Padhaaro featured in Times Life

It’s like having a guidebook written just

for you. No touristy rip-offs or stan-

dard recommendations. It’s getting

downright personal with your destina-

tion. From having high tea with the de-

scendant of an erstwshile nawab of Luc-

know to sharing a home-cooked meal of

kolumbus, pootus and poriyals at a local’s

home in Chennai — local sharing and

caring is every traveller’s demand today.

“Conventional luxury is available in al-

most every travel destination.

What people are searching

for is meaningful and au-

thentic experiences —

whether it’s an enrich-

ing conversation or a de-

licious dish they can

share with their friends

upon their return,” says Aashi

Vel, co-founder, Traveling Spoon – Travel

Off The Eaten Path, a community that lets

travellers dine at local people’s homes

around the world, including India.

PERSONAL CONNECTWho would you rather have in your jeep

on a tiger safari… a seasoned wildlife

photographer or a regular guide? We all

know the answer. Face-to-face recom-

mendations and insider tips from in-the-

know locals or professionals rank much

higher on people’s itinerary than a tour

escort’s rehearsed stories. “Local travel

comprises authentic, off-the-beaten track

experiences. It can range from meeting

an ex-monk in Malaysia, who will take

you through several sacred spots to learn-

ing how to cook organically with a fami-

ly in Bali,” says Madalina Buzdugan,

communication manager of Withlocals.

Connecting with local people is also

easier than ever thanks to technology.

This rapidly growing trend is transform-

ing how travellers see the world. And

what’s the best part? It’s all very

cost-effective. The trend is en-

couraging individuals and

communities to share their

resources, right from sharing

their couches, renting their

cars, leasing out their residential

farms for camping, to hosting deli-

cious dine-ins.

MICRO TOURISMIn local travel, the trips could get as nar-

rowed down as meandering through the

Dharavi slum in Mumbai (by the startup

Padhaaro) or seeing Agra in battery-driven

rickshaws. Seeksherpa.com, a website cur-

rently operational across New Delhi,

Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, offers

potential tourists the option of choosing

specially-created tours, all priced under Rs

3,000! These micro tours offer a plethora

of options — from street photography in

old Delhi to cycling in the British-era

Mumbai. Micro tours are also ideal if

you’re passing through and only have a

limited amount of time. The best feature is

that anyone can sign up to be a

sherpa/friend/greeter/local expert. All you

need is the enthusiasm to talk to people

and, of course, sound knowledge on the

lay of the land.

Local travel is big not just among the

budget traveller, but also for those who

have travelled abroad extensively, and

now want to explore their own country in

detail. Holidaymakers are accepting that

the exoticness of the unknown doesn’t

have to take the form of a desert island in

the middle of the Pacific… it could be hid-

den in their own backyard. “Earlier, only

going abroad was seen as glamorous, but

now going to the Rannotsav or doing

a high-altitude drive in Ladakh

is also a talking point,” says

Piya Bose of Girls on The

Go Club. Her Great Rann

of Kutch vacation is all

about staying with the

tribals in their traditional

huts and buying authentic

embroidery first hand. The

trip also includes a rendezvous

with a collector of ancient fossils and di-

nosaur eggs… an experience one would

surely miss on a guided tour.

FOOD MELTS BORDERSGoing by the popularity of local travel,

you’d probably be booking a delicious

home meal instead of a fancy

restaurant on your next va-

cation. Imagine accompa-

nying local hosts in Ra-

jasthan on a spice

bazaar tour before being

served a rich Rajasthani

spread of soolas (a battle-

field speciality meat), ker

sangri and bajra roti with

chunks of homemade butter! “Cook-

ing and sharing a meal allows people to

open up, share stories and realise how

similar we are despite cultural differ-

ences,” sums up Aashi.

SUNDAY I JANUARY 26 , 2014

4 PAGES, A SUPPLEMENT OFSUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA

FEBRUARY 22, 2015DEL

Do you spend hours in the gym try-

ing to chisel out abs of steel for an

added dose of ‘machista’*? Hear

out what Pope Francis said recently during

a meeting with youths at the University of

Santo Tomas, Manila. He advised men to

shun machismo and lend a ear to women.

The Pope said, “Women have much to tell

us in today’s society. At times, we men are

too ‘machista’ (*Spanish term for male

chauvinists). We don’t allow room

for women, but women are capable

of seeing things with a different an-

gle... with a different eye. Women

are able to pose questions that we

men are not able to understand.” We

talk to people from various fields to

find out whether they agree.

MEN, forgetbeing macho!

There’snothing sexierthan confid-ence, but over-

confidence is ahuge turn-off. A lotof men think theyknow it all andaren’t ready to seethings from awoman’s point ofview. Such men areweak and insecure.It’s no longerfashionable to be amacho man. Oursociety shouldaccept men whoportray theiremotionsfreely, listento womenmore often!

—EvelynSharma,actor

I agree withthe Popecompletely.Since women

have the ability togive life, they areconnected to theuniverse differently than men.Moreover, their perspective iswell-rounded, and very few menpossess this quality. Listen to theladies; you might become wiser!

— Robin Uthappa, cricketer

While growingup, I believedmacho was aparticular lookcombined with

certain traits, or menwho were daring.Even the recklesswere considered macho.To me,macho-ism is a tool that should beused at the right time and at theright place, and for the right reason.Women are better equipped to dealwith situations which macho menrun away from

—Nitin Mirani, comedian

To me, machosimply means asense of prideand strength in

what I do well. Myquestion is:Whenmen can be calledsexy, why can’t women be calledmacho? Just like Virat Kohli disp-lays machismo on the cricketfield, Mary Kom portraysmachismo in the boxing ring.

— Anshuman Jha, actor

Macho men aremen with greatlooks; they arewell-behaved

and chivalrous andcan handle anygiven situationsensibly.Times have changedand women have evolved. Menand women now have an equalsay in everything and both thesexes can be ‘macho’.

—Preety Bhalla, singer

Machista has nothing to do with being muscular or flaunting 6-pack abs. It's gotnothing to do with how many guys you punched. A true macho man is the onewho is not a chauvinist and believes in protecting, caring and being equal. Isecond the Pope’s statement.Women are often stronger than men in terms of EQand IQ; their reasoning skill is par excellence —Swapnil Shinde, fashion designer

PIC: THINKSTOCK

[email protected]

“Earlier,only going abroadwas seen as glam-

orous, now, going to theRannotsav or doing a high-altitude drive in Ladakh is

also a talking point.”—Piya Bose of Girl On

The Go Club

[email protected]

CHECKLIST BEFORE YOUR TRIPDo your background check on the

locals you will be hanging out with,especially if you’re staying with them.

Keep an open mind. Don’t be judg-mental about lifetyle or food choices ofyour host. It was your decision to beadventurous and try something new.

“Openingup your home

space for travellers canbe enriching. We once invit-ed an Iranian family to stay

with us in Mumbai. The ladycooked a fabulous Iranian meal

for us and did the traditionalaarti with my wife every

morning.”—Jishu Dev, a media

professional

travel planner

whatthey said

It is good to have anend to journeytoward; but it is thejourney that matters,in the end — Ernest Hemingway,American author,journalist

There comes a time whenone must take a position thatis neither safe, nor politic,nor popular, but he musttake it because consciencetells him it is right— Martin Luther King Jr, activist,humanitarian, leader in theAfrican-American Civil RightsMovement

Buying travelogues or booking tourist guides isn’tthe same as travelling with a local companion whotakes you through the secret coves and homespunbistros for that authentic flavour. Local travel istrending big time this year

TOUCH,FEEL,SMELL…TRAVEL

points of view