I grew up in India until I was 19 years old. For the first ten years of school, we had to learn three languages – English, Hindi, and Marathi. Then finally in grade 11 and 12, I could pick a foreign language, which was German. I was fascinated with the culture, history, language, music, and technology. Additionally, being between cultures (my family and community was highly westernized with British and Portugues influences) forced me to grapple with certain dissonances.
For example, here is an outlandish concept for a westerner to think about: many nations were grateful for the second European War (aka WWII). Not because they wanted war, but because it weakened the colonial powers, which helped decolonization. Although Britain, France, Spain and their allies successfully whitewashed history, they were just the same fascists outside home. If not worse. For scale, about 50 million Indians were killed by British colonialism (approximately ten times the death toll of the Holocaust), and this doesn’t even count the other colonies! Yet, in terms of showing remorse through actions and words, modern German culture is commendable. Keinen Meter den Nazis!
This is why, as soon as I had the chance to travel, I picked Germany. My family and I immigrated to Canada in 2009 and I started a B.Eng. Physics in 2010. My third internship was a placement in Germany and I was ecstatic. It was a dream come true! During the 5 months that I lived and worked in Karlsruhe, everything in Europe felt so accessible that I was compelled to go exploring.. These trips gave me a sense for backpacking through Europe – trains, buses, rideshares, hostels, Couchsurfing, sleeping in parks, and staying with friends – I tried it all and more, with my backpack and amazing friends.
After finishing my Bachelor’s degree in 2015, I secured a M.Eng. position in Montreal which began with two workshops in Vancouver in April and September. So, for the months in between, I went backpacking. I flew to Lisbon and had 4 months to get to Tel Aviv. It was the adventure of a lifetime! Not in the least because I developed severe health issues along the way which gave me a chance to test the hospitals in Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, and Pune, as well as get a second spine surgery from the same surgeon who performed my first one.
I wanted to do a similar trip after finishing my Ph.D. in 2023. However, after the isolation, depression, and deaths during the pandemic, I needed to recharge by spending quality time with loved ones. First, I found out when, and where, each of them was free. Then, based on their responses, I plotted a route that would keep me in warm weather. From January to June, I visited loved ones with nothing more than a backpack, my remote-work laptop, and a longing for belonging.
Towards the end of the same remote-work contract, I decided to take advantage one last time and escape the spring in Montreal (aka mud season). I went to visit a friend working in sustianable development in Costa Rica. The trip helped me decolonize and rewild my mind, reconnect with nature, cultivate inspiration for my book, and surprisingly, find my spirituality!
Overall, backpacking is my favourite way to travel. It doesn’t require much planning, which allows me to go with the flow and be present in the moment. It doesn’t rely on too many possessions, which teaches me how to be happy with very little. It exposes me to new cultures, mindsets, ways of life, and beliefs, which invite me to rethink my own worldview. Cultivating a global view of local situations helps me make sense of this beautifully diverse world that we share. It opens my mind. Most importantly, it constantly reminds me that the only place in which I can truly feel at home, is in my own skin.