Globetrotters from Amritsar share wanderlust stories

NehaSaini

The COVID-19 pandemic severely affecting the travel and tourism industry, all those wandering souls who were counting days before their next expedition, are finding ways to relive their memories. As all countries put travel restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak, many globetrotters from Amritsar are spending their lockdown period transforming their travel experiences into something productive.

Recreating through words

Rameshinder Singh Sandhu, a young travel enthusiast and writer from Amritsar, has been penning down his travel experiences. Rameshinder has spent last two years solo travelling through the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. “Travelling for me is an education. It opens your mind unlike anything, gives you a chance to overcome your fears and come back a changed person. Through my many travels across Europe and other countries, I have connected with communities and individuals, who have contributed to my personal growth. Now that a global lockdown is in place and it will be there for a while, I am spending my time writing down all those experiences, stories and interesting bits in the form of a book,” he says.

Living in his maternal village near Baba Bakala, with his 84-year-old grandmother, his time is spent taking care of her, learning cooking and penning down his travelogues. So, whether it’s about his cathartic scuba diving experience in Australia or the excitement of being on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, he is taking a trip down the memory lane in times of COVID-19.

“Since travelling is not a safe option anymore, it’s better to cherish the memories for the while,” he says. He is also planning to do a travel show on social media where he will share anecdotes from his travel expeditions and also invite celebrities to share theirs. “It will be an alternate way to tour the world.”

Tour the world via kitchen

Triggering memories through food has been the most loved experience for most of us. Travelling the world through her kitchen, Preet Paul Hundal, an artiste and traveller, has been spending her lockdown time cooking global cuisine. Travelling extensively through South Africa, Germany, Austria and the USA last year, Preet Paul shares that she is using her culinary skill to overcome the travel pangs.

“Whenever I cook something, I remember my food experiences during my travels. Like the aloo parantha I cooked for my American friends or learning to bake an eggless French fruit-cake from a couple in France. I miss the community dining experience in Germany, France and my trips through Europe. It’s beautiful how people come together over food and share stories and their life’s problems, bonding with strangers somehow.”

She is enjoying food as if it is her portal to escape to her favourite places in the world. “Once I cooked saffron rice with yogurt and mutton curry for a German friend, so that’s my association with the recipe. I learnt the Iranian version of biryani from a fellow Iranian traveller once. It’s my tribute to all those who I connected with through my travels.”

Virtual travel—the new normal

As all major museums and iconic tourist landmarks in the world are now offering a virtual tour for travel lovers, these trips have come as a respite for many. Sundeep Singh, a techie from the city, who usually takes time off from his work to travel around the world, is indulging in these virtual tours. “I have tried a few websites that offer museum tours across France, Turkey and other countries. Some are satisfying but then, it is altogether a different experience when you are physically there.”

While doing so he is also researching about the places he wants to go once this pandemic is over. “The current situation might prevail for a long time, but whenever it is over, I would definitely like to travel to some places and see for myself how the world has changed after this pandemic.”

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