In my 27 years of life on earth, I am yet to meet a person who doesn't get excited by the prospects of travelling. While the style of travel varies from person to person, travelling at its very core offers people the same thing – an escape from the ordinary and as my father says, "something exciting to look forward to". Some people get away every once in a while whenever they can and then there are others who just can't get enough. We often wonder, how do these people manage to travel so much?
In my last two years of travelling, I met and talked to several adventurers from around the world. All of them had such beautiful stories to share and I got to learn so much from them. We see people travelling to amazing places and envy them, but we fail to acknowledge the brilliant choices they would have made to reach where they are today.
Here is a list of 15 such travellers who have successfully made a life of travel:
1. Rohith Subramanian | 23 | Chennai, India
Just back from a six-month biking trip across 23 countries in Europe.
Rohith, an MBA graduate, travelled on his own for the first time when he was 13 years old. He took a bus journey from Chennai to Trichy and then to Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu during his school holidays. On this trip, he met several interesting people and realised how much he likes travelling. When he turned 18, he went on a motorbiking trip across Ladakh. He fell in love with motorcycling, the terrains and life changed for him. Rohith has been on the road for the past two years and has travelled across 35 countries.
His travels are sponsorship by brands he collaborates with. For him travelling is a way of life – he believes people learn a lot when they travel and also considers unlearning the most important aspect of travelling. You can read more about his journey here.
Travel advice: "Travel for yourself, Instagram can wait, so can Facebook. People need not know you are travelling. Find your way of travel, as what might suit others may not suit you. And finally, don't trash your travels, be a responsible traveller."
You can follow him on Instagram.
2. Candida Louis | 27 | Hubballi, India
Her love for motorbikes has taken her to 13 countries across five continents.
"Wanderlust spirit and a craving for adventure is something I was born with, and my parents have helped to fuel my passion," Candida says. After graduating from Oxford College, Candida has been riding for the past 11 years, in which she has ridden in 13 countries across five continents. Along with a full-time job, she worked as a part-time online blogger on the weekends, at times for six months straight so she could afford to travel for the rest of the year. In 2015, she rode for seven months, through 24 states of India and over 34,000km. Talking about her favourite travel memory she said, "My ride to Cambodia recently, where four riders from different parts of the world met for the first time and helped deliver laptops to a small school in the Cardamom Jungle of Cambodia. Travel has taught me to navigate, to embrace every situation and handle any obstacle that comes my way."
Travel advice: "Dream big, work hard, stay humble and believe that you can achieve everything. The world is yours to explore."
Follow her adventures on Instagram.
3. Frederik Weidner | 25 | Kiel, Germany
Changes his country every year, is sometimes a teacher, other times a student.
Frederik grew up and was living in Germany when he thought 19 years in one country was enough time and decided to leave. Since then, he has changed countries every year. "You very quickly realise that staying in your home country restricts you and that so many opportunities exist abroad. After finishing high school, I went for a year to Australia, for work and travel. Shearing sheep, picking fruits, drinking too much goon, having endless road trips through deserts, I did all the standard young backpacker stuff."
Since then he has travelled to more than 30 countries.
Travel advice: "Go on and do it. Don’t be afraid of the unknown. I felt so helpless and overwhelmed by the task of taking care of myself the first few weeks in Australia. But now I just can’t wait to explore new countries and challenge myself again! So go, buy that plane ticket and don’t give up when in the first few weeks it all doesn’t work out as planned. Don’t worry too much about your future or finding a career, it will all come. You have time! Why sit in an office when you are 25 when you can do the same thing when you’re 35. Enjoy your time now and make the most of it."
Find him on Facebook.
4. Ratnadeep Deshmane | 28 | Sangli, India
Lives the uber-cool life of a digital nomad who travels and works on the go.
Ratnadeep Deshmane is a software engineer who has been working remotely and travelling for the past two years. "I always had this dream of staying in different cities, so I took a remote job to start my nomadic journey." Since then he has been to 21 cities across four countries where he spent one week to a maximum of two months in a place. "Being a digital nomad, I am working while I am travelling, so it keeps the income stable. Secondly, I try to keep costs down while travelling and opt for cheaper mode of transport and Airbnb wherever possible."
Travel advice: "Being a traveller is easier than one might think. Travel doesn’t have to be costly. When there is a will, there’s a way – find your way and start it."
Find out more about his journey here.
5. Mukul Bhatia | 28 | Faridabad, India
Been to 38 countries, shaping his current project in sync with travel.
Mukul is a journalism graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia university. After graduating in 2012, he travelled through Kashmir and also spent time at a war orphanage there. It was an experience that completely changed his worldview. Since then he has travelled to 38 countries.
The best aspect of his job as a documentary photographer is that it gives him an opportunity to work and live with real people and understand real problems that the world is facing. In 2015, he founded the company Nomadic Origins.
Travel advice: "Leave right now. Travel will activate your mind and change you in extraordinary ways. While you are travelling, make the right decisions and leave minimum carbon footprint. Be a responsible traveller and kindly do not trash."
You can follow him on Instagram.
6. Zachary Biehler | 33 | California, USA
Forgot to keep count after travelling across about 40 countries.
Zachary is a historian who has been working in foreign lands, primarily as a teacher for the past three years, as the means to fund his adventures. He first went travelling when he was 18, buying a one-way ticket to Istanbul after reading a book about the fabled city and was overwhelmed by the entire experience. "My favourite travel memory would probably be getting raging drunk with the crew of a Greek ship in the Adriatic when I was 18. It was my first experience with gregarious strangers while travelling, and after a night of drinking, dancing and singing with these burly sailors, I was entranced by the possibilities of travel. I think the one thing you can say about travel in terms of its effect upon you is that it exposes you to the outside world, and makes you less prone to falling for the propaganda and prejudice of your native land."
Travel advice: "I suppose the best advice I could give would be to avoid travelling with people from either your country or from your cultural group. In my experience, it will inherently limit you in your ability to detach properly from your native culture. Granted, many people are afraid to travel alone, which is fine, just try to find a travel buddy that doesn't come from the same part of the world as you."
You can follow him on Instagram.
7. Yogesh Kumar | 27 | Manali, India
Cycled solo from Kanyakumari to Leh.
Yogesh is a hotel management graduate from IHM, Pusa. In March 2013, after his graduation, he took up a Basic Mountaineering Course during which he found his love for exploring new places and meeting new people. In 2014, he went on a solo cycling trip from Kanyakumari to Leh. Since then he has travelled to every state in India and on many occasions, either for work or races and is an athlete now.
Travel advice: "Just go. Don't over think. Everything will work out eventually when you step out to do it."
You can follow him on Instagram.
8. Chandni Aggarwal | 27 | Kurukshetra, India
Believes that villages offer the most unadulterated peep into local life, whether it is in Ireland or India.
Chandani took up Semester at Sea (SAS) Summer voyage in 2014 – a journey that completely transformed her perspective on travel and life as such. On the journey, they studied on a ship that sailed from England to Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Poland and back to England for six months. She fell in love with the countryside of Ireland and realised that staying with local families, eating homemade food, celebrating their festivals, volunteering at the farms, and learning their cooking methods are some of the heartfelt and intangible souvenirs that one can take home from their travels. This journey inspired her to start her own travel company Transforming Travels that focuses on providing authentic cultural experiences in the villages of India.
Travel advice: "To begin with, I would advise that you start travelling in groups, family or with a friend. Every trip will increase your confidence and make you a little stronger. After a while, you won’t be scared to deal with unexpected situations and to travel alone. Do a little research on the culture and safety norms of a place before going. Ask your friends to connect you with someone in the city you are planning to visit. Have faith in yourself and humanity, and things will go well. If people discourage you, don't be afraid to tell them that if anything bad has to happen, it can even happen at home."
Follow her journey on Instagram.
7. Ryan Pavia | 24 | Zabbar, Malta
Fell in love with Southeast Asia, one year in and is still wandering there
In 2015, Ryan, a mathematics and computing graduate travelled for three months around southeast Asia with his friend. On the trip, he also travelled on his own for the first time. It gave him a new perspective of travelling that he never had before and got him hooked. In January 2016, he quit his job and booked a one-way ticket and is still there wandering in Asia. When asked how he funds his travels, he said, "I worked my ass off before leaving home to save as much money as possible, which to be honest wasn't much. I started looking into ways to decrease my spending like hitchhiking instead of taking buses and Couchsurfing instead of sleeping in a hostel, which turned out to give a whole new dimension to my travels. Every now and then during my travels, I stop in a place for a while to look for work, sometimes paid, other times working a few hours per day for food and accommodation. As of last summer, I started working remotely with a creative agency, I work a few hours per week and budget my expense accordingly." His favourite travel memories are the ones he shared with other people – be it a meal, a beer, an adventure, a wild night, a sunset, a sunrise, a story, a ride or a laugh.
Travel advice: "Don't over think it, simply go for it. Run the full gamut of experience, do, eat, drink, learn, explore, live and always smile - you only have one life, make the most of it!"
You can follow him on Instagram.
10. Nancy Agarwal | 30 | Delhi, India
Kicked cancer's ass, now making every day the best
How often do we postpone something we really want to do, thinking of a better time in the future to do it? Nancy, a lawyer from Delhi was diagnosed with cancer in her leg in the year 2013. After a long treatment when she was cured fully, she made a promise to herself that she will live life to the fullest and collect memories, so she can die with no regrets. She took her first solo trip in 2015 to Narkanda, Hatu Peak. It was a trip that changed her completely. She said, "It was Buddha Purnima when I was returning from my first solo trip. It was a full moon night and I felt like I could stare at the moon continuously in all its glory. I was admiring it wishing it should never disappear. Moon was glowing alone, aloof, unaware of the fact that people are staring at it. It did not need anyone else. It was complete on its own, within itself, complete in its own brightness, in its own shine. And I compared my life with that of the moon." She has been travelling since then and taking about 16 to 17 trips every year to different places. You can read more about the journey on her blog.
Travel advice: "I would say keep travelling".
Follow her travels on Instagram.
11. Pawan Kumar | 27 | Jaipur, India
Says he is naive and is making choices others seldom dare to.
Pawan grew up in a middle-class family with tough rules and zero support for his dreams. He dropped out of engineering college when he realised it would not make him happy. He is currently working as a digital marketer and has travelled widely across India covering 24 states and four union territories. He rode across India for 50 days by himself and after he was back he set out again for two months in a tempo traveller to promote Digital India and Skill India programs. He conducted hundreds of free workshops in colleges and schools so students could learn how to earn a legit income using the internet.
Travel advice: "I have seen travel becoming a glamour tool. In my opinion, it's the worst thing you could ever do to yourself and those priceless travel moments. Please take it as a precious and personal thing. Share it with your friends like a friend, not like a superior."
Find him on Facebook.
12. Corina Grill | 23 | Vienna, Austria
Been to nine countries in the last one year, saving up some money now to leave again.
Corina grew up in a little village near Vienna in Austria. She was studying law for 2.5 years before she went for a five-week volunteering trip across South Africa. She spent the last two weeks on that trip travelling on her own and that was when she discovered her love for travelling solo. She was fascinated by how easy it was to travel around a country that her friends, family and even the internet deemed as unsafe and dangerous. Since then she has been around nine countries and is currently working in Switzerland to save up for the next trip. You can read more about her biking trip across India here.
Travel advice: "Stop hesitating and thinking about why now is not a good time to do what you feel like. Just do it, don't plan too much and rather enjoy it more!"
Follow her adventures on Instagram.
13. Yash Rane | 29 | Mumbai, India
Started out as a chef, and is now weaving stories and travelling the world.
Yash Rane, a hotel management graduate started off as a chef, but later as a result of his passion for travel and photography turned into a freelance content creator. He was earlier working on a cruise ship and has been around America, Jamaica, Curacao, Aruba, Mexico, Singapore, Bahamas, Turks and Cacaos Island, Honduras, Costa Rica and to the Caribbean part of Panama. "Now since I'm working as a freelancer, I make sure I keep saving money so I can travel to at least one new place every month. I also get to work with many kinds of brands and my projects generally lead me to a variety of new places. Because of social media, I also manage to find kind people all over the country who host me while I am travelling, helping me save on accommodation expenses."
Travel advice: "Experience as much as you want and how much ever you can while you are here on this planet. We as humans have a huge responsibility of protecting our planet and hence, we all much strive to travel more and travel responsibly. The more we understand and experience the world, the more it opens our minds, which eventually leads to peace."
You can follow him on Instagram.
14. Annabell Schniering | 19 | Düsseldorf, Germany
Found out that growing up is boring and is making a life of travel to keep having fun.
Annabel grew up in a small village in the south of Germany and growing up was like an adventure for her every single day. She spent time playing in parks, woods, and the creek next to her house. As time passed, the adventures died down and she got really bored. That is when she knew she had to go travelling, and so after she finished her school, she just left. Since then she has visited Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, South Africa, Lesotho, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. "I saved all my money and did a lot of shift work before I left. I was very frugal while I was travelling like the whole route from Nicaragua through Honduras, El Salvador to Guatemala and back as well as every journey in Europe I had hitchhiked to save money. I also worked one month on a farm in South Africa (WOOFing)."
Travel advice: "Even if you have the smallest opportunity to go on an adventure, go! It gives you so much more than you can imagine or anyone could tell you. I want to tell people to travel on their own or at least plan to do some part by themselves as it is totally different from travelling with someone else. Also, you always find someone who wants to do the same thing as you, so you basically never travel alone, it's just that you travel with new friends on every journey which is precious for your personality and your feeling of freedom."
Follow her adventures on Instagram.
15. Luke Leigh Iles | 28 | Bristol, United Kingdom
Been to 27 countries, worked and travelled around Australia in 2017 and moving to New Zealand in 2018.
Luke was 20-years-old when he decided to explore the world. Since then he has travelled to 27 countries spanning five continents. He has been away from home for a year already in which he travelled for a month in India, then two weeks in Indonesia and is currently working and travelling around Australia. He is moving to New Zealand in January and wants to live there for at least a year or maybe even settle down there.
Travel advice: "I would just advise people to go for it and never let anything hold you back. I think a lot of people put off travel if they can’t find a travel partner to go with them. It is such a liberating experience to travel on your own and even if you are shy or anxious you always meet people. I have been away for a year now and that was my biggest fear but out of that whole year, there have probably been just 2 days where I didn’t meet people!"
You can read more travel stories on his blog.
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