My Journey with Art – One Who Travels For The Love Of It

Art and My Journey

For the last 6 months, I have been doing this #travelandart series and it is being loved by all. I explore places for their street art. I ensure that I go looking for local paintings, murals and street art wherever I visit. These paintings say a lot about the place and its people.

Also, a lot can be said and changed with the help of art.

Whichever place I visit, I go around to look for murals and paintings. I believe that art has the power to change society. Social messages can be strongly conveyed through the artistic palette.

How Did I End Up Wearing A Burkha?

Since I am a traveller at heart, I decided to visit Riyadh, because I wanted to see and experience the life there for many reasons.

A number of people told me not to go because I would have to wear burka and hijaab but this did not stop me from going to Saudi.

Saudi trip was my personal trip since my husband was handling a project there.

Of course, I had to wear a burka (without the hijaab) and it felt quite uncomfortable initially. But I believe in respecting the religious sentiments of any place and thus have no comments about it.

When I was there, the few things that I observed about Riyadh:

• Amazing fashion stores
• Shopping malls
• I visited the top of 100-storey building
• Lots of great places to eat
• In restaurants, bachelor n family areas are different.
• Religious police can be seen on the streets
• The city almost comes to a halt during prayer time – 5 times a day

Hence, Saudi Arabia is not only about the deserts and the richness in oils and the Burkhas.

My Personal Travel Tip For all Travelers

Always read about a place before heading there. It prepares you mentally. I personally ensure that I read blogs and articles about a place. Many times, first-hand accounts and personal tips come in very handy.

A Bonus Tip for Women Solo Travelers

I did my solo trip only last year and one thing that I realized was that you need to tell yourself that you will manage it. Just feel confident. Once you zero on the place, check for it general timings to roam around, places which are safe to go and plan accordingly.

Why I Love Travelling

I love traveling because it fills me with joy and gives me a kick. The whole idea of discovering a new place makes me happy like a kid. I wasn’t a born traveler nor I have ever had a bucket list.I just got lucky with traveling and since then there has been no looking back.

I have gradually developed a liking for it because it has helped me evolve. It is only when I stepped out from my comfort zone and saw different things in different parts of the world, I realized that the world is a beautiful place to live in.

Moreover, travel makes you meet new people and win over narcissism and vanity. In fact, it helped me to realize what I really-really love doing in my life.

The Truth

In the last two years, I have been travelling almost every month or alternately. No doubt, I love exploring places. My job looks glamorous too. My friends often get awed at my life but I must confess, it isn’t easy to go for trips every month, balance freelance assignments, take care of the home and blog about places that I visit. For me, travels are not holidays.

Sometimes, I have to miss my family events. I don’t have Sundays and Saturdays because I have to work every day. People often don’t realize the seriousness of freelance work or travelling for work. The general notion is that if you are not doing an 8 to 5 job, it means you are not doing serious work.

Difficulties You Too Can Face

1. You must be prepared to cut down your expenses the day you decide to travel. Though I get offers to travel, yet it doesn’t pay bills. So one cannot just travel and have no fallback plan.

2. Money is not the only issue. I must clarify that travel writing is not at all rosy. You will travel a lot but you will miss your home at the end of long travels.

3. I wouldn’t deny the low moments that often haunt me because I do not earn as much as I used to. It is tough to convince people that why I need to carry my laptop for my travels.

4. It is hard to explain why I blog. The more curious ones also want to know how much I earn. A few are still waiting to see me return to my regular job.

Everyone Will Ask For a ‘Plan B’

Before you quit your job to travel, you must plan. The salary cut down isn’t easy to handle so everyone must be prepared for it. You will not regret only when you know the consequences. So I wouldn’t say don’t follow your passion but be ready to work really hard.

Always remember, you can’t do a travel until you earn well to spend much. Though I know I am not going back to my regular job, it needs a lot of courage to hold on to the thought that travelling for passion will become lucrative someday.

But, Before You Quit…

Don’t jump into the decision of quitting your job by getting influenced by others. And if you really want to do it, start working towards it. Take a year to prepare and cut down your expenses. Do your travels on weekends and see what you enjoy and what you don’t.

Start doing some freelancing work or diverting your time towards your passion. You must make some money before you say goodbyes to your monthly pay cheques. If you really feel that your priority is to travel and you have achieved a balance in life, then just go ahead.

More About Me

I quit my high salaried job as a telecom engineer primarily because of many reasons.

My job had become monotonous.I always wanted to be my own boss and break the shackles of 9 to 7 job. I had been blogging for seven years and my inclination towards writing had grown exponentially. Lastly, I was getting amazing opportunities to travel and write.

The thought of quitting my job got more power when I won three international trips through blogging contests and travelled with Malaysia Tourism, Oman Tourism, and Skyscanner. Managing leaves from my regular job were difficult but my first familiarisation trip brought a lot of change in me.

My personal trips have also been extremely amazing. The whole concept of travelling holds differently for me. My long travels in Riyadh and Johannesburg have made me pick amazing experiences.

My experience so far

I enjoy blogging and it has been a fantastic journey. Also, I have been blogging for 9 years in total and professionally for last 2 years. I owe a lot to my blog and my passion for blogging. It has not only given me some of the best and dreamy experiences, it has made me a better person. I have become more informed, more learned, more adjustable and more tolerant.

Travel blogging gave me new eyes and it has made me see the world in different light. I began to appreciate things in a better way. Blogging is a self-evolving activity. With every blog, one tends to improve. One wants to gather the best information and provide the best to their readers.

I think I have the most creatively satisfying and kicking job as a blogger. With all that surge in social media and blogging, I still feel I love blogging more.

My journey of travel blogging has been about Introspection and Evolution.

You can read her accounts here on Pendown and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.