Travel is an amalgamation of so many aspects - geography, history, culture, cuisine, nature, flora, fauna, adventure, indulging in a new or passionate hobby with different opportunities, finding time for yourself and intangibles like discovery of the self, conquering inane inner fears, introspecting and getting rid of the monkeys on your back and perhaps also simply spacing out mixed with fun and frolic.

             

There are many other ideas which have been perplexing me.

Is travel to do with a hotel, a destination or an activity?

Been there, done it?

Is it a style statement?

"We stayed at The Oberois at Shimla. Oh, Wildflower Hall is so opulent! The only place to be staying if you are in that region."

"Bangkok and Singapore are passé. What an experience the sunset cruise on the Nile was on our visit to Egypt."

During travel how important is luxury?

Is neat, clean and hygienic good enough if you are getting to discover new vistas?

Are unexplored and uncharted paths not a good enough excuse for roughing out?

Why not a combination of luxury and comfort; of adventure by the day and of scotch and chicken tikkas in the evening?

Does travel necessarily need to transcend from a simple holiday to a huge self growth phenomenon? Does travel imperatively need to contribute to life changes, however incremental, for being meaningful?

How many of us are prepared to leave our homes and robotic selves behind as we put a lock on the front door and venture out to travel?

Does standing under a towering and majestic deodar in a verdant forest in the middle of nowhere make one feel humble? Does it hurt the ego that one is a non entity here or does it overwhelm a being with a new freshness and zest for life?

How important are the experiences of resurgent emotions and new found confidences and feelings of achievements during travel?

How does it matter that I have off-roaded, traveled over hills and vales to experience the beauty of Himalayan peaks at close quarters with the breaking dawn and the setting sun. Are Nanda Devi (the highest peak wholly in India) or Leo Pargil (the highest peak of Himachal) or Kinner Kailash (the winter abode of Lord Shiva) which mesmerized me, not just patches of snow on a mountaintop.

Is travel about self growth and becoming a better human besides education and exploration? Or is that trying to put too profound a connotation to the simple word travel which only means going from one point to another.

Isn't one forest like any other, one mountain range like any other?

Who needs to off-road over back breaking roads, why graze your knees rock-climbing or perhaps fracture your ankle during touchdown at paragliding?

Maybe just stay at a luxury resort and spend your holiday basking in the winter sun, enjoying your beer, spending some time at the health spa and generally spacing out!

Is a holidayer perceived of a different genre different from an adventure seeker?

Is a vacationer seeking something else than a nature lover?

Can a general traveler not be something of an explorer as well?

Why can't one want a bit of everything or different things at different times without feeling guilty?

Or can one be just chilled out without being too ambitious towards change?

Is travel about around the world in 80 days or being a castaway on a deserted island for a lifetime?