Rahul Jagtiani – Traveling Solo is Exhilarating!

Traveling for pleasure is an art. But sadly, women may face security problems while traveling alone in countries like India. There are other issues that need to be addressed by women, while traveling, too. A Journalist Reveals chatted with Rahul Jagtiani, a frequent traveler and asked him about his experiences and opinion about traveling. This is what he had to say:

How was your childhood? Did you get to travel often during childhood?

I have been traveling since my childhood. My first overseas trip was to Dubai when I was just 3 years old. Since I have relatives in other cities in India, I have been traveling within India as well since a very young age. Needless to say, my travels during school were limited to summer and winter holidays.

What do you do for a living?

I’m an entrepreneur – I run a boutique lifestyle gifting company called Plush Plaza. My job also requires me to travel a fair bit and I absolutely love it! It’s allowed me to develop new interests and hobbies – creating a web series of my travels (aptly titled Plush Places) is a serious hobby.

When and how did the travel bug bite you?

I’m an adventurer at heart and always enjoyed traveling. But about three years ago, I started documenting my travels and a fun experiment with video blogging turned into a serious hobby.

Do you travel alone or with your family or in a group full of strangers?

There are times when I travel with a couple of friends, but I really enjoy traveling alone as well.

In the past few years I have traveled alone to Australia, Thailand, United States, Austria, Hong Kong and Switzerland.

Are you married? If yes, how do you travel now?

I’m currently single!

What are the problems faced by bachelors, while traveling alone? How do you solve them?

Personally, I haven’t faced any issues traveling alone. In fact, I think everyone must make a solo trip at some point in their lives for the experience.

What are the problems that bachelors face at the destination? How to solve them?

Although I haven’t faced it, the only problem I envision for bachelors is accommodation and that too in smaller towns in India, assuming they aren’t staying in high end places. This is because of the stigma that is sometimes attached with bachelors traveling due to security reasons.

You have been traveling a lot and must have observed others while traveling. What are the problems faced by women, while traveling alone? How to solve them?

Women have it a bit tougher, especially while traveling in India because unfortunately there are certain negative perceptions attached to it. While women traveling alone in the western countries are more commonplace, I tend to see a fair bit of women traveling in pairs or in small groups. Perhaps there can be a forum online or an app for women only, which allows a woman traveling alone to seek other women heading to the same destination.

Do you have any other advice for women traveling alone?

Do all you want but make smart choices. Don’t put yourself in difficult situations that would compromise on your security in an unfamiliar environment. Connect with other women travelers/friends.

Do you have any advice for women traveling in groups?

Try solo travel sometime! It’s exhilarating (Smiles).