Did you know that there was a village in Malana in Himachal where the people are considered 'untouchables' and that if you make a slight physical contact even by accident you have to pay a fine of 4000/-!? I didn't. Not until I went to the Mottaimadi Traveler's meet-up hosted by TENTNTREK.
TENTNTREK is a company which takes people on trekking, camping, adventure activities, etc. with lingering memories. I went on my first solo travel with them to Yelagiri to celebrate the birth of 2018 and those memories are still there. They instilled the confidence that solo travel is great and you can have a blast when you step out of your comfort zone. I traveled solo with them two more times after Yelagiri.
On Mar 7, 2020, I went to the traveler's meet-up and not because they were incessantly bombarding me with promotional posts. I decided I was gonna go the moment I saw the post for the first time. It's invigorating to be in the presence of hardcore travelers; hearing their journeys, their stories and letting their experiences transform you. But I've gotta say that the most luring thing about this meet-up was the live barbecue mentioned in the post.
I went to their office and broke into a huge grin when I saw Jia, Nawaz, and Goldpearl; the organizers with whom I had traveled before. I also met Manoj, the founder. He was there on my first solo trip, we even had a long conversation during the return trek but all he remembered was the fish and the guavas we ate. (Hey Manoj, if you are reading this, give me a free trip and I won't hold this against you!)
The meet-up began with Manoj narrating about how the company was founded. Then came the intro session. But the real Icebreaker was the question, "what is travelling to you?" Some answers were deep, others contained terms like exploring, escape, food, drive, adventure, nature, etc.
And the next was the stand-up comedy. It was adult humor and she delivered it with confidence and ease. The punchlines were hilarious and I immediately broke into splits but many didn't. And then she said, "either you didn't get the joke or you don't want your friends to know that you got the joke". I had a feeling it was the latter.
Following the stand-up comedy was singing. There were some excellent singers in the group who enthralled us with their performance.
And then came the stories. Some of the travelers shared their experiences which made me realize why I started travelling in the first place. For the invaluable experience we bring home.
The evening ended with good vibes, fond memories and most importantly with the assurance of a future meet-up. I was slightly disappointed because there was no barbecue. Just a little bit.
While returning home, I pondered over the question, "what is travelling to me?". Yes, it is about exploring, food, drive, adventure and all that. But is that all? I realized it's also about the lessons we take away from our experiences. The dramatic shift in our mindset. For example, I have learned to be more open-minded, embrace change and thereby become less judgmental of others.
When we stay in one place for so long, over a period we tend to believe that our lifestyle is the only lifestyle acceptable. The options we have are the only options that exist. To make a choice outside of those options is almost a crime because it would have been met with criticism from the society we live in. But when we travel, explore new places, experience different cultures, see people adopt completely different values and beliefs and still live in harmony, we eventually come to accept that our lifestyle is just one of the lifestyles there is. There is nothing wrong with making choices which bewilder our society. And that acceptance makes us a little more open-minded and thereby making us a little less judgmental. This is how travel has shifted my perspective. So, what is travelling to you? How has it changed your view of the world? Let me know in the comments below.
TENTNTREK is a company which takes people on trekking, camping, adventure activities, etc. with lingering memories. I went on my first solo travel with them to Yelagiri to celebrate the birth of 2018 and those memories are still there. They instilled the confidence that solo travel is great and you can have a blast when you step out of your comfort zone. I traveled solo with them two more times after Yelagiri.
On Mar 7, 2020, I went to the traveler's meet-up and not because they were incessantly bombarding me with promotional posts. I decided I was gonna go the moment I saw the post for the first time. It's invigorating to be in the presence of hardcore travelers; hearing their journeys, their stories and letting their experiences transform you. But I've gotta say that the most luring thing about this meet-up was the live barbecue mentioned in the post.
I went to their office and broke into a huge grin when I saw Jia, Nawaz, and Goldpearl; the organizers with whom I had traveled before. I also met Manoj, the founder. He was there on my first solo trip, we even had a long conversation during the return trek but all he remembered was the fish and the guavas we ate. (Hey Manoj, if you are reading this, give me a free trip and I won't hold this against you!)
The meet-up began with Manoj narrating about how the company was founded. Then came the intro session. But the real Icebreaker was the question, "what is travelling to you?" Some answers were deep, others contained terms like exploring, escape, food, drive, adventure, nature, etc.
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| Manoj- Founder |
And the next was the stand-up comedy. It was adult humor and she delivered it with confidence and ease. The punchlines were hilarious and I immediately broke into splits but many didn't. And then she said, "either you didn't get the joke or you don't want your friends to know that you got the joke". I had a feeling it was the latter.
Following the stand-up comedy was singing. There were some excellent singers in the group who enthralled us with their performance.
And then came the stories. Some of the travelers shared their experiences which made me realize why I started travelling in the first place. For the invaluable experience we bring home.
And then the conversation shifted towards CSR activities. Manoj said the company is planning for a camping experience for orphanage kids and we cheered at their awesome initiative. And he said he will host this meet-up once every month to build a community of like-minded individuals be it in travel or in CSR activities. And he said the backpacking destinations were gonna great crazy as they were going to add international places like Bhutan, Thailand, Vietnam. Yesssss!! And to cap it off, they gifted everyone a memento!
The evening ended with good vibes, fond memories and most importantly with the assurance of a future meet-up. I was slightly disappointed because there was no barbecue. Just a little bit.
While returning home, I pondered over the question, "what is travelling to me?". Yes, it is about exploring, food, drive, adventure and all that. But is that all? I realized it's also about the lessons we take away from our experiences. The dramatic shift in our mindset. For example, I have learned to be more open-minded, embrace change and thereby become less judgmental of others.
When we stay in one place for so long, over a period we tend to believe that our lifestyle is the only lifestyle acceptable. The options we have are the only options that exist. To make a choice outside of those options is almost a crime because it would have been met with criticism from the society we live in. But when we travel, explore new places, experience different cultures, see people adopt completely different values and beliefs and still live in harmony, we eventually come to accept that our lifestyle is just one of the lifestyles there is. There is nothing wrong with making choices which bewilder our society. And that acceptance makes us a little more open-minded and thereby making us a little less judgmental. This is how travel has shifted my perspective. So, what is travelling to you? How has it changed your view of the world? Let me know in the comments below.
Superb one again! I generally don't read full blogs but the way you explain things, it is something very exceptional. I can empathize with the experience from your write-up. Kudos!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Means a lot :)
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