“Travelling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
I was five years old when I went on my first trip to Darjeeling with my parents. Higher studies and corporate stints made me a resident of cities like Delhi, Bangalore, and Mysore. This was also the period when I traveled with my gang of girls to places like Chennai, Pondicherry, and Ooty and groups of friends to Pune, Khandala, Lonavala, Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Ahmedabad, Agra, and Goa. Once I discovered that I was essentially a nomad at heart, my solo trips took me to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Mangalore, Coorg, Madikeri, and Chickmagalur.
When T and I got married in 2011, it was a delight to discover that we shared the same enthusiasm for travel. Munnar was the first place that we visited as a married couple. Unfortunately, I lost my mother in the same year and life came to a stand-still. In 2012, an impromptu road trip from Trivandrum to Varkala and Kanyakumari helped me get a grip on my life again. Together we managed to visit Thekkady, Periyar, Alleppey, Athirapally, Cochin, Wayanad, Goa, Coimbatore, and Kodaikanal. If writing helped me cope up with my mother’s loss, traveling gave me the reason to live.
Three years back after my son was born, the trips became more planned and less on an impulse. From Goa and Mumbai in Central India, Mandarmani, Tajpur, Shankarpur, and Digha in the East, Delhi and Noida in the North to Guwahati, Shillong, and Cherrapunji in the North East, the three of us have explored both the tranquility of nature, humdrum of the city, sea and mountains alike.
While making the blogging resolutions for 2019, I had chosen the theme of ‘A little more’. Realizing that my father and in-laws are getting older, my travel plans are not just about seeking new destinations anymore. In fact, it has more to do with traveling back to our native Berhampore (Bengal) for special occasions and taking a trip together to places unanimously decided by the five of us. Last Jan, it was Mandarmani and this year we are all excitedly waiting for the family trip to Puri in Odisha.
We had made a conscious choice to revisit a few cities like Delhi and Mumbai with the toddler to relive our past moments. Mysore holds an extremely special heart in our lives for having been a witness to memorable and traumatic moments alike. This year, we plan to take a trip down memory lane in Mysore with the toddler in tow. The last holiday will be to an unexplored destination (mostly in North East) and I am trying to make it a reunion trip of our closest friends.
Traveling has been the oxygen for my soul and helped me create magical moments. It made me independent and opened my mind to new things. Today I aspire to pass on the same love for exploring the world to my son for him to create his own memories.
(493 words)
This post is written on the topic – “Around the world in 80 days – Travel Aspirations”. This blog train is hosted by http://www.prernawahi.com, http://www.vartikasdiary.com, http://www.mothersgurukul.com and is sponsored by Pandora’s Box and Recipe Dabba.
soniasmusings 
Travel is the best teacher and makes you humble. Hope you get to travel more this year, Sonia
LikeLike
Travelling always help us become a better individual. Wish you many more trips in coming years. ☺️👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have been to Puri when I was doing my masters. I still remember that trip as one day after our departure, Tsunami hit Puri. I love traveling but as you said when you have kids, trips have to be more planned. Glad to have you on this blog train with us .
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was looking for any place that you didn’t mention in this post!! Way to go traveller!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I couldn’t help but smile in joy while reading your post, and mentally did a hi-fi when some of the places you wrote I have been to. Travelling is oxygen for us and being a bong, we live for travelling, food and food.Mountains or beach, tomar konta favourite didi? Lots of love and kisses to your little one.
bhalo theko,ar always stay a nomad at heart.
LikeLike
I went to study in Paris.. That’s the only solo travel I have ever done. I have never traveled in India alone, so would love to go on a solo trip, it’s on my bucket list. I am so impressed with your travels Sonia, especially the solo ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Traveling teaches us some of life’s greatest lessons. Nice collection of memories!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, travel unravels a lot of secrets of a joyful life. Wishing a lot of travel adventures to you… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Travelling lighten our hearts and enlighten our soul. Sonia, I hope you have a good trip to Puri soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love how beautifully you’ve shared the different facets of Travel. Wishing you lots of Travel and happy Memories in 2019, Sonia!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved your take on the prompt Sonia. How you personalized it, setting and planning vacays keeping everything and everyone in the mind is something I really appreciate in this post. Thanks for being a part of this train.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too feel exactly the same way like you about travel. Traveling is like oxygen to me too. We also reduced traveling on impulse after kids but now our travels are well planned.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely post sonia and enjoy reading your take on the prompt. I also believe that travelling feels like oxygen and give you an instant refreshment from the chaos of hectic life schedule. it is really great that you had done lots of solo travelling, and I can imagine the joy. puri is also in my wishlist too. would love to visit this great place with my family.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Travelling is always a delighting and I loved reading your post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely post Sonia. You are a true traveler. With visiting new place and with living their local customs and life, we all get positive changes within. With you more and more happy travel time ahead 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
When you hopped on to the blog train, I was hoping and expecting you would take up this topic.
Well written and one that gives me goals
LikeLiked by 1 person
Going by the number of places you have visited so far, Sonia, you can write a fresh new “Discovery of India”!
Jokes apart, I must say, travelling runs in your blood and you are a true blue nomad! Your son will puck up this bug sooner than you know.
It was a pleasure to travel thro’ your journey of travel, Sonia
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you’ve travelled almost whole of India and still adore to travel more! This is very good. I loved reading your post. It has so much of a wanderlust feel in it that I can relate to!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved the way you have presented your travel accounts and tied them so beautifully with the various phases in your life. Well written and engaging piece Sonia. Travel is my passion too and helps me rejuvenate!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Traveling leaves you speechless and then turns you into a story teller…. that was the feeling as I got towards the end of your article sonia:)
Indeed , I could sense your passion through this and was motivated to align mine which got buried under the many responsibilities and deadlines.. keep sharing:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love to travel, but would want to travel alone atleast once…
LikeLike
I love this post a lot and there are 2 good reasons. 1st one:- You speak your heart out in this post, 2nd:- The love you and your family has for traveling to new places is super adorable. ( I wish my family did the same, we do travel but it is usually once in a year, hubby is into software development so he mostly has that thing that there’s no privacy left outside, people are clicking anyone’s pic today and sharing it in the form of memes or spreading worst things via WA, although no such experience with us but he hates all of these. I feel this would change after we have a baby, he will have to roam with kids :p and will love the change). We usually travel to my parents in Pune, I’m in Sindhudurg so Goa is an hour drive and Mumbai at Wankhede to watch all those cricket matches :P)
Do message me when you in Goa, would love to guide you for Sindhudurg and it’s clean beaches 🙂
#vigorousreads #blogtrain #NYR2019 #Newyear_bloghop
LikeLiked by 1 person
You take me back to the conversation i have with my husband now and then about when the kids will be old enough to enjoy the magic of Mumbai city. I am so waiting to go back to the Maximum City with them and relive the past.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve not traveled that much, but the little travelling that I did, it made me a better person and evolve over time. Also, I like the fact that your post has plenty of life incidents which makes it worth reading. Keep it up!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Trips refresh n leaves us rejuvenated & truly makes us a storyteller. Keep up your enthusiasm to unearth more places with your family n friends.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really enjoyed this account of your travels. One of the better written pieces in this blog train. Took me back on a trip down memory lanes to some of my own favourite travel memories, specially the ones undertaken alone. Truly, there’s nothing quite like Solo travels.
Keep traveling and keep regaling us with your travel tales.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are some great places!! I miss traveling in India after coming back to US. I travelled so much here that I can realize how much I missed traveling in India!! I enjoyed reading your post and conversations!! Keep traveling and keep making lots of great memories!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
They say traveling makes your speechless and turns you to into a story Teller. Traveling for me is calming to a great extent. We have travelled in the past to our hometown alot. This year plan to go to places where the girls enjoy and learn from mother nature..
Thanks for sharing some destination names there.. I am defi
LikeLike
They say traveling makes your speechless and turns you to into a story Teller. Traveling for me is calming to a great extent. We have travelled in the past to our hometown alot. This year plan to go to places where the girls enjoy and learn from mother nature..
Thanks for sharing some destination names there.. I am definitely visiting many of them.
LikeLike
Travelling teaches you more about the practical aspects of life and hope your son also gets the passion of travel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Smiling naturally while reading. Down memory lane. It seems, You have not touched Rajasthan. A must visit place and lovely people.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I so appreciate your desire to travel and explore–and to pass it on to your son. I have not traveled to India yet, but hope to someday. Though I share the desire to nurture in my child the joy of travel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Traveling is absolutely a way to enrich mind and soul with knowledge and memories! And even better if it could help living with the grief of a loss! Great post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well written and quite an engaging one to read. Travelling really brings out the best in you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish I could travel more than I do, and that travelling was easier with a wheelchair. I love visiting new places and encountering different people and lifestyles.
I wish you a year full of happy travelling!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good luck with your travel plans.I want to be a nomad at heart and belong everywhere I put my foot on. I totally get how planning with kids is hectic and how carefully one needs to do it. I miss those those days when me and my husband used to travel on impulse like just 20 minute prior notice to pack and leave. But as life changes, priorities and preferences also change. Wishing you many more travel round the globe lady 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an intriguing thought – a nomad revisiting places and memories. As someone who has been transferred a lot thanks to dad’s job, I rarely revisit a place. Goa is perhaps the only one which I have revisited many times. I think no matter how many times you revisit a place, the memories always make it a novel experience.
LikeLike
Travelling always gives us the best feeling, in fact, I too love travelling and when it comes to a solo trip, we meet a different person. Nice post
LikeLike
You’re a learned person Soniaji, you’ve traveled a lot. And you’re right that travelling makes us learn more.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Travel changes us as a person for the better & one can have life’s best learnings through traveling. It’s great to know that you wanted to revisit places with your son to relive past memories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG! Firstly I am really jealous of you! You have travelled to every nook and corner in India. Secondly, thanks for sharing this post with us. I agree while books transport us to a different world and keep us sane, travelling teaches us the little joys of life, about the people around and gives us important life-lessons.
LikeLiked by 1 person