About Me
Statistics suggest that the About Me page in any blog is one of the most popular pages. Guess it makes senses, readers would like to know more about who this blogger is. So here, I try and give you a picture of Me. 🙂 Well, in very traditional Indian style,
What’s my “native” place?
Well, I was born and brought up in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. In the swanky and posh neighbourhood of South Mumbai. By family history, my native is Bharuch in Gujarat – which makes me a Surati Gujarati. And by religion I am Jain – this is relevant even on the travel blog, because I am not just a strict vegetarian, I also avoid onion & garlic after finding out that it is “low pranic” foods in a yoga class.
What’s my profession?
Digital marketeer. Entered the industry in 2008 when it was just starting out in India. Since then have enjoyed being part of this industry. Most of the work has been remote, except 2 years when I was commuting in Mumbai. Since 2017, I have become a true blue digital nomad. (www.priyankadalal.com)
How did travelling start for me?
My foray into travel started in 2009 when I knew I had to get out, somewhere, on my own!! I went off on a meagerly planned 15 day solo trip, Mumbai – Goa – Bangalore – Mysore – Coimbatore (Isha yoga centre). At this time I didn’t know if solo travel was safe at all. I took overnight volvos and stayed in a hostel. But somehow in my heart I thought this was possible. I had read travelogues of foreign solo women traveling India without knowing our language, so surely this was fine for me. Anyway it all turned out wonderful. Have been solo traveling since then.
Travelling since
2009
First mountain cycled
Jiufen, Taiwan
My current cycle
named Tibet, Trinx brand from Taiwan
First campsite
Oranienberg, Germany
Most Frequently Asked Question: Is Solo Travelling Safe?
My trips to Europe, Australia and many other international destinations are way more adventurous compared to Indian trips. But you need to understand that in India I am constantly testing limits of safety, because I don’t know what is safe, what is not. Comparatively, even solo camping in a random European/Australian town feels safer. Having said that, I think there is risk in everything we do – a mundane commuting routine in India has so many risks from traffic and accidents to mugging and sexual violence but people live in a false sense of security because it is ‘routine’, it is known and everyone is doing it. But so many unfortunate events keep happening. So, a lot of things I do, may seem daring but when I truly analyze the odds of something untoward happening, I have come to the conclusion that they are much safer than the routine lives of common people in India.
And over time, I feel the safest bet in life is to live as awesomely as possible! 🙂
Here’s my longer blog answering people when they ask, “Is it safe?”