I ask all guests a series of questions that I normally ask myself after I come home from travelling, these questions are aimed to give some insight into how these travellers accomplished what they did. These questions also will help you find out if your style of travel matches well with this guest.
What led you to this destination?
Family trip to visit relatives. Had been to India when younger but had not been back in some time.
At any time was there a reason to leave, ever uncomfortable?
The heat was the hardest thing to deal with along with the humidity, none of the local population had any air conditioning. So many people always cramped into small spaces no airflow or A/C. The pollution coupled with varying dryness and humid conditions. Obviously people adapt well because many locals wear pants and long shirts all the time.
Were there any surprises during your trip that were contrary to your beliefs?
Visited a lot when younger but had not been in awhile. Since Kedar was last there India has become much more open. Becoming more socially and environmentally conscious. Less conservative than what most people see as the classic India.
Did you run into any trouble while there?
What was the least enjoyable situation for you?
Stayed at a resort that was supposed to be very nice, their family was charged for the newest part of a hotel but they got put in the old unkept half of the resort while being charged for the nicer rooms. Had a travel agent organize everything so it was even more of a hassle having to call and reorganize the accommodations.
What did you discover there that was off the beaten path?
Found a shop for custom cricket bats. If you buy in the city then they are very overpriced. Having found a local spot that makes them by hand meant that Kedar and his cousins could get their names engraved in their own bat. The local spot had a couple different stores, avoiding the big box stores is a MUST the locals are very highly skilled.
Do you think you found out anything about yourself that you regularly would not have?
Found that Kedar does not need as many of the creature comforts as he thought. Learned to pack much lighter than he used to having been someone when he goes home from school tried to bring as much as possible home. But now a sense of anxiety has been washed away when it comes to being prepared and recognizing the priorities of a situation. All that is really necessary when traveling internationally is your passport wallet and phone after that everything else is entirely optional. Acceptance that you will definitely not be without what you need for very long.
If you went with anyone on this trip what role did they serve for you?
Did they hold you back from anything specific, what would change with different people?
Had a younger uncle and aunt that ended up pushing Kedar to do a motorcycle ride that even he didn't opt for. His family was very supportive to doing things that most tourists don't get to see. Kedar’s Uncle took him to a local slum to see how those people live and to gain that perspective. Kedar’s father also grew up there as a teenager so he wanted to share how he grew up in the area with his son. Had to go with his little cousin to get groceries and would be treated as the adult, he would constantly have to point people toward his cousin who knows the area and the language much better than Kedar.
Did you spend any extensive time with the locals, what were they like?
Had to deal a lot more with the reality of how things get done and how people work. He had to go and haggle the tailor because he was late preparing their clothes. Something you never find here from stores you cannot see the behind scenes so to speak. All of the locals are there to get a job done and to survive and thrive for their family, everyone knows each other in the area, much more intimate, they are all in it together, pushing each other to be successful within the community.
Did you try to blend in to that local atmosphere, or act more like a tourist?
How did that position affect your trip? Do you believe people treated you differently
Tried to blend in but all the locals pick up that you are not from the area. How you walk dress and look can be major indicators that you don't belong in the local scene.
How did your country of Origin influence your behaviour when travelling
There wasn't anything particular about being Canadian that set Kedar apart it was more of just not being from there at all that people were skeptical about you being in that area to start but only once they warmed up to you then you felt like you could be there without being silently watched to make sure you weren't trouble.
Was maximizing Utility to cost a priority?
If so how did you do that, if it was not how had this impacted your decisions on a trip
Using a travel agent with a big family was found helpful to have everything taken care of in advance. If you are not a local there are certain nuances that you would rather avoid with use of advanced planning and someone who is educated about how you should handle yourself in that area.
Would you save or spend more in the future? What would you save or spend more on? Where would this extra saving or spending take place in the scope of your trip?
All the down time due to the uncle and aunt having to work would be something Kedar would have avoided. He had already made up his mind as to what exactly he was going to buy for everyone. He was going to do and buy everything in Bombay but his uncle recommended buying the souvenirs in local places for keychains. He would also have purchased a pashmina a super nice shawl that is super soft waterproof and warm. When buying a rug apparently if it is made well then the design should look exactly the same on both sides of the rug. If he had had the money he would have bought one of the carpets that change colour based on how you look at it but for a full size rug those would be about $10000. Lots of local places sell these rugs but you will need to do your research ask the local people and visit many different stores to get an average consensus.
What was the approx cost of the trip, how did you save for it?
$1500 for the plane ticket at the time about $1200 on top of that for general expenses to have a chance to do what Kedar did.
After the experience, was it easy to justify the time spent doing what you did?
Very easy to rationalize going
Why are you so attracted to travelling?
Loves to see the different places with things you cannot see here in Canada. Cultures that are not easy to understand
Are you a vacationer or a traveller?
Doesn't enjoy just going to the beach and hanging out has to be doing something and seeing something different and worthwhile for him and his goals. Would like to really commit to the travel bug he is getting but understands he needs to get done things that are necessary at home, such as school and family and friends
Any new technology that you used while you were there that seemed helpful?
Hola, just a car company similar to Uber. No need for any translation lots of signs with english as well as other language
When people ask about your trip, what do you tell them? Do you tell them what you think they will like or what you really think is worth mentioning?
Always starts with his favourite story climbing a glacier in kashmir and gauges how someone views the story he told to tell a deeper story after that.
What kind of mindset did you have to make the trip the best it could be, what consistent action did you take to continue the ball rolling when it comes to positivity?
Always keeping in mind to go with the flow. Take it day by day. You always have 24 hours in the day that you always have to use to the best of your ability. Having many things planned really helps to go with the flow feeling the obligation to do cool stuff.
Where do you think you will be heading next?
South America, next year. Possibly go to Peru for the mountains and Brazil.
Who are YOU when you travel?
Just trying to be a more open version of Kedar, feels like when you come back you are a little bit different overtime. An example would be that there are many locks inside yourself, and when you travel you find different keys to unlock that part of yourself, you don't necessarily need to travel to feel or access those parts of yourself but having those different stimuli from different places and people seems to help find out exactly who you are.