Feb 25th
Why do I cry? I am all alone on the wrong train. I need to find the train to Goa. There are no tourists. Anywhere. It is just me and the Indians, yet I cry. This is what I wanted, no? Total unfamiliarity. Escapism. Why do I fear the next 40 hours or so where I will have to suffer my own company sans entertainment. The landscape is bleak – miles and miles of fields with no lights punctuated by the occasional zhodpatti – or slum.

My driver today in Agra, as with so many other Indians I have met kept beginning his sentences “In India…” followed by some little anecdote about this land. Little villages are springing up around the train stations. People staring at me everywhere I go. In Delhi they stared less. But here on the train, everyone from Chai Wallahs to ticket inspectors thinks I’m some sort of alien.

Spending extended amounts of time with yourself can be extremely trying. Especially with the knowledge that those around you do not speak your tongue. Will try to sleep before I get off to change for the right train to Goa.

Feb 26th
It is the dead of the night. I am on the right train. Another 36 hours till Goa. I got off last night in a place called Gwalior – middle of nowheresville. Station full of soldiers. Was a bit nervous. The Indians in my booth cheered my up loads. Dr King, San something and other guy and his lovely old wife who spoke no English. I told him I think I’m falling in my love with his wife. He translated for her and she laughed hard and grabbed my hand. There’s lots of head-wagging here (in the North there is no head-wagging). I am getting the hang of it. I slept fitfully fearing my bags which are under lock and chain, but still. Today, I awoke to shrieks which I learnt were from a woman who had her chain stolen while she was sleeping.

I met some more young Indians – Rahul and Vinod – the hopeless romantic who took countless photos of me with his camera phone. I charged my MP3 and when I took it out the charger it continued to charge! They explained in unexceptional tones: “this happens only in India. There is energy in the air, no need for conventional electricity.” I realised maybe I am to have one good day and one bad day in India. Today was a good day. Met Na’eem Sitarmaker who incidentally, makes sitars. Only in India.

Met Raphael from Chile who has a sister Deborah. He is very cool. Met King Banesh – a 20 year old Indian who claims to be King.  Indian humour is quite dry – actually I really like it. They are very deadpan. Vinod is on his way to Puna to see about a girl. Either he will work it out with her or he will have his parents arrange a marriage for him which will mean meeting the girl at their engagement and for the second time at their wedding. But he wants to confess his undying love to the Puna girl who he has been seeing for a few months behind his parents back but has never touched. Raphael and I told him to go for it. India is kind of haunting at night – especially with all these forest fires, caused by “mischief” as explained by Dr King.

Was not alone at all today. I taught Raff Backgammon and all the Indians crowded around to look. Rubbish lines the railway tracks as do rats the size of cats. Everyone throws everything outside – not very environmentally conscious here. Vinod paid for my drink, “In India we are very hospitable. When I come to your country you will do the same for me surely. India has great heart.” And it does. Vinod says everyone is living a Bollywood film story here in India – some are living the bad parts and some are living the happy endings. The Indians I met couldn’t believe I was travelling – and alone at that. “You surely very bold. In India, we busy marrying off children and busy all the time with family.”

March 1st (I think)
Having strange feelings here in Gokarna on Kudli beach. We all went to a jam where I’d been told that there were really talented musicians. But the jam was fully of smoking stoner hippies who really it seemed to me had no feeling to their jamming. How I missed suddenly the jams in my house where one doesn’t have to be “gone” to bond with others – the music bonds not the Indian Hashish.

So I’ll leave. And on my way “home” I went past the loos (the public hole in the ground I should say) and saw that the restaurant that accompanies the guest house had Indians sleeping in it covering every square inch. Everywhere. So I’ve come instead to the beach where I am now as I write this and the waves are lapping and glistening with plankton – the shiny whale food, and millions of stars above are ablaze, reflecting the plankton. India is a place brimming with contradictions. I want to write more but a stray dog followed by a cow have come to greet me….

That’s all for now, must go catch sleeper to Hampi will be a 16 hour ride. The most terrible thing happened. I lost all my pictures – I filled up the memory card of 4GB (About 1000 pics) and they all got erased from the heat. So I took some off someone else’s camera (mine were way better).

Deborah Danan

Photos by Deborah’s friends. (Hopefully she’ll get her camera fixed soon).

India is all the rage. It’s captivating, it’s chaotic and it’s huge. It’s become a top destination for adventurous travelers of all ages keen to take themselves far from their comfort zone and experience some of the most stupendous natural and spiritual sights in the world.

The good news is that we’ll be getting an insight into what it’s really like to travel around India. Alone.

Deborah Danan is a friend and travel writer who’ll be posting regular blogs as she embarks on her fantastic Indian adventure.

We love her stories, the hilarity and absurdity of the situations she finds herself in, and are sure you will too. To find out more about Deborah, visit our guest blogger page and be sure to follow all her latest installments here at the Tripbase Travel Blog.

Whether it’s just after graduation from university or between jobs, taking a gap year to travel is one of the most rewarding and memorable ways to spend your time. But for some people, the biggest concern is not where to go but why to go.

We here at Tripbase are all strong believers in the amazing power of travel so we decided to put together a list of reasons why you should not waste your life working and should take a gap year.

Here are our top 5 reasons to hit the road.

5. You can afford it. People often think that travel is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Buying flexible, round-the-world tickets in advance lowers airfare costs and there are many countries in the world where you can survive comfortably on as little as $10 a day. In fact, traveling the world can often cost less than monthly rent at home. Before you go, plan a budget based on average costs and then make sure you have some extra padding for splurging.

4. You can handle it alone. Traveling with friends has advantages but it also means you’re tied to other people’s itineraries. Consider going solo. Traveling alone gives you more opportunities to meet interesting people along the way. Although there may be times when you’ll feel lonely and you do need to take extra precautions for safety and health care, it’s extremely rewarding to follow your own path. And there’s nothing like overcoming challenges without any help to boost self-confidence and inner strength.

3. Employers will see it as a benefit. Anyone who spends time traveling will see the world through new lenses. Employers often see this as more of an advantage than a disadvantage, even if it’s between career moves. As long as you don’t show up for job interviews wearing your favorite road gear without washing your hair for a few days, potential employers will often see your travels as a positive experience that makes you a more well-rounded person, especially if you have learned some important life lessons and are prepared to discuss them in the interview.

2. A year traveling is an opportunity to expand your horizons. The choices include backpacking, volunteering, working abroad, teaching English, and learning new languages in immersion programs…the list is endless. No matter what you decide to do, it is likely to be one of the best years of your life. Spend some time thinking about what you enjoy doing and try to incorporate that into your travels. Starting in a volunteer setting with an organized structure could be a good way to ease into it, but make sure you get out there and see the world too.

1. It doesn’t get any easier to go. The older you get, the harder it gets to pick up and take off for a year. Later in life there are children and mortgages and other responsibilities. There’s nothing like hitting the open road while you’re unfettered and free. Do it while you can. As some unknown wise man once said, you usually regret the things in life that you didn’t do and not the ones you did.

If you’re been on a gap year or you’re on one now, drop us a comment to tell us what you think of the experience too. We’d love to hear from you.