“Pahad pyar hai [I love the mountains],” exclaims Dimple Shiv (22), a student who shuttles between Delhi and Chhattisgarh. Shiv mentions catching the travel bug while working as an intern for a travel company in 2019, post which she went on a solo trip to McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh. “I had decided I will use half of my stipend on travelling solo.
That [a trip to McLeod Ganj] was my first solo expedition,” she shares. At a time when she decided to come to terms with the highs and lows of going on solo trips, Shiv met Dhruv Tyagi, his sister, Priyam, and their friends—the group was staying in the same hostel as her.
“On travelling in and around the area during the next few days with the group, Dhruv and I really connected,” Shiv tells us. Cut to 2022—Shiv and Tyagi (a software engineer in Bengaluru) have already travelled together to more than four destinations—Goa, Jibhi, Manali, Shoja. In fact, they are eager to tick off several other places on their travel bucket list.
Explore and connect
Solo travelling has, for long, been considered a “cool thing” to do. However, one would not disagree that a trip with a fellow travel enthusiast, who is also inspired by novel experiences in new places, is equally enjoyable. Shiv agrees, adding, “It is like the cherry on the cake.”
Travelling with a friend, in fact, can help cover the safety aspect and is also great for those who need to be encouraged to try out new experiences. Aaradhya, a tattoo artist from Faridabad, who visited Nepal with Arnav Mathur, a travel blogger, in December 2021, mentions, “We were river rafting; it was my first time. I am really scared of water but, because Arnav was around, he pushed me to try it, and it was a great experience. I would not have done that had he not prompted me.”
Aaradhya (21) and Mathur (29) met in Manali for the first time—the former was volunteering at a hostel whereas the latter was staying there. “We connected immediately,” laughs Aaradhaya, who was in Manali for over a month. The duo has already travelled to three places including a trip to Nepal. They are currently exploring Leh and Ladakh.
Creating a lifetime of memories
Patrons of slow travel, Aaradhya and Mathur recently went river rafting on the Zanskar river—-it is the world’s highest river rafting point. “It was an experience of a lifetime,” says Aaradhya. Shiv and Tyagi admit that travelling together has helped them create memories and explore places in a way that they would not have possibly been able to have they been travelling alone.
“When we were in Jibhi [in December], we did not have anything to do, so we just sat in the cold stream and talked about life,” says Tyagi. Shiv chimes in and conclude by telling us her favourite travel memory, “We were in Goa and the weather was really bad. However, since we were together, we just happened to find something or the other to enjoy. For example, we were wearing raincoats, driving around, and we randomly decided to stop for gol gappa. I think I was happiest that day.”
Shiv and Tyagi admit that travelling together has helped them create memories and explore places in a way that they would not have possibly been able to have they been travelling alone. “When we were in Jibhi [in December], we did not have anything to do, so we just sat in the cold stream and talked about life,” says Tyagi. Shiv chimes in and conclude by telling us her favourite travel memory, “We were in Goa and the weather was really bad.
However, since we were together, we just happened to find something or the other to enjoy. For example, we were wearing raincoats, driving around, and we randomly decided to stop for gol gappa. I think I was happiest that day.”