Travel blogger with passion for innovation: Anuradha Goyal

Travel blogger, Anuradha Goyal took her first solo-trip when she was just seven. Even though it was a journey between two cities, that is her first memory of travelling alone. All these years later, she continues to do this and shares her experience with the world on her blog, Indi Tales. Anuradha has traveled extensively in India and abroad and written about her travels in various publications.

In an interview with Shubhangini Arora for SheThePeople.TV, Anuradha shares her experience as a solo-woman traveler in India and the impact it has had on her life. Here is an excerpt from the conversation.

Despite all the safety concerns why do you think it’s important for women to travel?

It’s not just women; I think everyone should travel because it is important for all of us to learn and expand our minds and get different perspectives. Talking of safety, both men women have security issues when travelling. Having said that, women, of course have to be extra cautious.

I personally love taking long morning walks in a new place, when the city is just waking up and wouldn’t  trade it for anything else.

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You are a book reviewer and you write on various other subjects apart from travel. So how is travel writing different from everything else you write and review, according to you?

I don’t think they are different at all. My book, 'The Mouse Charmers - Digital Pioneers of India’ is about business innovation. Innovation requires us to go to places where we haven’t been before and know nothing about. And that is exactly what travelling is about too- innovation, finding new and exciting things. When you travel, you experience a new culture, different climate. Reading a book, that way, is no different either, since a book takes you to a different time and space as well.

Anuradha Goyal

Picture By: eNidhi India

There are many issues that women travelers in the country have be concerned about, safety being the most important one. How do you make sure all of these don't cause a hindrance to your travel plans?

When travelling alone, the most important thing is to stay confident. Confidence attracts or deters people. If you aren’t sure of yourself then don’t travel at all, because when you feel anxious, it shows, and that is never good. Along with this, you should also take precautions in terms of clothes etc.

For example, living in Goa, I am not usually worried when coming back home alone at a late hour but when I am in Delhi, I make sure that I don’t stay out late, unescorted.

The truth is that you will not find a single city where there haven’t been any rapes or assaults. You just have to make sure that you are cautious. You can either choose to go to certain selected places or you can go everywhere by just be a little vigilant.

What 5 things should one definitely carry when travelling?

• WATER BOTTLE: I always carry my own water. It’s important that you don’t drink from everywhere and also keep your carbon footprint in check.

• CAP: Of course, to save yourself from the sun and the heat

• CAMERA: I always carry my camera with me, mainly because I want to come write about it.

• GIFTS: This is something I always do; I carry small gifts to give away as a token of my appreciation, when I meet people from other cultures or for children.

• SHOES: You should definitely carry a comfortable pair of shoes, need I say more?

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 Please share your favourite travel story with us.

I was returning back to India after spending one week in Bhutan in a taxi. Around 10:30 AM or so at the border we were told that we could not cross the border, as there is Bandh in Bengal.

When I asked what time do we expect this crossing ban to be lifted, they said ‘Madam, not before 5 in the evening’. It is then that I started looking around the place to see what can I do for the next 6-7 hours. As I was sipping my tea, I saw the poster of Hindi movie ‘Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd’. I asked around for the theatre that was playing the movie, and figured out it was a bit on the Bhutanese side in the town, so asked the driver to take me there.

After finishing the movie when I came out, I was hungry – so looked around for food, found it, had it and by then sun started coming down and people started coming out on the streets. Sat down and chatted with a few people and obviously asked them how is their life impacted by these bands. As expected they had accepted it as a way of life, they do not plan their lives so tightly that a day or two of delay messes up everything for them. They would prefer not to have these delays, but do they complain against them – No.

This episode made me think, should I be planning schedules in my life so tightly that any one thing falling out of place can lead to chaos. I did quit formal employment about 6 months after this incident, though I think I still continue to plan and pack my days too tightly.

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