How Has Travel In India Changed Post Independence?

We all are aware of the massive changes travel has witnessed over the years. Just the thought of travel ‘then and now’ gives me goose bumps sometimes. Call it the small town mindset, but if I recall my early school days, I wasn’t even allowed to travel alone within the city. Travelling to relatives’ place outside my hometown Kanpur for weddings, functions, or even checking up on colleges I would want to get enrolled with once I pass out of school would mean my father or my brother escorting me. So, two return train/air tickets instead of one, just so I am safe.

 

And here I am, a decade later, staying away from family, working as a travel writer, exploring places, writing about them, travelling alone, going on road trips and adventure sport holidays with my girl gang, sometimes to offbeat places, and more often than not without any agenda in mind. I think I have found my true sense of freedom or should I say independence with the way travel has taken a 360 degree turn for me. So, I thought this Independence Day, it would be a good idea to speak to people from 3 different generations on how travel has changed for them.

1. Family Travel v/s Solo Travel

“Five decades back, travelling only meant travelling with family. I remember all the train rides (mostly to my nani’s place) where my complete family would travel like we were going for a wedding,” shares 82-year-old Ram Rakhi Virmani who stays in Jalandhar. Well, Mrs. Ram Rakhi happens to be my dear nani and I can’t agree more with her. Planning months in advance, packing tons of clothes, food, bottles filled with rasna, carrying radio players, first-aid, playing cards, Chacha Chaudhary comics and what not…phew!

When I told her that we promote packages for solo female travellers and women-only holidays, she was not just shocked but a tad worried. Who would have thought that solo travelling will emerge as a trend in India? And how!

2. Travel Attire v/s Comfort Wear

Might sound like an irrelevant thing today, but come to think of it and you’ll realize how our travel wardrobes have transformed over the years. “Oh, in my childhood days, I had a travel uniform of sorts. Light blue jeans, white t-shirt and the good old sports shoes,” laughs 52-year-old Rajeev Kumar Tewari, adding, “My mother would iron my t-shirt for what if we run into buaji at the station. Woh kya sochengi would be her major concern! But now, with my kids studying abroad and travel being a regular feature, I think being comfortable while travelling is the only thing I care about. A pair of shorts, tee and sun-glasses is pretty much it!”

3. Train Travel v/s Road Trips

Do you know what’s going to happen in your life a week after? You might, but I don’t even know about today evening. Life’s uncertain, managers are moody, and weddings of friends are so darn unpredictable. Then how do you plan your travel months in advance? Tatkal ticket is one good option, but do you really want to go through the hassle of IRCTC reservations? How about road trips? They have certainly caught on, especially for the new generation traveller.

 

Dependency on train and air tickets is something travellers despise today. “It’s more like I wake up on a Saturday morning, think about a place to escape over the weekend, get my travel playlist ready, hop on to my car, pick up my friends on the way and go the less trodden path,” quips 29-year-old Bhavya Bagai. “What’s with the long planning sessions, itinerary, routes? A smartphone with a 3G connection and GPS is all I want along the way!” he says.

Travel is constantly transforming. I can go on and on about it. But irrespective of the changes, if you’re smitten by the travel bug, you own your freedom. Its liberating. Experience it.

How has travel changed for you over the years? And how has it changed you as a person? I'll look forward to hearing from you!

Jai Hind.