Hi, Evie here!
If you’ve noticed I’ve been a little quieter than usual at Principal recently, there’s a good reason for it – promise! I’ve spent the last few weeks travelling around India, learning about a completely different culture and having an experience that was unlike anything I’d done before.
From 15th to 30th June, I took part in Manav Rachna University’s Peace, Wellbeing and Sustainability immersion programme as part of my studies at Nottingham Trent University. After the programme finished, I wasn’t quite ready to come home, so I continued travelling through Gujarat and Goa.
It was an amazing few weeks, although India was definitely different to anywhere I’d travelled before.
I like travelling, which is probably not particularly surprising for someone who works in travel. I love seeing new places, meeting new people and experiencing things I haven’t experienced before.
But India was different.
From the moment I arrived, there was so much that felt unfamiliar. The sounds, the pace, the food, the roads, the heat, the traditions and just the way everyday life unfolded around me.
I quickly realised there is a difference between liking the idea of new experiences and actually being completely immersed in one.
During the university programme, I was introduced to traditions, beliefs and ways of thinking that were completely new to me. I took part in Hawan, visited places of worship across different religions, attended sessions on sustainability and wellbeing and spent time learning about Indian culture from the people actually living it.
There were plenty of moments when I didn’t know what to expect. Sometimes I wasn’t completely sure what was happening, and sometimes the only thing I could really do was watch, listen and ask questions.
And I think that’s where I learnt the most.
Not knowing isn’t always a bad thing
At home, we’re used to knowing how things work. We understand the social rules, we know how to get around, we know what to order and, most of the time, we have a fairly good idea of what is expected of us.
There’s a comfort in that.
Travelling somewhere completely different removes some of that certainty and suddenly you have to pay more attention to what’s going on around you. You observe people, ask more questions and become much more willing to admit when you don’t know something.
Before travelling to India, I think I sometimes associated confidence with knowing what you’re doing. Now, I’m not sure that’s always true.
Sometimes confidence is being able to admit that you have absolutely no idea what’s happening, but being willing to find out.
Then I travelled without the university…
After the immersion programme finished, I continued travelling through Gujarat and Goa.
This felt like another step into the unfamiliar because suddenly there was no university itinerary or organised programme. I had to navigate new places, make my own decisions and work things out as I went.
And then there was Goa.
Goa was wet.
Very wet.
I’d seen the photographs of beautiful beaches, blue skies and palm trees and, to be fair, the palm trees were definitely there. The blue skies, however, were slightly harder to find.
It was monsoon season, which meant a lot of rain, grey skies and the occasional moment of wondering whether any of my clothes would ever be dry again.
But it was still brilliant.
Actually, some of my favourite memories from India came from the parts of the trip that weren’t perfectly planned or picture-perfect. I think once you stop expecting somewhere to match the version you had imagined, you start experiencing the place you’re actually in.
Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable
Travel is often presented as effortless. We see beautiful destinations, incredible food and perfect sunsets, and sometimes travelling really is all of those things.
But it can also be confusing, tiring, overwhelming and completely different from what you expected.
India taught me that unfamiliar doesn’t automatically mean bad and different doesn’t mean wrong. It also taught me that not knowing exactly what happens next doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of dealing with it.
I came home more curious than I was before I left, more willing to ask questions and perhaps a little more comfortable with not having all the answers.
Working at Principal, I spend a lot of time thinking about destinations, flights and the practical side of getting people around the world. But this trip reminded me why people travel in the first place.
We leave somewhere familiar, experience something different and, if we’re lucky, come home seeing things slightly differently too.
