As a solo traveller, Lokesh Devraj often recollects a plethora of experiences from his many expeditions. For instance, on a three-month trip to Parvati Valley, Himachal Pradesh, in November 2020, the Kalkaji resident ended up staying at a local woman’s home. The hospitality that this woman—she was fondly called Nani by the locals of the valley located near the popular tourist destination, Kasol—showed towards Devraj was beyond impressive.
“In those three months of residing with them, I learnt a lot about the way of life in Himachal Pradesh,” shares the 29-year-old. Devraj mentions returning from this trip “with a lot of stories”. He eventually shared his experiences with a few travellers he met at the Lazy Monk Cafe, a travel cafe in Shahpur Jat. “The people could resonate with my experiences. Bhuwan Guleria [co-founder of the cafe] is also from Himachal so it was great to indulge in a conversation about my local experiences with him,” he shares.
As a concept, travel cafes are meant to be spaces where travellers get to meet, exchange travel accounts, and connect with one another—it brings together a number of travel enthusiasts under the same roof. Though, finding such quaint spaces that are bustling with activity in metropolitan cities such as Delhi is not easy—a few travel-themed cafes have turned into go-to places for those seeking to quench their wanderlust.
Say hello to travel buffs
Wondering what sets a travel cafe apart from other cafes in the city? Devraj responds, “If you go to other commercialised cafes, it seems quite mechanical. The order, the food and drinks, they remain the same. Even the way you are seated is often prim and proper. This is not the norm at travel cafes—you can sit and talk at length... it is more comfortable. You can go, lounge around or even work.” With travel cafes, the emphasis is on building a space to meet new people organically, enjoying good food, all while exchanging experiences. Consequently, these places are usually abuzz with visitors. To keep the people entertained, Lazy Monk Cafe hosts open mics almost every weekend.
A brainchild of travel writer and photographer Ajay Jain, Kunzum Travel Cafe (has now rebranded as Kunzum, which is a chain of bookstores) is deemed the first travel cafe in the capital. However, Kunzum still organises meet-ups for both locals and travellers—until about a few years ago, they would conduct workshops on various aspects of travel such as travel photography, creating a travel blog, etc. Paule, a travelling artist who currently resides in Noida—he has been visiting Kunzum since 2008—used to conduct workshops on travel photography at the cafe. “It was a very novel idea back when it started. You could pay as you like; spend your hours talking or reading; etc. There are a lot of travel books available as well and there is also the scope to connect with different people,” shares the 37 year old who would once make travel videos with the people he interacted with at the cafe.
Build lifelong connections
Both Devraj and Paule admit to have made several friends at these travel cafes. “I have met so many people here who have now become really successful travellers… some of them have turned out to become my very good friends,” comments Paule. Devraj chimes in and concludes, “After your early 20s, you become extremely selective about the people you want to call friends. But I recently made one at Lazy Monk (laughs),” while talking about how the place has helped him meet people.