It's crazy how a single line and a single image can make you feel the strongest pangs of wanderlust. I personally haven't been much of a traveller until recently. Somehow, the wanderbug has bit me hard over the last year so much so that I have a whole section on my phone dedicated to "wishlist" places. Indeed, when I'm not working you'll find me looking up trip stories and dreaming up a million pictures I could be taking right then in some heavenly hideaway instead of sitting in a room without windows working on some code. One of the top searches I always end up with seem to be Himachal. There is just something rather attractive about this little piece of heaven that draws me there. I was dreaming of endless valleys with rivers long before Kasol with its now infamous Parvati Valley became a fad. Yes, when the world is dreaming of holidays in the Alps, I'd much rather dream about holidaying in Himachal.

A few months ago, a friend took a short trip to Kasol to recharge her batteries. She posted the mandatory holiday pictures on Facebook and these just made me yearn that much more for a holiday in the hills. The beauty of visiting a new place isn't just about taking a flight and getting there. Its's about walking a trail that's seldom taken, its about finding joy in the simple things, its about discovering lost secrets of a place that were lost in the ripples of time. Indeed, this is the journey that brings true joy.

A random find during a friend's recent trip, truly there are stories all around us, waiting to be discovered..

So let's say I somehow get magically transported to the Himachal, what then? I think what I want the most is to wake up with the sounds of nature, the beauty of finding yourself in a place that's new but still feels like home. I always end up booking myself into places with the best views when I travel because I think its rather important to experience the best when you're in a new place. I remember I traveled with my family to Goa for the first time and I did the posh version of Goa. Since we were a mixed age group, we ended up staying (incidentally) at a Club Mahindra resort in South Goa and ended up having a beach holiday without the cliche Goa sights. We woke up to the sounds of the Goan beaches, we wandered on beaches that weren't yet populated with crazy tourists, we walked tiny bylanes that led to tinier yet enchanting houses of the people there and we lunched with the locals. Truly, I think the resort with it's gorgeous location was one of the key factors that helped us discover all this. This trip set the idea of what a holiday should be like for me. I'd wander in the wild unknown as long as I had a chance to sleep in luxury. I want to dine with the locals but still have an option to try local delicacies in luxury. Maybe it's just me, but that's how I imagine all my trips. Honestly, Himachal has been a wish upon every star I've spotted this year, take me to the valley!
I dream of waking up in an unknown land, I dream of walking a new road, I dream of finding joy in nature, I dream of a Trail less taken....I dream! I think my friend is right, we all want to travel, fall in love and be happy. And sometimes, you can do this all at once, without even looking for another person! Travel, fall in love with a place, find yourself and your happiness in the wandering. And yes, after writing this, I'm packed and halfway out the door, and you??