More pauses and deeper breathes. This may be divine for some but daunting for others. But whoever has tasted silence and stillness, knows its worth. Thirty-year-old Shally Makin from Dehradun is a travelling monk who through her company, RootsVida, curates experiences that inspire tranquillity in travel. No wonder then her most popular segment has been the Do Nothing Vacations that encourage you to actively hibernate. She does the planning, you do the reposing.
Gaze at the stars, hear the rocks kerplunk, smell the petrichor, witness hooting owls, the purring wild cats, the screeching monkeys, the muttering rabbits, the burbling of water from streams, and the solace of psithurism. That’s what these vacations are about. The maiden Do Nothing trip was a two-day excursion to Pangot, a little village in Uttarakhand. There was no schedule and no expectations. All travellers docked inside their rooms, ordered local food, slept or read. At night, a bonfire was organised around which they revelled in jovial banter, joked, sang and danced. “The idea of this kind of vacation sprung when I met people on trips who didn’t want to go sightseeing or adventure.
They wanted a comfortable bed in a safe hotel. This highlighted a social trend wherein travellers wanted to get away and do nothing,” says Makin, a Chemistry graduate from Delhi University, who has made that happen for many people. Her next Do Nothing trip is to the Goat Village, Nag Tibba, Uttarakhand. There is no itinerary, no temple sprawls or shopping sprees. Instead you can try your hand at farming and engage with the local community.
At night when the stars pop up, you can lie on your back and imagine the many possible universes out there. Listen to Garhwali folk music along with savouring local dinner. If you wish to, you can partake in the community kitchen, or even try a mud bath. All these are hyper-local engagements that can be customisable. Makin has tried to make her Do Nothing offerings as fulfilling as possible. For starters, she takes people to only offbeat trails. Secondly, it’s important to her that the places benefit as much as the people visiting them. For this, she connects urban travellers with indigenous traditions and lifestyle practices facilitating a closer understanding of the many tribes of India. Her company name, if broken down, roots stand for ancient traditions and vida in Spanish means life. She endorses the local way of stress-free, simple life through her travel company.
Besides the Do Nothing concept, there are other interesting categories, one such being ‘Escape Trips’. In this, the destination is not revealed to the traveller. “Anticipation and wonderment lead to great animation as it activates the pleasure centres in the brain. We once took our travellers to Chakrata. They had no idea till the last minute where we were headed. Everybody was super excited. They kept guessing,” says Makin.There is also the ‘Back to Nature: The Yoga Retreat’ curated vacations wherein you head to the mountains and retreat in a camp amidst the sublimity of nature. It’s all about penetrating your consciousness to find equilibrium. We’ve tried packing in a lot of things into our vacation often returning more tired than before. Maybe its time to try a do-nothing holiday.
Upcoming trips
Do Nothing Vacation Goat Village, Nag Tibba
Dates: Mid-March
Look forward to: Lots of sleep, local food, stargazing, some farming if you fancy Bhutan- Happier Himalayan Villages
Dates: April and November 12-20
Look forward to: Peaceful chants, majestic monasteries
The Folk Tales of Pushkar Dates: November 9–11 Look forward to: A road trip, largest camel fair, cultural engagement