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This post is different from my usual travel stories and destination guides. Today, I’m letting you peek into my thoughts — the raw, unfiltered ones.
Every journey I’ve taken so far has been unique in its own way, yet it always leaves me with the same lingering question: “Why do I travel? Why I travel is a question that resonates deeply with me.”
Why I Travel: A Personal Reflection
When I first started traveling, I had no idea what I truly loved to do in my spare time. I was at a turning point in my life — trying to figure out what aligned with me and what didn’t — all while learning to “parent” myself (and yes, I’m still doing that for my inner child). Honestly, I had no clue where to even begin.
On top of that, I carried an almost paralyzing fear of newness — meeting new people, facing new ideas, stepping into unfamiliar places. Even simple things like grocery shopping alone or walking into a gym alone felt overwhelming. And the thought of going on a solo trip? Terrifying.
It still scares me sometimes, but the fear is gentler now. My mind and I have learned an important truth: we shall survive. And more than that — we might even enjoy it.
And that’s why when I began travelling I didn’t know why I travel or why must one travel. As I navigated through these experiences, I discovered more about myself and why I travel, which has become a meaningful part of my journey.
Thanks to the women who quit their jobs to travel, post reels, and earn from it, the idea struck me: Why not travel? At first, I just wanted to see what the buzz was all about. So I took my first “solo” trip — but in a group, because – as I said earlier – I was absolutely terrified to go completely alone.
I admired those seasoned solo women travellers — their freedom, their photo captures, their meetups, their courage or indifference to “what would people think of me if I take a selfie here” – which normally sparks and intense anxiety within me.
They all looked perfect. Even when I didn’t know why I travel or must travel, I decided to go all in and travel to the extent that why not quit being a doctor. But, woooah hold down! I told my overthinking brain:
“You’re only seeing one side. Don’t jump to conclusions. Try it as an experiment. If you like it, continue. If not, drop it. Don’t go all in yet.”
After my first solo-group trip to Tirthan Valley, I realized something — I liked traveling. I still couldn’t explain exactly why, but I found myself planning more trips. And now, I think I have a clearer picture. Here are my honest reasons (no sugar-coating) for “why I travel”:
1) My friends are too busy with their lives 😬
This one is much of a reason for “why i solo travel” than “why I travel”.
I don’t have a travel group anymore. Most of my friends are now focused on their partners, kids, and family events. I don’t blame them — or myself — we’re just in different places.
As for me, I’m a free spirit who doesn’t enjoy family functions. The small talk about complexion, height, weight, marriage, kids, and the unnecessary drama?
No, thank you.
I have zero tolerance for that.
Many people get me wrong when I say I hate talking about – when will one have kids or whether or not one will have kids. They think I hate kids.
Oh no! I admire their curiosity, creativity, and the way they find joy in the smallest things. Spending time with them can be such fun and a beautiful reminder to stay spontaneous.
2) I’ve always had a penchant for escapes
Who doesn’t like a change of scene? For me, it has always been more than “just a break.”
Since childhood, I’ve looked forward to trips like they were the highlight of my year. School excursions meant adventure, laughter, and honestly – a little taste of independence. In MBBS, we had batch trips, unit trips, and those magical, plans with school friends. Most of us were unmarried then, and our lives felt more spontaneous, less tied down.
I have to make a special mention of trips with my school friends because they were simply the best. Here’s why — planning, transport, stay, and food were always handled by two specific friends. My only job? Board the car, have fun, and pay my share. No worrying, no logistics, no stress. Just pure, carefree fun. And honestly, who wouldn’t love fun without responsibility? They eased the stress of travel.
And then… it all stopped. Friends got busier, priorities shifted, and my own life was swallowed by work, responsibilities, and the invisible pressure to keep “showing up” in environments that didn’t truly align with me.
Still, the longing never left. For me, escapes aren’t about running away from life — they’re about remembering there’s more to life than the small box we’re told to stay in.
3) I’m searching for people who “align”
No, It doesn’t mean “partner” when I say “people.”
Sure, maybe 1% of that longing is about a romantic connection — I won’t deny it. But again relationships or having a partner in life is not everything.
Connection is not just about having a romantic or a platonic relationship – it’s about holding a safe space for someone else with kindness. Accept it or not humans are wired for connection! – and ya that’s why I travel.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been quietly looking for my people — the ones who just get me without endless explanations, who don’t see my quirks as something to be fixed, and who share the same kind of curiosity about life and who aren’t the heavy weights pulling me down. Traveling, strangely enough, has been one of the best ways to find them.
It’s not that every trip leads to a lifelong friendship — far from it. But sometimes you meet someone at a bus stop, in a homestay kitchen, or during a sunrise trek, and in a single conversation, you feel an unspoken connection. You may never meet again, but in that moment, you’re on the same wavelength and many a times learn from them.
And here’s the other part: sometimes travel isn’t about finding other people at all. It’s about finding yourself — stripped away from the noise, roles, and expectations. You meet a version of you that feels more authentic, and you realise… she’s been here all along, waiting for you to notice.
4) I don’t have kids or a partner
For some, this might sound like a gap. For me, it’s a gift — the gift of time, space, and mental bandwidth. It’s given me room to sit with life’s bigger questions instead of rushing through them.
I’ve always believed marriage and children should be deeply intentional choices, not a “next step” you take because everyone else is doing it, or because you fear loneliness. I’ve seen enough to know that kids or marriage aren’t guaranteed antidotes to boredom or isolation — they can bring joy, yes, but they can also magnify emptiness if entered into for the wrong reasons.
People often ask, “But won’t you be bored alone? Who will take care of you when you’re old?” I smile because I’ve seen the reverse too — people surrounded by family yet feeling utterly alone. For me, my time now is about nurturing my inner world, so that no matter my circumstances later, I’ll have a self I’m comfortable living with.
5) I have an inner calling for the mountains
There’s something about mountains — their stillness, their grandeur — that speaks directly to my soul. Sometimes the ocean does too, but the mountains… they undo me in the best way. I’ve stood before them with tears in my eyes, feeling the kind of joy that has no words.
In their presence, I feel close to God — not the version boxed in by rituals, but a vast, limitless power that humbles every human concern. Mountains remind me that our daily problems, which we treat like towering walls, are really just specks in the cosmic landscape.
Someday, we’ll return to that same creation — dust merging with dust, energy blending into energy. And when I think of it that way, I can’t help but ask — why all the fuss?
6) I celebrate only a few festivals
Being a Hindu I must say we celebrate a lot of festivals in India. Some people find joy in celebrating every festival with grand gestures. For me, only a few hold deep personal meaning — Krishna Janmashtami, Deepavali, and Ganesh Chaturthi. And even then, my celebration isn’t bound to a location or a particular ritual.
I’ve never felt guilty about being away from home during festivals. To me, God is everywhere — in the laughter of strangers, in the whispers of a mountain breeze, melody of a running river or in the salt-laden wind of the sea.
I do have a history of travelling during festivals. My Gokarna trip during Ganesh Chaturthi and my Ooty trip during Diwali weren’t about skipping devotion; they were about experiencing it in a different form — out in the open, beyond walls.
7) A part of me is a hippie
Yeah you heard me right! A doc and a hippie in a body? Possible may be!
There’s a side of me that dreams of throwing away all material attachments, packing a single bag, and disappearing into the mountains for good. The pull towards a minimalist, free-spirited life is strong.
But then reality taps me on the shoulder — along with the quiet knowledge that my work as a doctor is part of my dharma, my karmic path. The frustrating part? In most medical setups, 95% of my energy is spent navigating toxic systems, and only 5% goes into the pure act of healing, which is what drew me here in the first place.
On days when I’m disillusioned, I remind myself of the Gita’s words:
Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhur Ma Te Sangostvakarmani
You have the right to perform your duty, but not to be attached to its fruits.
Travel, in its own way, keeps me balanced — a reminder that while I’m bound to certain responsibilities, my spirit is still free. While work, money and food feeds the responsible, stable side of me, travel feeds the hippie in me!
8) Honestly… I’m bored!
Routines, responsibilities, and the endless complexity of “adulting” can feel like living on autopilot. Wake up, work, manage life, sleep, repeat — until you forget that you were ever meant to feel joy in the first place.
Travel is my giant reset button. It shakes the dust off my mind, clears my senses, and gives me a chance to breathe without a to-do list hovering over me. A few days away — even in a small, unfamiliar town — can refill me with enough lightness to carry me through the heaviness of regular life.
9) To find answers to life’s biggest questions
Does travel mean introspection? Yes.
For me, travel isn’t just sightseeing; it’s soul-searching. I carry with me a bag full of questions and travel helps me answer it:
- Why was I born on this earth?
- Is being a doctor my true calling?
- Should I quit?
- What does success even mean to me?
- If we are not supposed to expect the fruits of our actions, should we even chase success — even noble success?
- What is the meaning of relationships if, in the end, one of us will leave?
Some call this overthinking. I call it living consciously.
When I travel, I’m free from the static of daily life. Nature has a way of softening my mind — a mountain will never interrupt you, an ancient street will never rush you. In these spaces, my thoughts untangle, and sometimes, quietly, I stumble upon the answers I’ve been chasing. They may not always be final, but they are enough to keep me walking my path with a little more clarity.
My trip to Mussoorie was one such introspective one.
10) To face my fears – 2 fearless people I know of!
Yes of course, one of them I know personally and other is a distant image.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I’m socially awkward and live with social anxiety — in fact, with all kinds of anxiety. You can read about my anxiety on my trip to Tirthan Valley.
Picture someone who has spent most of her life in a quiet relationship with her books and only her books, who went into medicine, and then, at the age of 31, suddenly began exploring the world and searching for truth. That’s me.
It’s a very different journey from someone who is naturally creative, socially active, and surrounded by friends and experiences long before their 30s — someone who has already “been there, done that,” like Elizabeth Gilbert or a friend of mine who’s smart, street-smart in fact, confident, free, and emotionally detached. Those people have years of practice navigating life’s twists, both the beautiful and the brutal.
For me, it’s more like dropping a harmless, skilled alien onto Earth and asking her to navigate the full spectrum of human behaviour and life’s unpredictable happenings. All those experiences were always there — it’s just that the “alien” (me) hadn’t stepped into them yet.
Travel has helped me simply be and understand myself in relation to the world — how I react, how I cope, and how I grow. It’s a wild crash course in learning who we are when we step outside our comfort zones.
I may have started for reasons I now admit were shallow, but the reason I stay is far deeper. On the road, all my traits — the ones I’m proud of and the ones I struggle with — rise to the surface. I see myself more clearly. And while the process can be exhausting and even tedious at times, it’s also the most honest and transformative journey I know
Travel, for me, isn’t just about destinations. It’s about freedom, self-discovery, and staying aligned with who I truly am — even when the world tries to push me into its mould.
Additional reading
Here’s how Nat Geo considers travel as an essential human activity!
Here’s how Nat Geo considers travel as an essential human activity!
Let me know in the comments below 👇 – why you would wish to travel! 🧳 And do subscribe 📩 for more content on soul searching 🔍 and travel 🧭
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