My Definition of Travel

                                          MY DEFINITION OF TRAVEL

Travelling..?

It’s not just about the dictionary meaning.

Everyone seems to have their own definition.

For me, it has changed over time—

Not because of age or maturity,

But because of the situations life placed me in.

TRAVEL AS A FANTASY

As a child, travelling meant visiting a new tourist attraction and enjoying the journey to reach that destination.

Exploring a new place was travel for me.

Going on long car rides with family and cousins—playing fun-filled games, sharing snacks, getting scolded by elders while giggling with my cousin gang—was travel for me.

Those late-night bike rides with my father, just to have parota and sharbath, were travel for me.

TRAVEL AS A HECTIC

When I was in my Intermediate and studying in Guntur, travelling from my hometown to Guntur felt like a big burden.

I had to wake up at 5 a.m. to start the journey.

Later, when I was new to Hyderabad and had to travel alone, it became even more stressful.

Everyone around me was busy travelling on their own, but I had to constantly share my live location, email, and password for tracking, and inform my entire family whenever I was travelling alone.

As a severe migraine patient, I couldn’t bear bright lights or loud noises. Even a phone’s brightness or a notification sound could worsen my migraine.

Travelling in Hyderabad’s traffic, from one place to another, became a real challenge.

TRAVEL WITH NO PURPOSE

One of my teachers once said:

“We all have disturbances and problems. But we shouldn’t just sit stubbornly in one place. We have to move on. Look at all the people outside on the roads, travelling in their vehicles—they have their problems too, but they keep moving.”

Hahaha… I understood it in a completely different way.

Sometimes even I found it silly, and at times, mischievous.

Long walks alone, cycling around my village, hopping onto the metro and wandering across the city until my mind calmed down—this became travel for me.

People think it’s mischievous; sometimes, so do I.

But it helps me to divert my mind from my troubles.

TRAVEL OF UNDERSTANDING MYSELF

In our busy lives, with different purposes pulling us in different directions, my family members often stay in different places.

Travelling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, Hyderabad to my hometown, and from my hometown to Vijayawada became routine.

In life, everyone faces negativity, misunderstandings, and relationship crises.

As a pampered child in my family, I was deeply hurt when such moments came.

I had to travel alone from one place to another, and those journeys slowly made me independent.

They gave me the confidence that I could move through life on my own.

During those bus rides, I would switch off the AC, open the window, and watch the trees rush past.

It made me emotional, made me think deeply.

I’d reflect on where things were going wrong, type my feelings into my phone’s notepad, and let the cool breeze touch my face.

Sometimes, I’d hug myself tightly—not because of the cold, but to comfort the tears in my eyes.

Those moments helped me understand myself better and learn to love myself even in pain.

Sometimes, even after reaching my destination, I didn’t want to step off the bus.

THIS IS MY DEFINITION OF TRAVEL—A DEFINITION THAT HAS BEEN CHANGING SINCE MY CHILDHOOD.