living | trends
o n a fam ily holiday. Y ou’re try in g to
sa tisfy ev e ry o n e’s d e m a n d s a n d m a tch
ev e ry o n e ’s sc h ed u le . T h a t’s n o t really
a holiday. So m y frie n d s a n d I d ecid ed
th a t w e ju s t n e e d to g e t aw ay a n d enjoy
so m e a lo n e -tim e — re a d a b o o k , w atch
a film , ch a t. W e d id ju s t th a t a n d it w as
w o n d e rfu l,” sh e says a b o u t a re c e n t trip
to Ja ip u r w ith ju s t frie n d s.
PAMPERING R&R:
H as th e m aid
arriv ed ? E le c tric ity bill paid? F ood
cooked? C lo th e s in fro m th e d ry
clean er? W h a t d id T ara eat.
... “ I ju s t
n e e d e d to g e t aw ay fro m it all.
..from th e
h assle o f cooking, cleaning, w o rry in g
a b o u t th e m aid.
..so I d ec id e d to go to a
lu x u ry re s o rt w ith m y frie n d s a n d ju s t
sit b ack a n d relax. A nd g e t p a m p e re d !”
says A n u k riti S hah, a H R p ro fe ssio n a l,
w h o h as ju s t re tu rn e d fro m a lo n g
w ee k en d w ith frie n d s. “M y h u sb a n d
w as m o s t en co u rag in g . H e w a n te d m e
to g e t a b re a k to o ,” sh e adds.
SABBATICAL FOR THE SOUL: “I
believe y o u n e e d to g e t aw ay to d isco v er
y o u rse lf a n d g e t to k n o w th e rea l you.
T h a t’s n o t p o ssib le w h e n y o u a re
trav e llin g w ith fam ily sin c e th e re are
so cial p re s s u re s in th a t situ a tio n . I like
th e se n se o f fre e d o m w h e n y o u tra v e l
w ith frie n d s— y o u ca n d o w h a t y o u like,
m ake th e d ec isio n s th a t w o rk fo r you.
I have le a rn t a lo t in m y tra v e ls,” says
G e e ta sh re e , a re se a rc h e r a n d w rite r,
w h o p la n s a t le a st tw o trip s ea ch y ea r
w ith o u t h e r h u sb a n d a n d
5
-year-old
d au g h ter. A lso, trav e llin g alo n e o r ju s t
w ith th e g irls w o rk s as a self-co n fid en ce
b o o s te r b ec au se u n lik e o n a trip w ith
fam ily, h e re y o u are h a n d lin g p eople
an d situ a tio n s o n y o u r ow n.
H e a lth Counsel
“I alw ays e n c o u ra g e m y p a tie n ts to
ta k e b re a k s a n d trav e l w ith frie n d s,
a p a rt fro m fam ily holidays. W h a t’s
th e p o in t o f ta k in g a b re a k w ith th e
p e rso n w h o is giving y o u th e s tre s s , if
su c h is th e case?” says D r E k ta Soni,
C linical P sy ch o lo g ist, In d ra p ra sth a
A pollo H o sp ita ls. “I th in k it is a h e a lth y
tr e n d to ta k e a clea n b re a k fro m y o u r
re sp o n sib ilitie s. Y ou co m e b ack w ith a
fre s h m in d , rea d y to ta k e o n an y th in g ,”
sh e ad d s. O f co u rse , it ’s e s se n tia l n o t
“I think it is a
healthy trend
to take a clean
break from your
responsibilities
once in a while.
You come back
w ith a fresh mind.”
Dr Ekta Soni, Clinical Psychologist
to u se th is as an esca p e ro u te b u t tr e a t
th is as a b reak . A nd c a rry it th ro u g h
w ith resp o n sib ility .
A nd y es, y o u can m an ag e to g e t aw ay
fro m it all. “M o st o f th e cro w d in o u r
to u rs are p ro fe ssio n a l w o m en a n d th e y
b are ly d isc u ss m a id s o r h u sb a n d s. T h ey
h av e an a d v e n tu ro u s stre a k an d d o n ’t
w a n t to go to th e u su al to u rist-y sp o ts.
T h ey a re th e re to e x p lo re a n d h av e a
g o o d tim e ,” says S enapaty.
P lu s, ta k in g a b rea k ca n have
p o sitiv es th a t y o u m ig h t n o t have
im a g in e d earlier. R itu A ro ra’s so jo u rn
w ith h e r frie n d s actu ally in c re a se d th e
b o n d b e tw e e n h e r h u sb a n d an d son.
“M y h u sb a n d u se d to p ick h im u p fro m
sch o o l a n d sp e n d tim e w ith h im so th a t
h e w o u ld n ’t m iss m e. T h ey are so m u c h
m o re c o m fo rta b le w ith ea ch o th e r now .
A nd th e y even go fo r b o y s-o n ly o u tin g s
w h ich gives m e so m e m o re m e -tim e ,”
sh e says happily.
B ut it’s im p o rta n t th a t if w a n t to
go o n a b rea k , y o u rea lize th a t y o u r
h u sb a n d n e e d s to g o o n o n e to o , says
D r S oni. “I p u sh e d m y h u sb a n d to g et
to g e th e r w ith h is frie n d s an d trav el.
F inally, th e y o rg a n iz e d a trip to L adakh
a n d h ad su c h a g o o d tim e . I th in k it’s
im p o rta n t fo r h im to g e t aw ay to o ,”
says G e e ta sh re e . ■
Keep in mind these practical pointers
when travelling alone or with girlfriends.
C ollect a d e q u a te
in fo rm atio n a b o u t
th e a re a y o u are
travelling to. D on’t
re a c h th e re w ith
a b lan k slate.
S tu d y th e m a p an d
le arn im p o rta n t
la n d m ark s a n d
ro u te s. Ask
p eo p le, friends,
o r to u r ag en ts
a b o u t th e cu ltu re,
w e a th e r, a n d safety
re q u ire m e n ts of
th a t p a rtic u la r
d estin a tio n . T h a t
w ay, y o u w ill n o t
g e t lo st a n d w ill
n o t n e e d to ask
stra n g e rs fo r help.
D on’t leave h o m e
w ith o u t a p e p p e r
sp ra y (o r an y th in g
th a t se rv e s a s a
h a n d y w ea p o n ) an d
a to rc h . If y o u 're
going o n a trek ,
ca rry along so m e
b asic m ed icatio n
to m e e t any
em erg en cies o n
y o u r ow n.
M ake a n o te of
im p o rta n t n u m b e rs
like th e police,
am b u lan ce, a n d if
p o ssib le, a reliable
cab service. E n su re
all y o u r bookings
are d o n e a n d ask
th e to u r ag en t/
h o te l fo r th e n am e
an d d etails o f th e
p e rso n w h o w ill
c o o rd in a te y o u r
trip a t th e place of
y o u r stay.
C heck in w ith
y o u r fam ily a t
le a st o n ce a day,
p referab ly a t night.
S h are y o u r itin e ra ry
w ith th e m so th a t
th e y alw ays know
w h e re you are. Give
th e m th e d etails
a n d n u m b e rs o f th e
h o te l th a t y o u w ill
b e stay in g in.
N ee d less to say,
la te h o u rs are n o t
a good idea. It’s
b e s t to avoid being
o u t la te a t night,
especially in cities
a n d co u n trie s w ith
a high crim e rate.
R ead u p a b o u t th e
p lace to fam iliarize
y o u rse lf w ith th e
sa fe ty tre n d s.
