Birth of my wanderlust – My first ever solo trip

Tripoto
7th Jul 2013

Wow!! its been ages since I’ve written anything at all. I just realised I need to write more often just so as to keep myself sane. Such life be!!

This is my first post on Tripoto.. So please show some love!!
This was written by me 2 years back when I just couldn’t find anything to write about.. I am an average looking working class 24 year old. I don’t have a very happening life .. I don’t do clubbing, I am not fashion conscious.. and as far as gossip is concerned I just know about the Bollywood link ups & break ups. So sometimes I feel my life’s teeny bit boring.
Home to work and back. On the weekend if there’s a plan to meet up friends then cool or else I end up sitting at home doing nothing.
Few months back, I tried something different. Things weren’t that great when it came to personal or professional life. In other words, life sucked!!! I needed a break just to get away from everything. I didn’t know if I could stand one more taunt of how I am or the way my life’s shaping up or I could bear thinking about where I am actually headed.
So you see I just wanted a break from everything, I mean we all need a break once in a while from our routinely boring and monotonous lives. You see I have this personal checklist where I listed down things that I want to do before I die and if you need a shorter span of time there a few things I wish to do before I get married which at least I hope is not for the next few years (6-8 years give or take or maybe never hopefully)

Photo of Birth of my wanderlust – My first ever solo trip 1/1 by Priyanka Bhatia
I went for this rafting trip with this group who organizes weekend trekking trips & stuff. I am sure you’ll must’ve come across many such groups. The point is I went alone for it. Just went. I called them a day before the trip and asked if they still had a seat available. Since I was travelling alone they said they could adjust me.

And THAT i think is one of the BEST decisions I’ve made in life. True, that most of the time I don’t know what I am doing. But this time I wasn’t thinking, I just went on a whim, and let me tell you I don’t know how to swim(Intend to learn it someday) and the reason I have procrastinating learning it because of my fear of drowning.

You see, most of the time we're so busy trying to make everyone around us happy that we don't know what makes us happy.

The best time to take this trip would be in the monsoons as the flow of water will help make the rafting more interesting. Plus the road trip while going towards Kolad is beautiful as well as blissfull.
On this trip I did a lot of things that I didn’t think that I would’ve done in a long time. I went rafting(oh boy.. that adrenaline rush), which is one of the to do things in my checklist, I overcame my fear of drowning, I jumped in the water (we had life-jackets :P) I rode a jet ski, I did kayaking, I met new people, I broke free from everyone and everything .. I was like this refreshing breath of fresh air. Like I saw the sun after living in a dark room for day, like being able to smile at nothing, And let me tell you it was the best feeling I had in a long long time.

I did not care that I went for the trip alone, I did not care that I didn’t know anyone. I just went for it. I realised that once in a while one needs to do something or the other that makes them feel happy. When i say happy, I don’t mean just the smile on your lips, I mean that smile that reaches your eyes and touches your soul, that feeling of bliss which makes u feel amazing from inside.

I agree that it isn't much, it was just a day trip, it was just 1-2 activities, it was not planned by me, I just tagged along with a group. But it was worth it. For a person like me it was a start of something new. I started from somewhere at least. However small a step it was. I took a decision and stood by it. 
We’re always dependent on various aspects to make us happy, I’l be happy when I am at this positions, I’ll feel good if I get promoted or I’ll have good time when plans with my friends work out. Well, these are just excuses, it says that YOU are LAZY. Your happiness is in your hands, whether you feel good about yourself or not is all in your mind, and it is really not necessary that you need to be with someone to have a good time. Sometimes, alone time is all you need. Just you.
So do yourself a favor, do something nice .. not for someone else but for yourself. Its not a sin to be a little selfish. And your selfishness isn’t taking away anything from anyone. In fact, the happier you are, the more positive you will be, and the positive you are, you will automatically keep the people around you happy. Its simple really. We just make it complicated.

And traveling is the best way to unwind yourself!! Go take trip you will know what I'm talking about :)

the journey

Photo of Kolad, Warasgaon, Maharashtra, India by Priyanka Bhatia

still the journey

Photo of Kolad, Warasgaon, Maharashtra, India by Priyanka Bhatia

the best part of the trip

Photo of Kolad, Warasgaon, Maharashtra, India by Priyanka Bhatia

next best part of the trip

Photo of Kolad, Warasgaon, Maharashtra, India by Priyanka Bhatia

Happiness

Photo of Kolad, Warasgaon, Maharashtra, India by Priyanka Bhatia