While the lockdown fell hard and heavy on innumerable people, for some, it opened doors to tremendous possibilities – like the three friends in their 60s who ventured out on a month-long road trip!
However, Kartik Vasan and Smriti Bhadoria, an Indian couple living in Toronto, took their travel-enthusiastic souls a step further. According to CN Traveller, in 2020, the couple gave up on their comfortable apartment with a splendid view and bought a caravan so that they can travel far and wide with their dog, Everest!
Kartik and Smriti had been thinking of living a vagabond-ish life for a long time. But when the pandemic hit, they thought there wouldn’t be a better time to hit the road. Their goal was to travel from Canada across the United States and finally hit Patagonia in South America. They planned to cover at least 10 countries.
The vintage caravan, which is 44 years old, was bought back in 2018. Initially, the car was 50% functional and didn’t have water storage or electricity. Eventually, a lot of work was put into making it fully functional – with electricity, a 20-gallon water tank that lasts them for a week, a queen-sized bed, and a large enough kitchen.
“We have winter jackets, swimsuits, ski and camping equipment. But other than that, our closet is very minimalistic—five T-shirts and pants. We have one fancy pair of clothes for our date nights,” Smriti said.
Both of them work remotely – Kartik in IT and Smriti in Digital Marketing. They start working at 6.30 AM and wrap up by 2 PM. Their bosses don’t mind them wrapping early as they get work done and meet targets pretty efficiently. After work, they go on hikes, watch sunsets, and spend a good time outdoors.
They cook Indian meals, sometimes indoors and sometimes by the beach.
However, leading such a life is far from what is shown on social media. It comes with its ups and downs. While a vagabond life promises adventure, basic everyday needs take a toll.
“You have to plan to stay close to the city when you’re nearing the end of your supplies. We have to park close to a washroom. Our campervan doesn’t have a toilet. We use Starbucks, gas stations and Shewee. For showers, we use gym memberships, truck stop paid showers and outdoor solar showers,” they said.
However, the ‘ups’ make it all worth it!
“You’re so damn free. You can just switch off your laptop, and go for a hike. Come back and just fall off to sleep right there. You can’t do this in the city unless it’s the weekend, and those two days just fly by. We started off with the idea of doing it for six months, but we don’t have an end date in sight. For us, every day is the weekend now.”
They also mentioned how living such a life isn’t for everybody. People need to be patient, less demanding, and able to move on quickly from bad days.
Wah, life ho toh aisi!
Cover pics: source.