Most of us, sometime, in life have been inspired by something or someone. Today, I will share one such inspiration in my life – someone who encouraged the traveler in me. He is my maternal uncle, who is now over 70.
A traveler like me, he enjoyed life to his fullest and in his youth, had managed to travel places like South America, which I still dream of traveling to. A graduate in Accounts with a Govt job, he earned reasonably well and provided for his sons – both of whom moved to USA for their post graduations. He was always, an inspiration for me as whenever I met him, he had some amazing anecdotes of places that he had just been to.
A couple of years after I had settled down with a job and a marriage, I remember asking him the same very question that I get today – “How do you manage to travel so much and yet manage your responsibilities” and he said – “You never know what life throws at you but you can always stand up to it, if you have planned well. Earn well, save smart and enjoy life to the fullest.” He told me of how he kept dividing his salary – keeping aside some for his travel and adding some to his savings through various investment channels. It is his savings that helped him educate his son, plan his retirement and still enjoy his life. He even, told me how saving smart had helped him fulfill his responsibilities towards his parents, where he managed to help them in their poor health.
Besides savings, he told me a few practical aspects of travel – some advice that I still hold dear and will share with you. . As per him, there are a lot of variable aspects to travel and here are some of them –
- Mode of transport
- Time when you book your tickets – If you know your dates, try to book your tickets early to grab the better offers. Avoid peak seasons, but if you have to, make sure you have booked your stay and transport earlier and not closer to your holiday.
- Staying options – Try to get a hotel central to the city you are visiting, It will make public transport easier. Also, if you have a packed itinerary, a comfortable hotel would make more sense than a high-end one.
- Staying focused – Do enough research to know what you want to do and based on the same, keep aside a budget. Try not to spend over the same.
My uncle advised me to have a good control on these variables – as then I would not only enjoy traveling but will ensure that I have traveled without splurging. He said that having a control on these variables also, ensured that his savings went as per his plan and that helped him save for many rainy days.
I truly believe that this was the most practical advice from a man that symbolized the saying #KhudKoKarBuland that nothing in life will be able to upset you and your loved ones. If you are wondering why I suddenly thought of him – well! It was this video below that set my train of thoughts, reminded me of the practical advice from a man that I hold in great esteem.
Share the Thrill of Travel
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