For Delhi-based professional, Sidharth Sharma, the first stop after travel restrictions were lifted has been Nainital, Uttarakhand.
“I had been planning this 8-10 days trip with family and friends for a long time. I was feeling quite stuck in Delhi.” Sharma has found a place with steady WiFi.
So, he works in the day on weekdays, and reserves the evenings for exploring the place.
“I have come here after 25 years, and it is exciting to discover how the city’s landscape has changed. I often see police stopping people who are not wearing face masks,” says Sharma, in a conversation with The New Indian Express.
Meanwhile, Siddharth Singh permanently relocated to Manali, Himachal Pradesh, in the pandemic. He quit his job as a product manager at a Noida-based company, and took the plunge of turning his passion of travel photography into a full-time job.
Singh says, “Working continuously from home for several months, without getting to go out, added a kind of mental pressure that needed to be released. As a travel photographer, I used to go out on the weekends to work in a different environment, which helped me release the work stress. The move to Manali helped me realise my dream of living in the mountains, and work from a stress free environment.” After the move, Singh admits to have become more focused and relaxed.
“With a beautiful view in front of me, I can breathe fresh air and work for longer hours. I have the flexibility to roam and work simultaneously as the places have adapted their facilities to serve a nomadic lifestyle. Sometimes, I go to a nearby café and work, and sometimes it’s an open field where I can set up my portable Hotspot.”
Surybala Shahi, a travel blogger who works with an MNC in Gurugram, is temporarily soaking up the Himachali culture till her office reopens.
“I am very curious about new cultures and the lifestyle of different states. Here, I have learnt about local food processing and even attended a local Himachali marriage! All of this has made my life more interesting.” Shahi says the locals have made her feel at home. “Yes, the locals fear about the spread of Covid-19 from those who come from the cities, but they have welcomed me with both happiness and precautions.” Like Singh, for product manager, Devyani Gupta, 27, remote working and location-independent work has always been a dream.
“I am not worried about taking leaves and managing holidays to go on my dream trip. When the state travel restrictions started easing up, I temporarily shifted my base from Bengaluru, where I was confined in the four walls of my apartment, to Manali,” says Gupta. She already has different workstations within the city. “I work from my balcony or walk to the nearby cafés and set up my workstation there. I can plan for short trips around Manali every weekend. After moving to the mountains, my routine has automatically changed without much effort. I wake up early in the morning and go to bed early at night. I go for a walk in the sun, I have started exercising, and in general I have become much more active after shifting here.”