I discovered my travel-type

A few months back, I was talking to a friend about another mutual friend.

Me: Rashmi is a true travel enthusiast. Whenever she travels to a new city, she makes a list of places to visit.
Her: Everyone does that, Rohit.
Me: Huh?
Her: I do that too. Everyone does that.

Everyone does that? I was clueless. Everyone makes an itinerary when they travel?

Until recently, I either thought my friends loved travelling, and I hated it, or that I was simply clueless about travel. But now, after visiting three new cities in six months and reflecting on my experiences, I am happy to say that I’ve changed my stance.

“Discovering your sexuality” is a common phrase in online discussions. On sex-related forums, you might easily come across someone happily saying, “At age 42, I discovered that I like people of the same gender.”

I think “discovering your travel-type” should also be a phrase. At age 30, I discovered my travel-type.

  • In Goa, a place known for its clubs and beaches, what I liked most were the trees within a hotel’s grounds.
  • My best moment in Jaipur was sitting silently with friends on top of Jaigrah Fort.
  • In Nainital, I was pissing my pants looking down the mountains, but I was also ecstatic looking at the greenery.
Nirvana Hill Resort, Goa
A bunch of trees in Nainital
Trees in Nainital
Raj Bhavan/Governor House, Nainital
Raj Bhavan, Nainital

Instead of thinking I don’t know how to travel or I hate traveling, now I say there is a certain way I travel. There are certain things I like, certain things I hate, and even a few that I fear. It took a few journal entries on travelling to realise that

I like:

  • Lots of trees
  • Mountains with lots of trees
  • Animals in their natural habitat
  • Huge stones
  • Buildings made with huge stones (aka forts)
  • Travelling with friends
  • Travelling without an itinerary (friends can make the itinerary)
  • Doing whatever I like in the moment and dropping the plans (like playing UNO with friends in the hotel room and not seeing the things we went to see)

I fear:

  • Large, stagnant bodies of water
  • Heights

I hate:

  • Big, modern buildings
  • Crowd
  • Travelling alone
  • Spicy, oily food
  • Lack of sleep

It’s not that after discovering my travel-type, now I want to travel across the world, or that I have sworn to never visit a crowded place. I am still fluid. But travelling and talking to friends about travel have become easier.