How often do you look at a photo on Instagram of a dreamy location somewhere far away, wishing you were there? And then there are photos of travelers who seem to tick off every place on your bucket list, while you’re sitting at work wondering how they do it! How does one become a fulltime nomad? Is it as romantic as it appears? In this new series called The Vagabonds, we speak with our favorite travel addicts to know more about what got them traveling, what goes into being a year-round wanderer, and lot more so that you can find inspiration in their journeys to step out and fulfill your travel goals.
Reading about Sandy and Vyjay’s journey will make you envy them. This is a couple that fell in love with each other and with traveling together! Traveling not only helped them discover different places, cultures and food but also enriched their relationship and love. Perhaps it’s time to change the good old adage to ‘A couple who travels together, stays together!’
What made you start your own travel blog?
Both of us had been traveling together as well as separately for a long time and one fine day we thought it was time we started sharing our travel stories and experiences. Thus, Voyager was born.
What is the first trip you remember taking and how old were you?
It is a coincidence that both of us have had parents who loved traveling. So, we have been traveling from a very tender age. One of Vyjay’s ‘solo’ trips was to Mt. Abu, in Rajasthan at the age of 7, as part of a school trip. And for Sandy, it was a family trip to Kerala while she was 3!
If you had to visit a place again, which one would you choose?
We would love to go back to Switzerland again and again.
It’s normal for two people, especially a couple to get on each other’s nerves. How do you handle conflict while on the road?
We think it would be abnormal if they didn’t! Conflict on the road is best handled by one of us cooling off, that usually defuses the tension. Also, we do not want to waste valuable travel time in conflict, do we?
We all need some space every now and again. How do you go about making some personal time when you are with your spouse all the time?
We do have our personal spaces in our daily life, which we value and respect. But when we are traveling, we travel as a team.
Have you been to a place which turned out to be totally different than how you imagined? If so, how was it different?
Most places are different than what one imagines, we think Venice was a letdown, that is compared to what we had dreamt of. Our images of romantic and serene Venice, gliding in a Gondola serenaded by the Gondolier were shattered as the place was swarming with tourists.
Is there a place you’ve been to that left you feeling underwhelmed and why?
That has to be Venice. The reason probably was our expectations fueled by the romance of imagination combined with the huge crowds.
Which country stands high on your bucket list at the moment?
Israel is one country we would absolutely love to visit. It is a mosaic of different experiences that range from historical to cultural to natural.
Tell us something unexpected but wonderful that happened to you while traveling?
We were at the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda on a Gorilla trek. As we focused on one of the gorillas, another one literally brushed past us, touching us. In retrospect, it was a wonderful experience interacting with the Mountain Gorillas that are an endangered species.
One of the things that people love about solo traveling is the opportunity to meet a lot of people. Do you find traveling as a couple hinders your ability to meet new people?
Not at all, we have met and interacted with some wonderful people on our travels and we think traveling as a couple actually offers us more opportunities to meet new people.
How has travel changed your relationship?
For the better. What travel does is change your perspective and this includes your own personal relations too. Travel has helped us understand each other better.
What do you think are the reasons for your success as a travel blogger that keeps your followers hooked?
One of the reasons for our success as a travel blogger is that we try to keep alive the element of storytelling in our posts. Most of our posts are based on personal experiences and hence have an emotional connect with the readers.
What are some of the mistakes you’ve learned from (while traveling and /or in your journey as a blogger)?
We always keep learning as we travel. There are many a travel gaffe that we have committed including the usual ones like a missed train, looking for your hotel in a place where it does not exist and many others.
How do you prepare for a trip?
We try and have a rough itinerary from start to finish, though we also leave bits of it free for impulsive activities. One thing that we ensure is look out for vegetarian eateries in the places that we plan to visit.
How different or difficult is planning a trip as a married couple versus a solo trip?
Not much different, except the fact that you travel with more baggage 🙂
What is the one thing that you find most annoying or frustrating (or both!) about planning a trip?
We enjoy the planning bit as it is a precursor to the actual travel experience and do not find it frustrating at all.
What is the one innovation in the trip planning/travel industry you’d like to see or have been waiting for to help you plan easily?
One of the things that would help is a tool which would give the cost of each and every element of the travel from activities to airfare to food and entry tickets, so that one can get a pretty accurate estimate of what the total cost is going to be.
How much time do you spend on planning a trip? Do you plan out all details or are you a spontaneous traveler? Why?
We are both planners as well as spontaneous travelers. Shorter trips tend to be spontaneous, while we plan for longer trips especially if they are international. Including research, we may spend anything around 5-6 hours for planning a two-week trip.
Do you have a good travel planning tip you would like to share with us?
One of the hacks that we have found to be effective is to plan for travel in the offseason. So head out to cooler climes when the world is heading to warmer climes and vice-versa. There are a number of benefits which include, no crowds, better prices, and deals.
What determines your next destination – your mood, time of year, company or something else?
It is a combination of many factors, mood, of course, is one of them and of course the season.
What is your favorite mode of transport (plane/train/boat/car) and why?
We love to travel by car as this is one way to get close to the places that you are passing through and have an immersive travel experience.
Where do you get your travel inspiration from – books, magazines, blogs, travel shows, travelogues, social media or somewhere else?
The original inspiration has always been books. Books took us to different places in our imagination before we even went there. One example here is the Louvre in Paris, before we went there our imagination was fueled by, “The Da Vinci Code”.
What advice would you give to married couples who want to make a career in travel blogging?
Go ahead only if you are passionate about traveling and writing. Because it is a hard road ahead and one needs to consistently deliver.
What’s the best thing about traveling as a couple?
You are able to share the best of travel experiences and not regret that your partner was not with you.
Finally, some rapid-fire questions –
Favorite airline? Air France
Favorite country? Switzerland
Favorite city? Florence, Italy
Favorite beach? Om Beach in Gokarna
Favorite food? We love our Parathas
Favorite language? English
And one last question, what’s your next travel destination? If you haven’t planned one yet, where would you like to go next?
Hope to travel to Morocco.
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Tags: Interview Travel Bloggers Travel Inspiration
