Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable.
Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey
changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your
consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Kudos
to Gita Hari, a Food/Travel/Lifestyle Writer who seems to be enriching readers and avid travelers
about her escapades for many years.
Her insatiable yen to see each spectacular vista gifted by nature,
the enormous heritage monuments and of course to relish the myriad culture’s food
and lifestyle across the globe is supremely evident with the passion she pens
down her travelogues for various travel magazines. With nearly three decades of
experience in the culinary space and a supporter of vegetarianism, she has
added a few credentials to her repertoire which includes being a curator of
sattvik recipes for Premium hotels across India and she also upholds the zero-waste-kitchen
concept. She has been conferred the Women Achievers’ Award by Young
Environmentalists Association, Powai.
Geeta Hari writes for: The Week Smart Life, The Man, HT Weekend,
the Free Press Journal, Mumbai Mirror, Architectural Digest.in, India
Perspectives (flagship mag of Ministry of External Affairs)
Over to Gita Hari sharing her
fond travel memories.
The Interview:
How
many cities and countries have you travelled so far? Do list the names out.
Well, even as a child, traveling has always enamoured me. I have
travelled across most of the cities in India. Chennai, Coimbatore, Rameshwaram,
Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu; Bangalore, Mysore, Coorg in Karnataka; Thrissur,
Palakkad, Guruvayur, Bekal, Cochin in Kerala; Vadodara, Anand, Sasan Gir in
Gujarat; countless times to Goa – almost every year we have been visiting this
beach destination.
Other places are Kolkata, Sikkim, Dharamshala, Kulu-Manali,
Ladakh, Delhi, Agra, Bhopal, Ranthambor, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Mt. Abu, Tirupati,
Shirdi, Pune, Mahabaleshwar and I can go on and on…..
International: My trip to Mauritius was courtesy a television
awards function where I was the Jury Member. I had a blast with the entire TV
fraternity in full attendance and also because the gorgeous, The Indian Resort where
we were put up extended my stay by a couple of nights more to review them for a
leading interiors magazine (Society Interiors). I did underwater walking,
cruising and other interesting activities and sight-seeing with a bunch of
actors and stalwarts from the television industry.
Thailand (Bangkok, Pattaya, Krabi, Hua Hin), NZ (both North &
South Islands), China (Shanghai), Maldives, Egypt (entire), South Africa (Cape
Town, Johannesburg, Sun City, Mabula Game Reserve), Singapore, Dubai, Abu
Dhabi, Mauritius, UK (London, Birmingham, Manchester), Europe (France, Italy,
Austria, Switzerland) are done. Australia is the next on my bucket list while I
would rate the US as the last (don’t fancy steel and glass structures).
Which
has been the most memorable travel vacation? What made it special?
Tour of the UK and Europe was planned by our sons as a gift to the
parents and also to coincide with my milestone birthday (60th) which
made it all the more memorable for me. Our eldest son accompanied us but my
younger son, also in NZ and who was to join us, couldn’t make it and we missed
him at every spectacular touristy spot.
What
are the 5 spots one must visit at your memorable travel destination?
1.
The
Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx in Egypt. Make it a point to venture inside the pyramid only if you are fit
enough else one can get breathless due to the constrained entrance way and
claustrophobic vaults. More than Giza’s humungous pyramids, the age-old
hieroglyphics in Karnak Temple in Luxor (ancient Thebes) on the banks of River
Nile are informative and The Valley of The Kings and Philae Temples in Aswan
for their ancient monuments.
2.
I was
thrilled to reach the southern tip of the continent and pose behind the signage
Cape of Good Hope in South Africa which was like bringing to life lessons in
geography you find so boring through your school days. A visit to Bo-Kaap on
the slopes of Signal Hill in Cape Town is a must not only for its vibrantly
coloured homes but also for its gripping history - after the end of apartheid,
they painted their homes in vivid colours as a celebration of their freedom.
3.
Maldives
which I have visited twice. The first time was on a FAM invite from Sheraton
Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa (a truly splendid stay here at the private
villa with direct access to the beach) and the second time I had a fun-filled
holiday with my school friend at Paradise Island Resort, Maldives. Both the
times it was exhilarating to the say the least with a variety of water sports -
para sailing, scuba diving, underwater walking, dolphin watching cruise, and
feeding the sharks. Just lazing in the plunge pool of our villa in direct
contact with the crystal clear waters of the ocean was sheer luxury and
indulgence – an ever-longing experience!
4.
The
picture-postcard township of Queenstown in New Zealand is my all-time
favourite. It is THE destination for serene nature lovers and adventure sports
enthusiasts. Though I am the former, I did indulge in my adventurous side a
bit. Here’s where bungee jumping originated and I was game for it. The other sports
I tried were skydiving, boat ride in canyons with spins thrown in for sheer
thrill, boat ride in the pitch dark glow-worm caves.
5.
In
Sikkim, the sensually winding Teesta river, monasteries, prayer flags, Seven
Sisters waterfalls and Zero Point with snow throughout the year are some of the
highlights. We descended among the clouds at the highest point in Pelling.
5 tips to travel smart and save on money
1. Travel off season to save and
see more. The airfare, rates for accommodation, sight-seeing are usually less
than peak season.
2. Plan your spending limit. Don’t
splurge precious dollars on shopping, you get everything in India. Just
experience the culture and lifestyle native to the place.
3. Don’t overload your luggage but
travel light. Take food items to avoid spending more on meals which are quite
expensive abroad.
4. Stay in hostels, Air bnb, use
bus transportation, self-cooked meals in apartments.
5. Totally refrain
from using credit cards. They tend to make you overspend but shelling out cash
will help you keep track of your expenses.
Being a travel blogger / writer / photographer / YouTuber, how do
you plan your trip?
Travel writing happened due to my self-paid jaunts to satiate my
wanderlust. I felt I must share my experiences with readers. I started
contributing for in-flight magazines like Jetwings, Go Getter, and other travel
publications. With it came recognition and invites for FAM tours started coming
in and I went to Shanghai for the launch of Dream Cruise, luxury resort reviews
to Maldives and Bangkok apart from numerous domestic travel.
Do you make money as a travel blogger? What are the other ways to
make money being a travel writer?
I don’t make money other than what the publication pays me for my
travel stories but yes, commercials are involved as a food curator for premium
hotels Pan India. It takes care of the airfare and stay (mostly in a suite) for
the entire duration of the food promotions apart from being paid a good
remuneration while I curate sattvik recipes for any restaurant of the property.
