By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
A couple days back, as I was sipping a cup of tea on my terrace, I reminisced the instantaneous trip I went on without almost no planning. So here is how it all happened; I was at my university, thinking about how to prepare for exams and my mind wouldn't just let me. All I could think of was where I could head to for my vacation. My parents are a busy couple and my friends didn't reply positively when I asked them to plan a trip so I was annoyed. I thought I was being stupid for troubling them with such questions so I took some time and decided that screw people, I'm going to travel alone. I immediately started planning a trip to Pune, Maharashtra for a full on street food tour of the city. I booked my travel tickets and a bunk bed for accommodation in a hostel to cut the costs. This was the first time I was planning a trip and that too a solo trip! Can you imagine? My parents and friends didn't know that I had enough savings to cover this entire trip but luckily, the 'Atleast One Trip In A Year' fund came to my rescue. So I packed my bags as soon as the Semester ended and got off on a bus to Pune with full enthusiasm. My heartbeats pumped harder than ever as it was a trip I was never going to forget. I reached Pune with a little anxiety and a lot of unfiltered hopes to have fun while trying a lot of new street food. I had tea near the hostel and with a huge smile and a loose bagpack hanging on my back, I initiated my street food journey! I tried the Puneri Misal Pav for the first time and was completely blown by the magic it created in my mouth. I couldn't have asked for a better start. With a little space left for lunch, I went to eat the Vadapav which is basically a type of stuffed spicy potato ball with batter, deep fried and put between a bread (Pav). Locals simply love it as it provides great value for money and has an impeccable spicy flavour to it. I couldn't walk any further and went back to my hostel to doze off before going out again in the evening. It was definitely a hot evening as most evenings are in India so I tried the famous Sujata Mastani Icecream before hitting off with food straight away. After cooling my senses, I went to try the Panipuri or Puchkas as they say in India which are also known as water bombs. It has various flavours like sweet, sour and spicy water that is made with different spices from all over the country. I loved it so much that I couldn't stop myself from eating 3 plates of this beauty. I took a small break from eating and visited a garden nearby that had historic value and somehow I felt really peaceful just sitting there, not worrying about anything else. I knew in that moment that travel is what makes me realize why I'm alive. After this serious philosophical thought which is really rare in my case, I reached a famous place to enjoy Marathi Non Vegetarian cuisine which is, till date, very special to my heart. Nonetheless, I tried many more varieties of food for the other two days and returned back with a lot of memories in my bag. Very soon, I realized that I need to travel more to stay functional and so I went to many places, some with friends/family and some alone to reboot my system every now and then. But after so many trips and so many years, the larger picture is that I want to travel full time because that's my passion. Just to think that my work would be to write about my travel experience or better, just to travel, brings me chills through my spine.