Monday, February 22, 2016

6 Years Of Living A Nomadic Life After Quitting Google


A sailor is truly content only when s/he ventures out in the ocean. Standing on the shore with the ocean beckoning he craves to be where he truly belongs. The fear of storms, currents, getting lost all seem to be there but the urge to be in ocean overpowers these fears and a possibility of  never returning to land also does not deter him. He is safe when he's on shore but that defeats the whole point of being a sailor.

We dreamt of living a nomadic life i.e. be armed with a map, hit the open road, explore new destinations with no fixed schedule and no return ticket. We were fortunate to have been living this dream life for the last 4 years. But has our life been a bed of roses? No, definitely not! It has its own share of thorns and like Everyone else we have our Ups and Downs but that is what Life is all about. The burning question is are we happy doing what we are doing despite all hardships and challenges. Hell yes, and if we had a chance to go back in time, we would've taken the same decision in fact to be honest, maybe a bit earlier than we actually did.


Introspecting if our lives have changed for better or worse, we sure had one hell of a ride. Over these four years we had experiences that were extremely good and not so good. We have spent nights like royals in a palace, kayaked late in the night and watched the bio luminous phenomenon, snorkeled in the ocean, fell in love with architecture and ruins of our country, hiked up mountains while it poured like cats and dogs, witnessed one of its kind traditional boat race, managed to spot a one horned rhino while on a jungle trek, hiked up 3000 steps to visit the Double Decker Living Root Bridge, witnessed crystal clear natural swimming pools, hiked up the Tiger Nest Monastery, travelled to one of the highest lakes in the world, were audience to the great migration of millions of Amur falcons, lived with locals and dined with the headhunters. We had the luxury to travel for months on multiple road-trips covering a total distance of 33615 km, stop where ever we wanted and change our plans frequently. We were able to pretty much see every place to our heart's content.

On the other hand, there were times when we had to walk kilometers in search of food only to find a place in the middle of nowhere that served just tea and boiled eggs and at times biscuits were substituted for meals. On multiple occasions with no signal or maps to bail us out we were lost on the road. We have also been conned and ended up paying lot more that we should have. At times, we were not sure if we would get a place to sleep and other times we slept in the dingiest of rooms with rats and insects keeping us company. We have worn the same set of clothes for several weeks and have literally lived out of our rucksacks. We have got locked in forts and lived in places when there were riots and unrest, even witnessed a cylinder blast. We have been away from home for several festivals, there were days when we had fallen ill and missed the comforts of our cozy home but not once have we regretted our decision to embark on a nomadic life.


Travelling taught us a lot about life. Patience, things do not go per plan, adjusting to situations, living out of our comfort zone, not worrying too much, not judging people, being sensitive to others feelings, agreeing to disagree, becoming more mature and budgeting. For months we have been on the road, we backpacked travelling like locals taking the train, bus, ferry and sometimes even hitchhiking to reach our destination. We were overjoyed to ride and drive on roads that were brilliant and gave us a chance to wander into so many hidden trails that would have otherwise not been possible. We have learnt so much about many local cuisines and found the best of food at our homestays and many a local small eat outs. Met some extraordinary  people, made some amazing friends and learnt how to live life each day rather than worry about where we stand 5 or 10 years down the line.

We learnt how to live out of a 65 liter rucksack and not once regretted that we are carrying so little. This helped us detach ourselves from materialism and made us realize how little we needed to be genuinely happy and contended. Since the time we stopped receiving our hefty paychecks we have always managed to live happily on a very small budget. Well planned advertisements and mega sales by online giants have never managed to lure us into buying things that we do not need. One of us has been using a mobile with a cracked screen for the last one year. 


A couple of experiences made us realize how bad it is to judge people and not to stereotype them. People who we may never meet again in our life have become our best buddies and few of those whom we considered to be close friends turned out to be complete strangers. Though we spent festivals away from our families, we were welcomed by locals who celebrated their festivals and had such big hearts to invite us and join them in their celebrations. Most importantly we as a couple have matured and the bonding that we share has definitely increased.


Language has never been a hindrance or a barrier, we have learnt how to communicate in sign language and through expressions. We have come so far out of our comfort zone and understood the importance of appreciating varied cultures, traditions, faith and views. Things that were a taboo for us turned out to be someone else's way of living and we learnt to respect that. There are several unforgettable memories that we have had in the last four years which we would cherish until we hit our graves. All these journeys taught us invaluable lessons that no university could teach.

This post in no way suggests that everyone should quit their jobs and travel. When every person is not alike, how can their paths be. And who are we to say what one should or should not do. We have taken the road less travelled and want to share that it made us happy following our passion as opposed to our office desks. Off late we have seen quite a few articles where people following their passion especially travel are being ridiculed and mocked. Everyone has their own passion and interests that they would want to pursue. For us it was travel, for others it could be art or stand-up comedy or acting etc. Just because some people do not follow the society prescribed lifestyle it does not mean that they are an outcast or plain stupid. Our request to people who echo such thoughts is 'if you cant motivate at least do not discourage.'

Choosing this style of living was not an emotional decision that we took at the spur of a moment. We always wanted to do this but the calling came a little earlier than expected. We thought this through had a faint idea of the challenges that we would face and took a leap of faith. Our motto in life is 'Never borrow money to buy anything.' If you cant afford it forget it or save till you can afford it.

Money is always a concern, it is for us too. We try and see how we can make ends meet. Just FYI, we are not loaded, we still have to pay our rent, take care of our living expenses but note that 'changes' and not 'sacrifices' in our lifestyle have helped us realize this dream. Life has ups and downs but in the end if you are happy doing what you are doing that is what counts. 


People are skeptical to take up their passion as profession fearing lack of opportunities and remuneration. In our case, in a span of four months, we were approached by online magazines and travel portals to contribute our travel write-ups. One of us even got an opportunity to be briefly trained as a 'Naturalist' by Taj safaris. 

The question raised by Alan Watts- “How would you live your life if money was no object ?” - pretty much sums up our lives post quitting, happy and content, following our passion- to travel.

41 comments:

  1. Congratulations Ram and Reshma. It is always a delight to read your posts. My favourite line is how you describe detachment from materialism. Keep going guys! The map never ends!

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    1. Thanks a ton Smruthi, glad you liked the post :)

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  2. I'm so proud of you guys. I can see the passion for travel in each and every word written here!

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  3. Always wonder and inspired by ur posts ... One f d coolest and adventures Jodi I ever seen... Luv u guys keep exploring ..gob bless u.. Take care stay safe

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    1. Thanks a ton Ramprasad.. really touched by your words.

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  4. Amazing. Felt really nice reading this. I wish you all the best for times ahead.

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  5. Hats off Ram. Some people take a lifetime to understand what you summed up here. Some never do. Looking forward to read more on the experience you had and some nice/ not so nice encounters. There are many like me who would get a vicarious thrill. Enjoy and spread the joy!!!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words Aishwarya, we are humbled.

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  6. Inspiring read! I have often wondered is I could just pack my bags and live on the road - honestly I can't, as I have a husband and more importantly a daughter who may not want a nomadic life, so I am trying to balance both. :)

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    1. Thanks a bunch Chaitali, we are very glad that you are able to do what you love and also strike a balance. Hats off to you.

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  7. You guys are role models! Showing it how it's done, and keeping it real :)
    Congrats and good luck!

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  8. I don't know what to say. Like most already said, you guys are not just an inspiration, but you two define the true meaning of 'being happy' and 'content'.

    Can't explain it in words but this post brought a certain calmness to my soul. I feel blessed and privileged to have known you both.

    God bless you both!

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    1. Thank you so much Jehangir for such kind words. We can't express how happy we are to know the post made you feel good :)

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  9. Amazing, Loved your pics from various part of the country. Good luck for the future.

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    1. Thanks Arun, incredible India made it real easy for us :)

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  10. Very inspiring! Congrats on your journey and wish you all the very best for your future.
    Shared it as well, hope it inspires others as well!

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  11. Reshma and RAM congrats on the dream live your living, an inspiration and will always be a source of motivation to many of us, keep rocking :)

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  12. Very inspiring; keep going both of you:)

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  13. Well done Ram n Resham.Proud of you that you had the courage and perseverance to adhere to the goals you both had chalked out to live life the way you wanted_not to trod the beaten path but explore new frontiers and uncoover hidden gems of incredible india and some other countries too.How about compiling them all in a book form?I'm sure it will be a best-seller!Do give it some thought both of you.All the best!

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    1. Thanks a ton for the kind words, a book maybe someday :)

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  14. Something I always want to do with a caravan :)
    Awesome!

    Btw, how do you make that kind of a map to track your travels? I have been really looking forward to get an idea into that.

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  15. That would be ideal:) good luck! We have used Facebook map that picks up places from our photo albums.

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  16. oh dear god! i hv been living in a cave, just going through everything you have been upto. this is killer!

    im in pune now, if you are ever passing by, come by and crash here, for real!

    keep traveling!

    and thanks for blogging everything in detail(photos & words), allows us to explore these places vicariously. so cool :)

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    1. Thanks a ton bro, glad you liked our blog.

      Thanks again for the generous offer will certainly visit Pune. If you are in Chennai do come by.

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  17. Great going Ram and Reshma.. The road less travelled needa lots of courage and confidence and support to be taken .. And u guys have shown that nothing is impossible .. Also ur defnition about money .. Hats off.. U guys set a great example .. Happieee travelling

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    1. Thanks a bunch for such kind words, truly humbled :)

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  18. Enlivening post, Ram. Love the way you put things. Enjoyed this blog, really! So where are you currently traveling?

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    1. Thanks a bunch Christopher for such kind words. Roadtripping to Leh, J&K in few weeks.

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  19. Met this beautiful couple today outside my office. I felt very inspired with their passion.Just 15 minute meeting and i felt like they are my close friends. :)
    All the best guys ... keep rocking !

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    1. Sandy bhai, thanks a ton for such kind words :) we too were so happy to meet such an inspiring engineer turned teacher. Rock on!

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  20. This is incredible stuff. We are embarking on a similar journey too. how to contact u both?

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    1. Thanks, Great to know that Madhuri, you can write to us @ ramkumarkrishnan85@gmail

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  21. Good stuff Ram and Reshama, keep it up and all the best! Today, first time, I came across your blog regarding Lonar Lake, it is really best. Lonar...place about 100 KM from my native but still not visited, although toured so much of India and 6- 7 countries abroad. Hope, I will be able to follow you and meet some time. If you visit UAE any time, please drop message at prashantmumbai5@gmail.com. Rgds..Prashant Pachpor

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    1. Thanks a bunch Prashant, glad you liked our blog. We hope during your next visit you experience the stunning Lonar.

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  22. Truly inspiring Ram. Love to visit at least few of those places.

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