These techies think nothing of hopping on their bikes and cars, on planes, trains and even boats, backpacks ready, in search of adventure, all by themselves. Meet the solo travellers of Technopark — and there are many of them on campus.
You might have heard of Sajna Ali, techie, solo travel blogger and founder of Appooppanthaadi, a city-based women’s only travel group on these pages. Sajna is so passionate about travelling that she has now quit her job to take up travelling full time and is currently in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, leading a group of like-minded women on tour.
Techie and solo traveller Mimi Sebastine at Kesavanpara in Nelliyampathy, Palakkad
Software engineer Mimi Sebastine indulges her wanderlust quite often and is an impulsive traveller at that. “I have travelled across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, by myself. It all began when I was in college. Every weekend I used to take off to destinations nearby, with the full encouragement of my parents. I recall that my first trip was to Azhimala and Madayipara, a scenic, historic hilltop near my home town, Thalassery, in Kannur. It was quite a stressful journey with auto-rickshaw drivers fleecing me but it gave me the confidence to continue my exploration of the world,” she says. One of her favourite things to do is to take a ticket to the last stop on a bus, just to explore the place.
“That’s how I discovered the teak museum in Nilambur and Conolly plot, the oldest teak plantation in the world. While visiting Kochi, I take a boat to outlying islands and in Kozhikode, I like to walk the bazaars. Once I moved to Technopark four years ago, I started travelling overnight, to places like Kanyakumari, Madurai and Dhanushkodi. I enjoy going to places where I can revel in my solitude. I’ve never had a bad experience and everywhere people have been friendly to a woman travelling alone; curious but always helpful,” she says.
Vinoy Nair, new to Technopark, also believes in being an impulsive traveller. “Make no plans and take each day as it comes and you will discover places and things about the world that you never imagined,” says the SAP consultant, recalling an overnight camping adventure in Kambre, a scenic lake near Mumbai, where he counted 21 shooting stars. A year ago he hopped on a plane to South Korea and last weekend he spent three days in Varkala. “Both times I woke up and simply decided to go. It took a month to complete the formalities and fly to Korea. I had no idea about the place but just went with the flow and had the best time ever. Unplanned trips are the best because you have few expectations and everything will be a surprise. For example, its off season in Varkala now but it was full of people and I got to hang out with a bunch of Israeli tourists, who told me a lot about their country and their culture. I’ve been all over the country on my Bullet, particularly in and around Kozhikode, my home town and Wayanad, nearby,” he says.
Techie Nasmin N.S. at Skandagiri hills, near Bengaluru
IT manager Nasmin N.S., meanwhile, has started taking baby steps in solo travelling, discovering Delhi, offbeat places in and around Bengaluru, Thekkady and the likes, on foot. “I’m still getting the hang of it. The best thing about solo trips is that you don’t have to wait for people to accompany you. If you want to go, you just go. While all the solo trips were enjoyable, I do like travelling with other people because I like to share my experiences with them,” she says.
Techie and keen traveller Rejeesh S. at Wagah border
Techie Rejeesh S. also enjoys discovering places on his own, ever since he trekked up Agasthyarkoodam for the first time some 10 years ago. He too has been all over the country — Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, Wagah border in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rameshwaram, Kailash-Manasarovar trek and many more. “The beauty of solo travel is that you have the freedom to meet people along the way, locals and fellow travellers, and they often share their knowledge of the area with you and you always end up discovering something extraordinary. For instance, while in Wagah, a fellow traveller told me about Husseniwala border post, which is much smaller than Wagah and its famous border closing ceremonies but no less impressive. I like to spend a day or two at each place to learn more about its people and culture. Again that’s possible only when travelling solo,” he says.
Techie and keen traveller Praveen Kumar P.V.
“The experience is totally different from travelling as a group. When in a group, you tend to stick to the group and rarely venture out of its confines beyond asking for directions,” adds test analyst Praveen Kumar P.V., just back from a biking trip to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Mimi and Vinoy feel the same. “The benefit of solo travelling is that you don’t have to depend on anyone, you are free to do what you want and follow your mind,” says Vinoy, as Mimi adds: “You can journey at your own pace; you are free to stop and watch the river go by, if you feel so. You can eat when you want, you don’t have to wait for someone or watch out for them. Solo travel is all about being free.”
