Solo travel was always on my mind, but I had never managed to travel alone.
Eight months since my arrival I had still not explored London. Time just flew by attending university, working on assignments, withering the chilly winter and juggling other unexpected challenges. On a sunny day I decided to venture alone to Central London. My solo travel was a day spent moving around the busy streets of London, enjoying cool breeze on the open deck bus, a boat ride from London Eye to Westminster Pier. I also got a glimpse of London’s excitement about Prince William’s wedding the next day.
Solo travel was always on my mind, but I had never managed to travel alone. Back then, it was a relatively new concept – a lot has changed over a decade though. My decision to study in UK was a solo adventure in a sense – taking the leap of faith to a land with no friends, family, and a very limited experience of international travel.
Traditionally in India travel was restricted to annual family vacation to ancestral place, some families travelled to hill stations or beaches. For us it was an occasional trip to our village or visiting some relative’s house for few days.
After appearing for my HSC examination parents decided to gift us a student’s special holiday to Shimla-Manali in the hilly Himachal Pradesh. Our baddas parents set us on a solo travel adventure – on joining the tour we realised ours was the only group without any elder accompanying us. It was 8-day joy ride of 5 friends on a solo vacation, where fellow families refused to believe we were on our own.
The English Spring and onset of summer season fuelled my travelling spirit. I started moving around on my own, planned one-day trips to places around London, found a travel buddy in my former colleague who was also studying in London. Upon completing the course both of us went on a Scotland tour before returning to India.
These experiences were definitely enjoyable, most importantly it broadened my approach towards travel – from experiences, planning, stay to food.
Ease of planning and booking travel
In 2010 travel booking was still restricted to travel agents, vacation travel companies, finding individual person operating a transport fleet, etc. Access to internet was limited, using data on cellphones had still not caught up. I discovered the online platforms of making travel plans, finding out student discounts, looking for deals, reading about travel itineraries, reading travel reviews, etc.
A safe and reliable transport and stay options
One of the reason solo travel took time to pick pace in India was safety concerns. Considering the socio-cultural nuances one always wondered whether it will be safe to travel alone. Do we have reliable stay options?
When I booked my bus ticket to Bath, I was not prepared for the travel experience I will be offered. It was my first travel outside London as I headed to the Waterloo bus station. The size of the bus station and buzz reminded me of the Bombay Central bus depot in Mumbai – a focal point for state transport buses taking people to their villages. The luxury bus with a loo-on-board was a new concept to me.
I was attracted to the Bed & Breakfast concept while doing my travel research. When I came back, homestay or boutique hotels became my preference for stay options.
Backpacking and Hostel Stay
The Scotland holiday introduced me to budget travel and backpacking. I was amazed to see how fellow travelers manage with minimal luggage. Our hostel stays, hanging around in the evenings, games we played with our group members opened a new travel experience. It opened the world of walking tours, students as tour guides, the concept of pub hopping and much more.
Appreciating Art & Culture
Like India, England has rich history of art & culture. The difference lies in promoting and presenting it to the tourists. The hot springs of the Roman Bath or churches in Canterbury, tour of the Buckingham Palace was a lesson in understanding about art & culture tourism.
Another interest I discovered was street art and artists. My walk in the local market or to South Bank, artists painting on the streets, a musician outside little cafes was a sight I started loving.
City Tours
Having grown up like a metropolis like Mumbai, the only time you visited tourist places was during school picnics. Our city is our home, we don’t look at it from a tourist’s eye. My exploration of London, bus travels made me realise there is so much to discover in our own city. After many years I relooked at this approach when I went on a short trek to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai’s own jungle.
Little wonder my year-end thesis was how word of mouth will impact the choice of holidays and hotels for leisure Indian travellers.
I leave my readers with glimpses of my travels in UK, which became my winning spirit in the years to come.
How has travelled touched your heart? Which travel experiences have been your winning spirit?
Nurture Winning Thoughts!
Tejal
