HYDERABAD: Blue skies, lands filled with greenery, and cool blue waters. Every place has its own beauty and is a symbol of happiness when one looks at such beautiful creations. Travelling across the world and making the best of each place that you go to is a dream come true for many of us. Most of us have a travel bucket list but Telugite Travel Vlogger Ravi Prabhu has outclassed us and inspired youngsters by visiting 195 countries in the world, with Venezuela being the latest one. CE listens to his recollections as a veteran voyager.
“The experience is phenomenal. You set some gargantuan goals, accomplish them, and it is always a cloud-nine moment. There is a deep sense of belonging,” says Ravi who runs a YouTube channel ‘Ravi Telugu Traveller’.
Revealing the real reason for his expeditions, he says, “I was an avid history, geography and political science student. When we’d study about countries and look at maps, I subconsciously started to nurse the ambition to travel, to experience things beyond these borders. From 10 countries it became 25 and then 195.”
Ravi believes that every place has something unique and interesting to offer. “What you see in pages versus reality is completely different. It doesn’t always have to be beyond the border; even visiting a temple in Assam is such a different experience. Even going to a market in your town that you’ve never been to could offer a unique experience. You can imagine how many such experiences I have to tell you about,” the traveller says.
But like any endevour, travelling has its fair share of challenges and so Ravi tells us about how he tackled the boulders blocking his path. “Some countries would not even give a visa and some countries would require a lot of documentation to get a visa. When they come across my travel history they think that I am a spy of some order,” he quips, adding that some countries viewed him through the lens of suspicion.
“When I went to the Virunga National Forest, I wanted to see gorillas. Upon noticing that I was able-bodied, they made me embark on a difficult eight-hour hike. But really, just because someone is fit doesn’t mean they have the energy to walk. One time, in the middle of Africa, the bus broke down and one realises that there will be no water for hours. I could list so many challenges but this is the beauty of travel and makes it all the more special,” he says.
One of the most touching experiences Ravi had was interacting with Palestinians. “I stayed in a refugee camp and understood the plight of refugees, how a person or a family has to live outside of their home. Contrast that with our lives, where we have much more freedom to travel around. Another time, I met a family from India whose family moved during the Partition. They live in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir; they are warm hosts. These are things that cannot fade away,” he recalls.
And to the ace voyager, language is usually no barrier. He advises, “English is a lingua franca and you can manage with it most of the time, apart from some rudimentary French and Spanish and a bit of sign language. That eases our travel.”
The veteran traveller is very versatile too, spending his time reading and exploring politics and international relations, apart from a penchant to study socio-political and religious issues. “Travel takes up all the time but I love spending time with family and am always excited to go home, sit on my own coach and watch some TV.”
He calls on everyone to travel, saying it is the best experience and exposure one can get. “You could read a thousand books in the library but one travel experience beats it all. But don’t make that your goal and bypass your studies and job in the process. It is always important to build a career and be self-sufficient. It is important to stand on your own feet and travel according to your budget. I come from a normal family and if I was able to make it to all the countries without giving up my job, career or family, then anybody can do it,” he says.