Travelling, if I am not exaggerating is becoming the order of the day. For some education and to others just plain business have made travelling necessary and not to mention the ever increasing spirit of adventure

RAJEEV K. MANOCHA

I still remember those days when travelling was a big dream.
It was cherished, persisted and planned for years and then only the fulfilment come and that too in figments. In my student days I alongwith my friends used to dream of far away journeys to North East and Kashmir. We would ask about these places from those of our mates who were more fortunate in having been to these places and they in a very proud manner obliged our silly queries with their exaggerated answers. Tour and travel was limited to the well-off section and even they were not so interested as the travelling culture was missing in the Indian society and was not even held in very high esteem especially in concern to the women. They hardly dreamt of travelling far and their flight of fancy in this particular connection was limited to going to the places of pilgrimage and to some nearby hill station once or twice in the whole life.

Just try to visualise those days.
A meagre cash saved so assiduously from a hard earned income. There were no itineraries as the places to be visited used to be one or two and everything was thrown on chances. When in Kashmir there were chances to give sonamarg or gulmarg a miss because of a tight budget or lack of proper planning and information.There were few travel agents to help you to plan your itineraries or to guide you and just about no packages both domestic or international. Most of the travel was done on government buses and trains whose reputation in those days was worse than that of their present one. Some opted for private taxis but the use of personal vehicle was very limited and was visible mostly in movies with a chocolate hero in his willys jeep going up the hill in tune with a Mohammed Rafi number.

The times are changing now in a very rapid manner.
These are the times of cars, wagons and luxurious vans. These are the times of deluxe coaches and Volvo buses. And more so these are times of dreamers, adventurers and fun-seekers. There are travel agents are in plenty to plan your itineraries and guide you in every eventuality and there are packages to be selected from as per your own interest and budget. Those of travellers who hate planning or hastily decide for a trip out are no more shy to opt for their own cars and vehicles. The tourist places nowadays are equally in search of more parking space like metropolitan cities as the tendency of using private cars and vehicles for the travelling purpose is on a rapid increase. Have a look on Shimla Road especially in peak season where the vehicles are queued up for kilometres waiting to enter in the main town and sometimes they are left down just there due to unavailability of space.These vehicles are used for an emergency accommodation too when there are no rooms available in peak season. Such scenes are very common in Dalhousie and Mussourie also. As for travel by air it is no less than revolutionised by the private airlines and a cut-throat competition between them. Could you imagine to go by air in so scanty an amount for flying in a plane to your favourite destinations? Everyone and just about everyone can now fly by air and it is no more a distant dream for the commoners.

The scenario has undergone a drastic change in overseas travel too.
Travelling has come up with its lucrative aspects in studies, IT sector and exports. It has also been helpful in linking our countrymates with lesserknown countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.These destinations were not so popular in the past particularly in comparison to USA and western Europe. The package tours to such countries have also done their fair part in popularising them. Just pay twice the sum more from domestic destinations and plan your trip abroad. Not only that but you may enjoy shopping at cheaper rates with great international variety. These countries by their superb shopping facilities and easy visa availability have made foreign trips possible even for middle and low-middle class of India which they may never have dreamt about just two decades ago.

The tendency for adventure is on the rise too.
Gone are the days of family tour or a honeymoon trip in a luxury coach and showing your beloved the romantic mountains around from the window seat. The new generation is looking for some other angles. Most of them especially adventure loving ones are no more interested in the beauty of nature scattered around the way. They are interested in travelling with the sheer purpose of adventure. There is a switch over in the section of vehicles too. Neither car nor jeep there choice is bike and scooter which not only provide them a closer feel of romantic air and vast joyful earth but also give a risky tinge to their adventurous ride.With these adventure trips the interest for far away places with difficult conditions has risen.The places like Badrinath ,Kyelang , Spiti and even Leh are the hot favourites among them and a sizeable number of scooterists and bikesters may be seen on the roads up there.

Some unique trends are also visible.
Many a club has also entered the travel arena enrolled mostly by the youth and middle-aged persons. They have quite a presence of the fair sex too whose timidity has registered a sharp decrease in this particular field. These clubs are associated with overseas organizations and arrange mostly the adventure-oriented tours which are very popular among the new generation There trips include trekking to high hills with difficult conditions. Many a person has lost their life in such trips but the spirit of adventure has not given in and such clubs are becoming increasingly popular by the time.

Travel is no more for conventional purposes now.
There are others fields also worth mentioning and one of them is education. A great shift in the attitude of people has taken place after our switching over to a globalized economy in last ten years. With the change in surroundings coupled with a modern outlook our new generation is now keener to enjoy the fruits of travelling in every possible way. Watch the long queues at embassies of teen aged student both boys and girls trying their luck for studying abroad along with IT experts from India who have been international favourites for years. Nobody had even dreamt of that scenario even fifteen years ago when such studies and jobs were the privilege of upper class only.

India after all is regaining its age-old travel sense.
Travelling, if I am not exaggerating is becoming the order of the day. For some education and to others just plain business have made travelling necessary and not to mention the ever increasing spirit of adventure in our new generation that has added a new dimension to Indian tourism. Not only the conventional hill stations but monumental and heritage sites such as jaisalmer, Bhimbedka and Mandu are also getting their well deserved share of visitors. The ages of travel for relaxation are past, Indians have learnt to travel for sheer pleasure and adventure.