Passing on the love of traveling – a nomad’s perspective


Top post on IndiBlogger, the biggest community of Indian Bloggers

“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. 

Chennai
Chennai

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.

Mumbai
Mumbai

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. 

My friend Alexa
Delhi

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.

Goa
Goa

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. 

Shillong
Shillong

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)

Blog Train

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.

Author: Sonia Chatterjee

Who am I? An erstwhile banker turned blogger/writer/author. Any qualifications? A Post-Graduate degree in Chemistry followed by a second Post-Graduate Diploma in Management. I completed a one-year MFA in creative writing course from the Writer's Village University, U.S. in Dec 2020. Though I must admit that I am still trying to figure out how and when I can connect all these dots. Have I done any real work? If two years in market research, six years in banking as a branch head, three-plus years of blogging, writing, and publishing a book can be considered as real work, then yes! Where do I live? After spending life like a nomad for sixteen years in Delhi, Bangalore & Mysore, I am back to where it all started from - Kolkata. My favorite things - Books, coffee, travel, food, and my five-year-old son. What is this blog about? Through Sonia's musings, I intend to explore writing in various genres, create social awareness, spread laughter, and give words to emotions. Anything for readers? You can check out my book 'Deal of Death' on Amazon Kindle. If you like fast-paced thrillers, this Detective fiction introducing the woman sleuth, Raya Ray could turn out to be your perfect weekend read.

41 thoughts on “Passing on the love of traveling – a nomad’s perspective”

  3. 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 .

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. 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.

    Like

    Reply

  6. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  17. 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

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. 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!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  20. 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:)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. 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

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  23. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  26. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  27. 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!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  28. 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

    Like

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Like

      Reply

  34. 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!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  35. 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 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  36. 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.

    Like

    Reply

  39. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  40. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.