As we begin another beautiful year, we wanted to share some serious travel inspiration with you. We are lucky to be surrounded by amazing friends and family who share our passion for travel and adventure. We thought it would be a neat idea to bring some different perspectives to you as you plan your travels for this year.
Read on to see what inspires our ‘near and dear’ ones to travel. So excited to share their stories and wanderlust worthy images from different parts of the world.
Bernice D’Souza
A dear friend and travel enthusiast. We’ve known each other since elementary school in Kuwait and luckily re-connected in the GTA. We often talk about our many travel tales with happy smiles together!
Bernice shares, “I’m so thrilled to be writing my first blog post ever and even more excited that the topic is TRAVEL‼ There is absolutely nothing I love more than planning and researching where I want to fly off to next, and then hopping on a plane on an another adventure-filled journey!”
Giraffe Manor, Kenya and Cappadocia, Turkey.
When asked what she loves most about travelling, Bernice explained, “Travel gives you the opportunity to explore and discover a new place, be it a new city or beach! You get to experience new foods and cultures and be a part of so many exciting adventures that you may not get a chance to experience while staying in your own city!”.
Bernice enjoys travelling with her spouse Kevin and has been to many unique destinations around the world. We put her on the spot and asked her to pick her favorite travel memory- “It’s simply too hard to pick just one”, she said, “…so maybe I’ll pick my top 10 memories, in no particular order:
1. Breakfast with giraffes at the Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya.
Amboseli National Park
2. Our first African safari at the Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
3. Watching the sunset over the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
4. Sipping cocktails in a natural hot spring swim up bar with a view of the Arenal volcano, at Arenal, Costa Rica.
5. Sunrise hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey.
6. Bird watching in the Amazon jungle in Ecuador.
7. Couples cooking class at Silom Thai Cooking School in Bangkok, Thailand.
8. Hiking while discovering the wildlife in the Galapagos Islands.
9. Waking up to watch the sunrise over the ocean and discovering tiny sea creatures in the inter-tidal zone at Kauai, Hawaii.
10. Helicopter ride over the incredible landscape of Fiji.
Watching the sunrise and sunset in places we visit are two of our favorite things to do. There is nothing more special than watching the sun rise over the ocean, feeling the cool water under your toes, and smelling the fresh ocean breeze, while sipping a hot cup of tea!”
Kani Rajah
We met Kani during our travel to the Galapagos Islands with G-Adventures. It was such a memorable experience to meet so many new folks from different parts of the world who shared our love for travel. Kani is from Cologne, Germany.
Kani reflects, “When I'm on the road travelling, I feel so much more like myself. It feels liberating to connect with the curious, open-minded, adventurous, funny, and energetic person that I am. My travel experiences allow me to escape to a different world leaving behind all my day to day woes.”
Panama City
Kani’s travel memories will surely kindle your wanderlust!
She shares, “The best part about travelling is of course meeting so many amazing people, who are curious, open-minded, and adventurous”. Kani’s favorite travel memories include:
Soaking in the surreal beauty of the Andes mountains in South America.
Sleeping under the open skies in a desert in North India, counting millions of stars.
Mixing and mingling with the locals- listening to unique stories by old ladies in Cuba and partying with a bunch of locals in Malaysia!
Aishwarya Sudhama-Joseph
Meet my dearest and loving cousin Aishu (as we like to call her fondly). An inspiring globe-trotter from my amazing family of travel enthusiasts!
Sólheimajökull, Iceland
Aishwarya recounts, “We love to travel because we like exploring new places. It allows us to have a new perspectives on things and we often think about things differently after looking at them through a different lens.”
Dyrhólaey, Iceland
“Travel is exciting because we get to go on new adventures. We especially love exploring nature with its majestic, chaotic, unforgiving, and breathtaking beauty! When we visit new places, we connect with the Earth- with its nature, culture, and people on a much deeper level.”
Lagoa do Fogo, Azores
Bishnupriya Mondal
We met Priya at our best friend’s destination wedding in Malaysia and connected as roomies during the wedding. We yapped away only to realize that we had a lot in common- starting with our Middle Eastern childhoods, our love for Indian dress up, and our undying love for travel. Priya lives in Dubai, UAE.
Priya explained her life philosophy, “Life is too short and there is a lot to EXPLORE! So keep flying.”.
We asked Priya why she enjoys travelling. She shared, “Ever since my childhood days, travel has been a part and parcel of my life. I was born in Kuwait, raised in the Gulf, and went on to pursue my higher education in South East Asia! My interest in cross cultural diversity while exploring different countries nurtured my love for travel.”
Priya feels that travel is the ideal place to test yourself. It gets you out of your comfort zone and makes you push your limits. It’s challenging and adventurous all at the same time! She notes that she has learned so much more from her travel experiences than her learning from formal classrooms in high school and university.
Priya fondly says, “I love scenic and natural places and I usually tend to visit 'hidden gems' in any country that are not generally explored by tourists.
My love for photography and capturing moments makes me want to travel even more. However, some memories are best captured with our naked eyes! A camera lens cannot do justice in capturing the actual beauty of a few places!”
Priya feels travel brings people together. Be it a family getaway, a girls’ trip, or a high-school reunion- each of these travel opportunities creates long-lasting memories while strengthening important bonds and relationships.
She adds, “Travelling helps to expand your perspective. It gives you the opportunity to meet people from different places. This will challenge your opinions and views of the world as you embrace different cultures and experiences, making you a better rounded global citizen.”
Priya was thrilled to visit Greece in the Spring of 2017 covering Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini. She mentioned that was a dream destination among other places that she has visited. Her strategic location in Dubai makes it convenient for her to travel to many amazing global destinations!