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.
Surpiya Sehgal’s passionate and enduring love affair began a little over a decade ago. Every weekend saw her promptly arrive at a bus stop in search of an escapade. Her flair for writing ensured that her adventures on the road found home in words. From her weekend escapes a decade ago to traveling for 250 days a year now, Surpiya has penned all her journeys in over 35 books for Lonely Planet, several Tourism Boards, Times Books, Outlook Traveller and many more. Her journey has been nothing short of inspirational. Read along to know what it takes to be a travel writer.
What is the first trip you remember taking and how old were you?
Hard to recall the very first trip, but I’ll jump to more independent travel. I started in 2004, when I moved to Bangalore for my first job. I started with exploring the city on my own, moved the radius a little to Mysore, Channapatna and others and then was off to Hampi and Mahe as the first two trips, which were weekend savvy. Later, it was longer ones to northern Kerala – Bekal and Kasargod – that were some of the first few ones.
If you had to visit a place again, which one would you choose?
I think every place would need a second, third and more visits. There is so much to see and experience that it is impossible to do it just once. I’d love to go to London again. I’ve been there twice, but it’s not enough.
Have you been to a place which turned out to be totally different than how you imagined? If so, how was it different?
I hadn’t explored Telangana (apart from Hyderabad) extensively and got a chance to see it over 4 weeks earlier in 2017. The northern part of the state was stunning and the local cuisine, beyond the Mughal influence, was fascinating.
Is there a place you’ve been to that left you feeling underwhelmed and why?
Parts of Andhra, especially Rajahmundry, were underwhelming and oversold by brochures and websites. I also found that the town had little exposure to single women travellers (which is understandable), but I felt uncomfortable in the surroundings versus many other parts of India that are also not used to seeing women travellers, and my experience of those places has been far more positive.
What was it like writing guidebooks for Lonely Planet? Do we get to read any new ones anytime soon?
It’s been a thrilling journey, as you see each destination in great depth. The travel is intensive as there is a lot to cover but the need for topicality shrinks timelines to a large extent. You will be seeing the Meghalaya books soon.
Which country stands high on your bucket list at the moment?
Endless list, but Portugal stands highest on it as of now.
Tell us something unexpected but wonderful that happened to you while travelling?
The generosity of unknown people has been the most consistent. There are so many incidents that it’s hard to pick one. The one that got me out of some serious soup, is one I quote often. I was in the northwestern part of Karnataka, with no place to stay at 8pm. My next stop was Jog Falls, but that stretch has a long, forested route and it was raining cats and dogs. No buses were available and no local cabs agreed to go. A rusty old Maruti Van saw my plight and the driver, Irfaan, was sweet enough to make that 6-hour journey with me in the dead of the night, with little visibility and made me feel extremely comfortable and safe. We chatted through the journey. After depositing me at the hotel I had booked, we had a quick meal and he turned down my offer of booking him a room to rest, and returned back that very day. It’s incidents like this that make travel worth it.
What do you think are the reasons for your success as a travel writer that keeps your followers hooked?
It would be presumptuous to say that all my readers are hooked, but it’s nice to hear back from people who have read through my articles or books and been able to experience a destination well.
What are some of the mistakes you’ve learnt from (while travelling and /or in your journey as a travel writer)?
As a traveler, I think better planning in many cases would have allowed me to utilize my time better. I recently went to Bandhavgarh and could have added Bhedaghat’s marble rocks but didn’t plan my time well.
As a writer, pitching better and following briefs to the T is critical. One improves everyday in that regard.
How do you prepare for a trip?
On the planning front, since a lot of these trips are commissioned and need focus on specific things, one has to plug in all destinations in proper timelines. I always keep an extra day for new and un-researched things. In the context of writing books, this is essential and the only way I can add things that are special, undiscovered and add a new dimension to the reader. One can only plan as much as secondary research allows but one is always surprised at the number of things that evade the Internet.
What is the one thing that you find most annoying or frustrating (or both!) about planning a trip?
Nothing really.
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?
Better and more authentic filtering of hotels is still something that has not been refined enough, even though there is such a profusion of curated and other booking engines.
How much time do you spend on planning a trip? Do you plan out all details or are you a spontaneous traveler? Why?
50-50 since many of these trips are commissioned projects. But when travelling personally, I hardly plan – only to the extent of stay. When I had just started, I didn’t even book that and would arrive at a destination and figure out.
Do you have a good travel-planning tip you would like to share with us?
Really depends on what the theme or intent of the trip is. Adding more local experiences makes the trip richer, so do contact outfits that run well-researched local walks, curated trips and activities to get better acquainted to a destination. I always look for a ‘walk’ in a new place, as it gives you a deeper insight into the history of the place and one can always ask more questions to know about contemporary times.
For a long trip, plug it all in good ol’ excel to plan date, destination and number of things to do wise.
What determines your next destination – your mood, time of year, company or something else?
More often that not, work related travel. A commissioned project mostly defines my travel. Time of the year and holidays is the second thing.
What is your favorite mode of transport (plane/train/boat/car) and why?
Train is nice and indulgent, and in India, a greatly humbling experience, which is good to have. I enjoy it over road, plane and water.
Where do you get your travel inspiration from – books, magazines, blogs, travel shows, travelogues, social media or somewhere else?
Books are extremely inspiring and do steer my wanderlust to a large degree. But social media is an abiding part of our lives and plays a huge part.
What are your suggestions to newbies who are looking at building a career in travel writing?
My suggestion would be to first travel, without the pressure of documenting everything. Just enjoy the process, find your rhythm and what you like. Then hop on to the process of writing.
And one last question, what’s your next travel destination? If you haven’t planned one yet, where would you like to go next?
I’m off to New Zealand for a week.
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Tags: bucket list Travel Talk
