Italy and Jordan, two of my dream countries, in one year! So yeah, I had come a long way as a traveler by 2016. I also did my much-awaited solo trip to Arunachal Pradesh the same year, which was also memorable in many ways – it wasn’t one of my best trips, but it was a great learning experience as a traveler.
The year of misadventures and failed travel plans: 2017
The first good thing about 2017 was Odisha, which I’d say is one of the underrated destinations in India. I’m glad to have explored it as a solo traveler. But, the big trip of the year was Australia. I visited Melbourne (Victoria), where my sister is now settled. I also did a solo trip to Adelaide and Barossa Valley (South Australia), which was amazing.
The misadventure happened at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where I missed my flight to Melbourne only to realize that Malaysia wanted me to explore at least a bit of it before I flew to Australia. And then later that year, I missed Ladakh yet again!
The year of ‘long and slow travel’: 2018
Each phase in your life teaches you something and rewards you for learning your lessons well. I experienced something totally new on a personal level in 2018, which helped me rediscover myself. I’d say I became a stronger, wiser and a kinder person as the year ended. On the travel front, I experienced slow travel in its most beautiful way. I couldn’t be happier and more grateful for I got to explore one of the most unsung, yet stunning destinations of India, at my own pace – Chhattisgarh. You can read all about my experiences: Savoring Chhattisgarh Slowly.
The other lovely destinations that I visited in 2018 were Kerala and Kumaon. As it was the year of slow travel, I didn’t focus on traveling too much. I simply loved my café hopping in Fort Kochi and traversing the rural Kumaon.
The year of quick trips and surprises: 2019
I must admit that my first half of 2019 was no great shakes except for Daman, which was unexpectedly beautiful. I was quite down and out till June, but things took a bright turn with the opportunity to visit Sabah, Malaysia. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Besides, I also explored a lot of Mumbai with the idea of exploring my own backyard, which was more fun than I thought.
My revisit to Udaipur (with my mom) was special. I wanted my mom to experience one of my favorite cities my way. It was her first trip to Rajasthan. My impromptu plan to visit the historic Champaner, Gujarat was spectacular.
I attended the World Tourism Day 2019 in Delhi and tweaked a quick trip to Gwalior with it. From heritage and history, I dived deep into the jungles of Madhya Pradesh. In the later part of the year, I got to experience an eye-opening sort of a trip with the beautiful Andhra Pradesh – Ananthagiri.
Just when I thought it was over, I had Dehna, the rural Maharashtra, in store for me.
The big cherry on the icing of 2019 was my award that I received for my years of work – years of being myself and following my passion. I was recognized as one of the most influential content marketing professionals by World Marketing Congress.
Did you enjoy my journey through the last decade?
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