Lakshmi Sharath

Journeys and Jottings – Pause in your journey

Posted: 31 Jul 2016 11:30 PM PDT

Hello August and folks, welcome to yet another edition of Journeys and Jottings. I cant believe that a month just flew by with no travel and with me drowning in work. I have been flooded with projects that I had to say no to almost four different trips this month . However I am not complaining. As a traveller, we travel so much all the time that sometimes I would like to pause . And in a way this break in July was good.

Journeys and jottings

I met so many friends – old and new, did some backyard travel, shot some videos, got back to blogging, completed my content strategy for the year, wrote a few pending stories and of course, got a new haircut too ! Seriously, I should do this more often – taking a break I mean. I also pitched and got some new work. And most important, completed a little bit of the pending tasks. And now comes the difficult part – chasing invoices.

Coming back to pauses – I have always believed that I need them in life. They are like commas or semi colons, not necessarily a full stop. Even during my media career, I used to pause every now and then and wonder what I am doing. I wanted something new and interesting. I reinvented myself every few years. And in a way travel is the same. Yes, we see different destinations and we have new experiences, but I would like to pause in my journey and wonder where I am headed. Sometimes I feel like Robert Louis Stevenson, but his ” Vagabond” is a romantic notion, not a slice of reality. Perhaps it is the alter ego in me.

“Wealth I ask not, hope, nor love, Nor a friend to know me. All I ask, the heaven above And the road below me.”

It is a bit of a paradox really. I dont really want every travel to give me a “purpose” or have a “profound” meaning but I believe a rolling stone does gather some moss sometime.

But August is going to see me on the road again. An old favorite destination but with new experiences. Any guesses ? Its of course, an international destination – just a clue, I have been to four continents this year so far and this is my fifth ! It is in Asia.

I also have a couple of interesting campaigns going on as well – so watch out for this space. I have been strategically planning to work with a couple of brands whose interest lies in travel. I also believe that campaigns are more than just promotions and reviews. It is about how you weave the brand and its communication effectively into your content. I have always repeated ad nauseum – Content is king.

As for content this month on the blog, we are going to do more of Western Ghats and wildlife, a road trip, specials on Bali and more tips and lists. What would you like to read ? I have been contemplating – would you like to hear a section on travel news..like brief snippets ? Would you prefer interviews ? Is there another genre that interests you -perhaps a little more on food or lifestyle ? I would like to hear from you on what you think. So see you for now. I have a lunch to attend to with friends. And by the way, thats how we kickstart a new month and a Monday