The Excursion Groundwork

10:59 Travel 2 Comments

Planning an excursion has always been a herculian task for me. First reason being that travelling is not my cup of tea and the second is even if I agree to travel I am the last person to decide the place because of my fickle-mind. Although I enjoy visting new places, but to be frank, I literally find ways of avoiding a journey. For me it is the toughest whether with or without company. I remember when I was a kid my mom used to take me to Dehradun, at my paternal and maternal relatives place. We used to travel by bus, since there were no trains/flights available for the route. The bus used to take about six hours to reach our destination and my face used to have a stable frown throughout the journey. Somewhat lately, I have been able to get used to travelling by car and train. Thanks to the frequent trips I had to take to my hometown. Still I do undergo the initial hitch while travelling specially by bus or flight.

There are a number of places I have travelled to in my childhood. From Dev Bhoomi to the Pink City to the City of Joy and many more. My dad took me to various places in my school vacations all over the country including Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, Palampur, Baijnath, Kangra valley, Dhauladhar range, Shimla, Kufri, Chail, Katra, Udaipur, Jaipur, Mount Abu, Ajmer, Pushkar and Kolkata to name a few. All the trips were full of fun and frolic with our family friends and relatives. I also happened to be a part of a school trip to Kasauli, which was just an hours journey. The food that we were served was horrible but I had a great time trekking with my school mates in the chilled winters of the Shivalik range. I have been to Himachal a number of times and been lucky enough to enjoy the snow but I am yet to cherish the heavenly experience of snowfall. My last long trip was to Kerala, God's own country. I visited Nelliyampathy range, Kochi, Allapuzha (Allepey) beach, lighthouse and the great water falls of Vazhchal. Although my health was not in our favour, due to change in climate and food habits, it was an experience of a lifetime. I thoroughly enjoyed the various cuisines and the natural greenery of this beautiful state of our country.

Travelling is a great way to release the everyday tension and stress, however one should plan and research extensively before starting a travel or trip especially to an unknown place. Few important things to keep in hand would be: A map or GPS navigator, vehicle check-up incase travelling on your own, hard cash for emergency, water, food, medicines, a basic knowledge of the area being travelled to and lastly, one should prefer to travel in groups in case of a remote area. Remember it is always better to be cautious and with the increasing number of crimes, it is a must. My upcoming list of expedition for the next few years comprises of Leh-Ladakh, Srinagar, Lakshwadeep, Gujarat and Sikkim. Leh-Ladakh would be a road trip to watch out for because of its serene, exotic, natural beauty which is claimed by few to be even better than Srinagar, the heaven on Earth. Lakshwadeep would be my choice for scuba-diving and underwater experience and Gujarat for its ancient architecture, the salt marsh(Rann of Kutch) and the beautiful beaches. Sikkim would be my first step towards the north-east of India.

I do hope that I am able to materialise the excursions planned by me so far and I will definitely come up with more articles to share my travel experience in the future with you.