Oindrila De

I am Oindrila, an Indian travel enthusiast and blogger. I discovered my love for travel when I left my home-country of 20 years to stay alone in a continent I had never seen before. Join me in my journey as I take you through my travel and food experiences across the world.

Psst… when I’m not travelling, I’m a boring IT-person at an investment bank. But I like to keep it cool by dancing (salsa & Latin ballroom), running marathons, and learning Japanese. I can also kick a football! 🙂

You can work pretty much where you want to – on the road, do you find it hard to work or do you just have fun and work when you come back home?

I mostly work when I'm back home because I like to keep my travels free from the shadows of work & stress. My source of bread & butter requires me to go to a physical office on most (if not all) days of my work-week. So on my holidays, I tune out of office and let the travel-wave drown me in its excitement & fun!

Do you feel many people are envious of your lifestyle?

I have had a number of friends and colleagues confess to me how they envy my freedom. They wish they too can pack their bags and take off to a new place every now and then.

I only ask them one question: What is stopping you?

Most people create their own excuses for not doing what they love. If YOU too are envious of my lifestyle, ask yourself - "What is stopping me?"

In which countries have people recognised you, even when you thought nobody would?

I recall an experience in Spain during my days of internship... My Latvian roommate's colleague had only seen my photo and had heard of me through her. But when I walked out of the Lleida Pirineus railway station, she waved at me and greeted me with the two Spanish kisses! I was delighted to be recognised by a sort of semi-stranger.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. That lady and I are good friends who keep in touch even though I'm back in India.

Which three items would you never travel without?

1: My smart phone. I am a FourSquare, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook addict! Besides, it helps me scrounge the internet for places to stay, places to eat at & places to sleep at. I've also booked my transportation & checked myself in for flights using my phone when my hosts were too busy to share the computer. And of course, it helps me talk to my folks back home who never stop fretting about my safety!

2: My sneakers. They're the best shoes to wear for most outdoorsy activities (read: treks & jogs). They'll beat flip-flops / flats / stilettos any day!

3: A small bottle of hand-sanitizer. I often have to eat my meals at places that have no wash-basins, let alone soap. I make sure I don't compromise on hygiene when I'm devouring local food on my trips.

Are there any specific souvenirs or other things you collect from the places you go to?

I make it a point to collect fridge magnets from every place I visit. I dream of dressing my refrigerator in magnets from all countries of the world!

Unfortunately, many places don't have magnets depicting their local culture or food. In that case, I bring back some unique local artefact to remind me of my time there.

Tagged as: India

OindrilaDe
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