Read Part 1 of the interview here. Follow Roop and her adventures at www.roopgill.com.
Getting to Know Me
Name: Roop Gill
Current City: London, UK
Age: 23
Personal Travel Quote: “The best is yet to come.”
Cities you have lived: Addis Ababa, Toronto, Sydney, Singapore, and Aarhus (Denmark).
This travel blog is about independent travel from a South Asian perspective. From your experience, do you think young South Asians take advantage of travelling or living abroad as compared to other cultures?
I do believe that a lot of young people, around my age and with my background, have an itch to travel abroad, but they may not necessarily have the support of their parents or the savings or the time to do so.
Although I am often the “token Indian” in my backpacking groups and have many South Asian friends who have never been outside of North America, on the flipside I also have several South Asian friends who are always jet setting to different parts of the world. It’s hard to generalize and say “young South Asians don’t travel enough.” But, it’s also no secret that our culture emphasizes things like higher education, getting a job, getting married, settling down.
I don’t think young South Asians take full advantage of travelling and living abroad, but I also feel that the parents in our community need to be educated on the importance of travel.
Did any of your pre-trip worries come true? Did you face any problems that you hadn’t anticipated while living abroad?
I am ridiculously optimistic and somewhat organized so I had prepared myself for most “surprises” before I left Canada. The biggest problem with living my lifestyle is money. Even with the help of scholarships, freelance gigs and donations from the “Bank of Parents”, the last year has burnt a serious hole in my savings pocket. But…I wouldn’t trade my experiences for any amount of money.
What travel gear has been the most useful? The least useful?
Most useful – my iPhone! I use it to take photos, write notes, listen to music, and keep in touch with family when I find WiFi.
Least useful – my e-reader! I bought it before moving abroad so that I wouldn’t have to take my books with me, but I found that I never ended up using it.
What lessons have you learned on the road?
Write down as much as you can, take lots of photos (but don’t post them all on Facebook – your friends will get annoyed), talk to locals, tell your story, have a good time and always take a moment to reflect on your blessings and the good life.
How has your personal definition of travel developed over your many adventures?
When I was younger, I classified travel as my hobby. I was a bit of a passport stamp collector. I liked making lists of places I had been to and those that I wanted to visit. I read Lonely Planet articles for fun.
My current country count is 31. Many items on my bucket list have been checked off. And while I am still giddy about my upcoming adventures, travel has become less of a hobby and more of a lifestyle. I love this nomad way of life. I enjoy living out of a suitcase. And I am dreading going back to the everyday grind, but it’s inevitably going to happen within the next year.
Any advice for someone hoping to embark on a similar journey?
There is a famous quote from Tony Wheeler, the founder of Lonely Planet that I keep going back to: “All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over.”
So… make up your mind and just go!
Where is your next international travel destination?
Now that I am in London, I am really excited to use this as a launch pad for exploring European cities that I haven’t visited yet. Amsterdam and Berlin are on top of that list, but I also want to explore a lot more of Eastern Europe.
