Travel is to go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip; journey: to travel for pleasure. to move or go from one place or point to another.

Travel dates back to antiquity where wealthy Greeks and Romans would travel for leisure to their summer homes and villas in cities such as Pompeii and Baiae.

Traveling is an essential part of life that can help build experiences and broaden perspectives. It allows us to explore different cultures, meet new people, and gain a better understanding of the world around us. Traveling can also provide us with opportunities to learn more about ourselves and our place in the world.

Travel takes us out of our comfort zones and inspires us to see, taste and try new things. It constantly challenges us, not only to adapt to and explore new surroundings, but also to engage with different people, to embrace adventures as they come and to share new and meaningful experiences with friends and loved ones.

Here you can read KHYRUNNISA’S CHUCKLE MERRY SPIN 

 But perhaps the most beautiful aspect of travel is the way it broadens our horizons and opens our minds to new possibilities. Through travel, we gain a deeper appreciation for the diversity of our world and the interconnectedness of its inhabitants.

 That’s the truth about Travel. In this regard, I came across two incidences of travel from different mediums in and about India.

You all would have noticed that PURI JAGANNATH RATH YATRA was held on Sunday the 7th of July.

One unique feature of this year’s Rath yatra is that it is being held for two days after 53 years.

This year’s great Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was held in PURI over two days on July 7 and 8, 2024. This year, after 53 years, the Rath Yatra, Netra Utsav, and Nabajaubana Darshan all coincided on July 7th, the same day as a celestial event. The deities were brought to the Shree Gundicha temple on July 8.

The Puri Rath Yatra is India’s oldest and largest annual celebration. The Skanda, Brahma, and Padma Puranas reference it. This Puri Rath Yatra symbolizes the fraternity of the people who meet here from diverse socioeconomic systems and countries, in addition to the religious aspect.

Lord Krishna travels on a Chariot with his siblings – the elder one Balarama and the younger one –Subhadra

Centuries of history and culture have been invested in the Rath Yatra. Hindu legend states that every year during Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu, pays a visit to his aunt’s shrine in the Gundicha temple. 

Rich in history and mythology, the magnificent parade represents the holy creatures’ journey to their natal home in a chariot.

Traveling Chariots were used for long journeys across England and on the Grand Tour of Europe. When on long journeys they were postilion driven with horses and 'post boys' that were hired at inns along the way. This example has an interesting feature in what is known as a dormeuse boot.

That was about an interesting trip in a chariot.

Now let‘s look into the concept of Travelling by foot. Travel on foot – It's the ultimate slow travel, taking your time to get from one place to the next, as close to the ground and to people as you possibly can.

Relating to this, I read a book review in the Indian Express Newspaper by Sheila Kumar of the book: THE LONG STRIDER IN JEHANGIR’S HINDUSTAN by DOM MORAES and SARAYU SRIVATSA. Here is the book buy link.

This dual travelogue tells the extraordinary story of a maverick’s 5000-mile journey on foot from England to India, across the forbidding Arabian desert and the treacherous Hindukush mountains, and then his wanderings in Mughal India.

The book carries an account of the adventures of a man named Thomas Coryate of Odcombe village in Somerset, an enthusiastic trekker known in those parts as the ‘long strider’. Coryate took a long walk from England to Jehangir’s court in India, in the early 1600s. Some 385 years later, Moraes was motivated enough to track Coryate’s 5,000-mile journey and write about it with his co-author and companion, architect and writer Sarayu Srivatsa writes Sheila kumar in her review.

This proves that how informative this book is and how the travel undertaken by Coryate motivated someone 385 years later!

That’s amazing.

A true traveller develops a deep sense of fellow feeling. He learns to overcome hardships. Sometimes they become the joy or pride of others who do not ever like to step out of the house. Travelling gives them strength, both physical and moral, and makes them resourceful and adventurous.

 Choose travel over other things and be let your creativity bloom. Travel immerses us in a world of new sights, sounds, tastes, and textures. This sensory overload can be a catalyst for creativity. In unfamiliar environments, our brains process a barrage of new information, making connections between novel stimuli.