Getting to Know Me

First Name: Jatin Chhabra
Age: 27
Current City: New Delhi, India
Personal Travel Quote: “Amazing Royal India”

Name some of the places you have travelled to?
Jaipur, Kalwar, Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty, Conoor, Hyderabad, Secundrabad, Bidar, Nanded, Mumbai, Pune, Amritsar, Taran Taran, Jammu City, Katra, Shimla, Mussoorie, Dehradun, Haridwar, Murthal, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Bharatpur, Mathura, Vrindavan and planning to visit Pushkar, Jaisalmer, Kanda and Ranchi this year.

Of all the places you have visited, which one was your favourite and why? With no doubt Kalwar. Kalwar is a small village 20 kms from Jaipur. There is a small palace which is 250 years old (Castle Kalwar). The small town is traffic free, no noise pollution and the morning is full with the sweet voices of peacock and sparrow. The thing which I love the most about Kalwar is the clear sky full in the night with hundreds of stars. I can’t experience the same in Delhi.

Was there a place that was your least favourite, most disappointing, or most challenging?
Ooty. I opted for Ooty over Wayanad in 2012. We were in Bangalore and we thought that we will go to Ooty via Mysore. Well, Ooty though being a hill station is like a metropolitan city filled with shops & hotels. We had three fights over here – 1st with the ticket cashier at the Botanical Garden, 2nd with the railway station offices at Ooty-Conoor toy train (totally his fault for selling our reserved tickets to someone else) and the rude guy selling awesome chocolates.

What was your job or source of travel funding for these trips?
I belong to a business class family and I’m pursuing my MBA from Amity University. I also worked with an online travel portal for 3 years (Sep 2010 – Sep 2013) along with my graduation (Open school). I just left my good paying job to start my own venture of Hotel Consulting & Marketing.

Did you work or volunteer while on the road?
I have volunteered at religious places such as Amritsar, Taran Taran and Haridwar.

What does your family say when you travel? Any memorable quotes?
Not any memorable quotes beside us being a very close family. 80% of my trips are with a family member.

Did any of your pre-trip worries come true? Did you run into any problems that you hadn’t anticipated?
Well, I always face some problems but never a huge one. I believe in well planned and safe journeys. So whatever may be the problem I’m ready to face it.

What travel gear was the most useful? The least useful?
Adidas shoe & jacket kit is my favorite. Always trust that. Least useful was the local gear I purchased for a trip which got cancelled due to terrorist attacks in Kashmir in 2007. The trip was for Amarnath.

What lessons did you learn on the road?
Always learn the local greeting terms. Like last month I was in Rajasthan so I googled all the local greeting terms like “Bhai Ji”- Sir, “Gadi thamna”- Thanks. Using such terms for directions are very useful.

How did your personal definition of travel develop over the course of your many adventures?
First I used to travel for luxury, but as the time passed I have become interested to know about the local life, farming practices and most important to find an ideal place to leave Delhi before 30. I want to move out from this metropolitan city in 3 years. It’s too crowded.

If there was one thing you could have told yourself before your trip, what would it be?
Don’t skip the morning exercise. I’m very health conscious and for the past 2 years I always come back with vacation weight. So, this year I have travelled to 3 destinations but took proper care of my health.

Any advice for someone hoping to embark on a similar travel adventure?
Don’t hire a cab, just bring your own bike or car out of National Highway and stop on all the interesting things on the roadside.

Where and when do you think you will take your next international journey?
International. Not now. My plan is to visit every state in India in the next decade. Though if I had the time to visit international destination? Liverpool, Moscow and Kyoto will be the featured destinations.

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Photo Credit: Jatin Chhabra and Ashwin Kumar via Creative Commons.