Archana and Vidur, on road to adventure

Archana and Vidur

Travelmynation, run by Archana and Vidur is their dream project foraying into the world of off beat travel. We are both on a career break in an attempt to journey around India covering as many sights as possible. We are nothing like each other and maybe that’s what binds us together. No decision is every made without having our little fights about it. While Archana is the spunk in our relationship, the crazy one with wild ideas, the dreamer and the naughty one, Vidur is more logical, analytical and looks at things with a realistic approach. Archana is a typical Assamese girl and Vidur, the not so typical Punjabi munda! We have our roti vs rice, chicken vs fish and aaloo jeera vs aaloo pitika days! With so many differences between us, it leaves a lot for us to learn about each other and travelling has been a great tool in facilitating the journey of our relationship!

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Archana: Meghalaya and Assam are very special to me. I was born and brought up here and memories from my childhood completely makes these places precious.

What were your reasons for starting your travel blog?

Archana: I was bitten by the travel bug at a very young age and I was desperate to take up a career in the travel industry too. Since I completed my studies in Shillong and did not have much exposure to the world outside I chose the easiest way to travel I.e by joining Indigo Airlines as a crew. Soon I got wings and I started exploring places. By 2016 I was fed up of my job and wanted to just wanted to be on the road forever but then it was not easy mainly because I was a girl and parents would just not agree to this. But destiny had something special planned for me and I met Vidur (my husband) who is equally a travel lover. It did not take me much time then to jump into a decision and open Travelmynation in 2017.

Archana

Do you have a bucket list? If so what is on it?

Archana: Currently in my bucket list is the entire globe. But the first place I would like to strike out is Jawai-Rajasthan know for being infested with Leopards.

How do you fund your travel?

Archana: I was working a reqular 9-5 job for an international marketing agency until I decided to give it a quit 2 month ago. During my working career I would religiously save a lump some amount for my travel. I also changed my lifestyle, stopped shopping especially branded clothes and accessories, no more going to pubs or spending on eating out. I try to save as much as I can, to fund my travel.

Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different to how you imagined? If so, how?

Archana: In 2007 I visited Goa for the first time and fell in love with the people and their local food. Palolem beach in south Goa became my favourite beach due to its ambience, the energy, the lights, colours and also the crowd. The beach is famous yet not so commercial. There was music yet there was peace. I was so much in love with the place that I would go there almost thrice every year until last year when I visited Palolem and was not able to recognise it. The beautiful beach has now turned into a garbage dumping ground and is completely dirty with broken beer bottles thrown around, trash and plastic lying on the sand bed. Hundreds of cows loitering in the beach dumping their dung and dead jelly and star fishes lying on the shore. It breaks my heart to see Palolem this way. A beautiful place which was once upon a time my favourite is now nothing but a piece of memory secured safely in my mind and heart.

Archana

Do you have any funny travel stories?

Archana: Oh yes! We had once visited Bhuvneshwar for a few days and decided to meet some of our old friends one fine afternoon. After a couple of chilled ones our friend asked us to join him along as he promised to treat us to something special. Soon we caught an auto rickshaw and reached a street covered with trees on both sides and a few tiny shops in one side. Our friend told us to wait there while he would quickly get us something. Anxious and excited we waited when he came back with one cigarette in his hand – it was an ITC Black. For a moment we were shocked and could not believe that he would treat us to this but ignoring our thoughts we went ahead and lit it-BOOM it went as we took the first drag. Oh boy this was not a cigarette but weed filled inside it. Before we could even realise we were high and started blabbering, even laughing as we hit high. After laughing our lungs out for almost 3 hours, we decided to walk back to the hotel. Every turn we took seemed to be the right turn even if it was not. Our legs were trembling and everything became so slow. But we had to reach our hotel anyhow and started walking again until we entered into a police station thinking it’s a bus stop and got caught!! After much convincing the cops finally agreed to let us go and offered a ride back to our hotel.

Experience travel stories of Archana and Vidur at https://travelmynation.in/