Travel makes me speechless, it already happened a few decades ago, why you are thinking? I don’t know if it has something to do with me being adopted, but I always felt a huge need and willingness to travel from a young age. Of course I realized at a very early age that I am adopted.
My first travel journey I have made at 18 months. My first footsteps were set on an Air India plane. At that time there was no such thing as digital tickets and boarding cards. They were just written by hand. Of course I don’t have any memories of it but my adoption parents saved the ticket.
My first trip back to India
My adoption parents have never been interested in travel. So much further then the Belgian borders I never got, besides visiting my adoption mothers family in the Netherland and that was it. I think I had to wait to go and explore a few European countries till I was the age of 14. Probably that is why travel makes me speechless.
But once I got a taste of travel, it never let me go. My interest was unveiling at a rapid pace. But still no opportunities of travelling came. So when I decided to study tourism I instantly knew I would be going to India in my 2nd year.
Arriving the first time on Indian soil
Of course the journey of travel brought me to Belgium. But it was nothing compared to going back to India. At that time there was no social media or blogs to read. Not hours of online footage to watch to get inspired. So no wonder going to India is such an incredible experience that travel makes me speechless
But more to leave me surprised. To get amazed. To explore a completely new destination yet feeling at home. I think that is what is often difficult for me. As India always feels like home, some regions even more than others. But Belgium is of course also part of my home.
The impact of travel
No doubt that travel makes me speechless but it can also have that impact on you. During the pandemic, when I was unable to travel outside of Europe, I almost felt suffocated. The idea of not being able to go back to my beloved home country was not only frustrating me.
In some way I wondered if I would lose my connection with India. So when I finally could return to India, still in a time when rules were very strict and limiting. I took the opportunity from the moment it came and went back to Kerala, my home region.
India, my home
I can’t even express in words how happy it made me to return to Kerala after such a difficult time it has been for the travel industry. But still then some difficult times had to come as well. I do feel this travel journey brought me the resilience I needed at that time. Still today travel makes me speechless
So today, when people ask me how many times a year I travel to India, I always answer not enough. I don’t know if I can put a certain number of times that would make me happy or a certain of days. Then again how could I ever get enough of going back to my home country?
India is always connecting me with my roots, pure happiness
Subhadra
Luxury Travel Ambassador @ Jasmine Travel & Events
Contact me at info@jasminetravel-events.be
Luxury Story Teller @ Jamine Travel Stories
