Travel Diaries

Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to travel the world. Born in a travel crazy family, I have been travelling in and out of the country almost each year. So it has always been a maniac travelling with parents, cousins, extended family – a getaway for a week or 2 every summer, or a road trip in Diwali or Christmas. If not that, it was a trip arranged by the college. No wonder then that my first experience of lone travelling came at the age of almost 23.

It all began at an interview – my first job interview at My MBA College. I was placed as a summer intern at a very reputed FMCG company. When asked if I was OK with traveling, I enthusiastically nodded yes. Ever since then, till my internship began, I kept wondering where I would be sent. I hoped it was some big city like Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata or even better – some nice place in Himalayas, away from the sweltering Bombay heat. As the internship joining date approached closer, my hopes of the job location being that grand faded away. I was almost sure I would be cooped up in Mumbai for 2 months. However, on the first day I was told that my location would be Indore and Bhopal. I was thrilled. Finally I was going to be travelling out of the city!

The first few hours during my itinerary and project finalization I was in a dream world. But then when the reality of this travel struck I was overwhelmed. For one, I was totally alone at both these places. No co intern, no other intern from college, no friend nor family member was at either of these places. Next, I realized that as my first solo trip there are so many things that need to be taken care of. So far, I had always been under the care of my parents, teachers, or uncle-aunts. I had nothing to worry about. Go with them, follow their instructions, and just enjoy with all other arrangements and planning taken care of by them. For the first time, I had to worry about my travel, safety, spending, booking. Since it was a trip as an employee of the company, there were a few things like flight bookings, stay arrangements that I could get done just by a few mails. However, my food, travel in and around the city, solo time were still a worry.

So that’s how loaded with prior advises and instructions from family and friends I finally left for Indore one early morning. I don’t think the enormity of this situation struck me in full force till I entered the airport terminal – alone. The flight travel was lonely, the drive to the hotel as well. I was as desperate as possible to interact with anyone willing to listen. When I reached my room and had some time for myself I felt alone and lost. Being away from the familiar surroundings, my loved ones felt terrible. I could not bear those 15 mins in my room, I could not even imagine what 15 days would be like.

That day I met my guide and was handed over to a DSR (direct sales representative) for the day. I rode with him in the market on his bike and learnt what they do. That day and the next were almost similar. In the morning we went for market visit and in the evening we returned to the distributor to bill the outlets. By the end of the 2 days I knew the entire job of the DSRs and learnt a good deal more about the company and the Indore as well. The first Sunday at Indore was a lonely affair. Indore being a place I had already visited with my family, I assumed there were no more places of interest. No work made it dreary still. For the first time I was awaiting a Monday so that I could get to work.

The next entire week was more or less similar. The only difference being my DSRs kept changing and my knowledge of the products increased. By the end of the week I knew quite a lot about the products, schemes, costs, etc required in order to pitch the product to the retailer. It was all great fun. Unknown to myself I had begun to enjoy immensely. My hours at work increased and my boredom decreased. I even grew to like the lone time I got post work. At my hotel, I made friends with the waiters and chefs (somehow I could never bring myself to strike a conversation with any of the other hotel guests. A smile was the most I managed). I dissolved into the routine and my next Sunday was packed with sight-seeing, movie and eating out. That weekend, even my DSR took me to a few beautiful places of touristic interest.

As my last week began I realized that I liked this city. It could in no way come close to Mumbai of course, but it certainly wasn’t as bad as I had thought it at first. The city was nice, the food was great and the people were friendly. By the second week, I had even stopped feeling like an outsider. I knew places around my hotel, I recognized streets, areas and outlets, I loved my work and my life was fun. That which I didn’t imagine on my first day in this city, had happened. I had started enjoying my travel alone, the freedom, the independence.

What was it about the city or the experience that changed my perception so much? Honestly? I don’t know. It could possibly be that being acclimatized since childhood to travelling, I didn’t find getting used to solo travel as difficult as I had imagined. Or it could just be my work became my priority. Or the people were nice, the city was sorted…I don’t know. But what I do know now is that my confidence has risen a notch higher. Travelling alone teaches a lot of things. Managing the expense, being responsible for the safety of one self and the belongings, managing time and work, learning to find way around the city on your own, building an attitude of an insider so that you are not taken for a ride. There were so many things that I learned, managed and enjoyed. Today, I look back at my initial fears with amusement and the good experiences with fondness. If someone were to ever ask about this trip or the city, I would no longer criticize it or compare it with Mumbai. Instead I would recall the lovely experiences this city gave me, the friends I found in the people here, the important lessons I learnt and the feelings I left the city with. For the first time I am leaving behind a part of myself in an alien city and carrying in my heart a part of it to mine!