Technically, the longest trip lasted ten days. Emotionally, it lasted much longer. The photographs continued for months, the stories for years, and the laundry… let’s not discuss the laundry. 😂

Some trips end when you reach home. Some somehow refuse to.

You unpack, put away the souvenirs, wash clothes that have travelled almost as much as you have, and think, “Okay, back to normal.”

But somehow, you’re never completely back.

A photograph appears on your phone. Someone mentions a place. You hear a song you played on the road. And suddenly, you’re there again.

I’ve had quite a few trips like that.

The road to Bhutan

Our India-to-Bhutan road trip was one of them.

The ghats, the rivers, the views… absolutely beautiful. There were stretches where the river seemed to be following us. Every time we thought we had left it behind, there it was again.

The only problem?

Food.

There were surprisingly few options along some stretches of the road. So while the scenery was busy taking our breath away, our stomachs were busy asking, “Great view. But where’s lunch?” 😂

Still, it was an amazing journey.

One of my longest trips: Goa

Then there was Mumbai to Goa with friends.

We had actually gone out to a mall.

And somehow, we ended up in Goa.

That was the entire planning process.

We had no luggage prepared for Goa. Just our wallets and the car. Once we reached, we simply went shopping for whatever we needed.

Short trip. Almost no planning.

Big memories.

Sometimes, apparently, the best travel plans are the ones you never make.

And then there was Changu Lake

Darjeeling and Gangtok gave us another memory I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

We went in early winter and were driving towards Changu Lake. The car heater was on, but outside there was bright sunshine.

So, naturally, when we stopped, we got out without shawls or sweaters.

It was sunny. What could possibly go wrong? 😂

For the first few seconds, nothing.

Then the cold hit.

And when I say cold, I mean the kind that makes you immediately question every decision that brought you there.

Our driver had gone down to get something to eat, and we were standing there completely unprepared, discovering that bright sunshine at that altitude does not necessarily mean warmth.

That trip still makes me smile.

Maybe because the best travel memories aren’t always the grand ones.

Sometimes they are the silly little moments.

A meal you still remember.

A road you still picture.

A completely unexpected detour.

A place you weren’t prepared for.

Or the moment you realise that yes, you really should have carried that sweater. 😂

And sometimes, the souvenirs that last the longest aren’t the ones you buy.

They’re the stories you keep telling.

And sometimes I wonder if we’re even supposed to measure a trip by its duration.

Because I have taken trips that lasted several days and trips that were over before we had properly figured out what we were doing.

Yet ask me about them years later, and I’ll remember the river in Bhutan, the completely unplanned drive to Goa, or the exact moment at Changu Lake when we realised that sunshine had absolutely nothing to do with warmth. 😂

Maybe that’s the real measure of a long trip.

How much of it stays with you after you’ve come home.

And if that’s the measure, I’ve probably taken some very, very long trips.

So, what’s the longest trip you’ve ever taken?

And forget the number of days for a moment—what’s the one little memory from that trip that has stayed with you?

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Until The Next Whisper,

—Rajeshwari 🧿💕

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