Whenever I’ve been at the lowest points of my life, travel has saved me. I’ve always travelled, sure, but travel as therapy turned out to be hugely different from travelling for fun & leisure. At those times, I’d been emotionally fragile. More rational people would have opted for counselling or meditation or some such; I opted for travel.
Because, somewhere deep down, I knew that was what would work for me. I’ve travelled to overcome heartbreaks. I’ve travelled to recover from an entrenched depression. The depression had been brought about by a devastating identity crisis. Or, identity loss, if you. Recently, I travelled to get a handle on a strange bout of anxiety.
Actually, this was the other way around. I couldn’t travel for two+ months in continuation which led me to have anxious episodes. It started with going in the lift. Then, it transcended to everyday life. I found my heart rate to be elevated without any obvious reason. And then, when I restarted travel, poof! The anxiety was gone.
Just like that. I mean I still get panicky in the lift but it’s much better than before. So, while earlier I knew travel saved my life, now I know that my life completely depends on it.
Chapter 1 – The Heartbreak
Between 2010 and 2012, I boarded planes bound for Thailand, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Jodhpur, Maharashtra, Bhutan, Goa, Singapore and Australia. Every time I did that, I left a part of the heartbreak behind. My return ticket included a repaired me. Though irrational and counter-intuitive (because we got to face it, right?), it was the best thing I have done.
Chapter 2 – The Depression
Between 2015 and 2020, I planned and executed several trips. These included journeys to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, China, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh. I also visited Rajasthan, the United Kingdom, the Punjab, and the United Arab Emirates. Extra destinations were Uttar Pradesh, Indonesia, Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka.
My travels extended to Sikkim, Bihar, Bhutan, Kenya, and Pondicherry. Finally, I explored Tamil Nadu, Ladakh, Daman & Diu, and Australia. It took me almost five years to overcome my state (which I can label only in hindsight now). I’ll be lying if I say travel was the only thing that helped me then. I also began to incline more towards spirituality.
Specifically, I inclined towards Mahadev, who is now the very core of my being. I adopted minimalism. I quit my boring but comfortable corporate job. I invested whatever money I had. I wanted to be free. I lined up freelancing gigs and volunteering stints. By the time 2020 and COVID rolled in, I was back to a normal mental state.
As we went into lockdown, I was overwhelmed with only one emotion – gratitude. When this phase had begun, I had no idea I was depressed. I had no idea what my future looked like. In fact, I didn’t even have an idea about where my current was heading. I had no idea how I would cope with all that I was undergoing.
I had no idea that, at the end of it, life would become so different. Life has changed so much. Whenever I start a journey, an adventure begins. I reach an inviting atmosphere. I’m met with kindness. I feel welcomed. I feel lucky. Every trip, good or bad, seems auspicious, like it is meant to be. Like it is meant to teach me something.
Like it is meant to change/ transform me.
Chapter 3 – The Anxiety
In 2025 December – 2026 January, more recently, I was stuck in chilly NCR. I began to have anxiety attacks. That’s when I knew what I needed to do. But, somehow, the stars didn’t align for my travel. And then, they did! In 2026 February! I flew down to Prayagraj and spent a blissful week at the Bundelkhand hinterland of Uttar Pradesh.
I then went to Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) for a friend’s milestone birthday. As I write this, I’m at my second home in Dera Bassi (Punjab) having a staycation. The Bundelkhand Trail had come to an end in mid-February. I’d known that, once again, travel had worked as therapy for me. Within hours of restarting travel, I’d begun to feel relaxed and to fall asleep easily.
Within days of restarting travel, I’d begun to feel refreshed.
The End
I know I have discovered my spiritual home. I am deeply in love with travel and heartsick if I don’t get to do it. Travel has changed me. It has given me hope, inspiration and new starts in life. Thanks to my travels, I have developed the attitude that every incident I encountered was meant to happen. Everything and everyone were my teacher.
I have started to see my life as if I were on a quest. This mindset has helped me accept the crises and losses I have experienced. I have left behind both my depression and a job that I had found boring and unfulfilling. Instead, I have begun pursuing the career and lifestyle of my dreams. Yes, travel has indeed healed me!
