Beyond Hyderabad: The Journey That Changed My Perspective

I like to travel, however, my work has always kept me in and around Hyderabad. I had begun to identify travel as an idea versus an experience. I was born and raised in Hyderabad, so everything outside of the city was unexplored. The opportunity to travel with my team from work changed this. My workplace sent me to Dandeli and Gokarna.I was finally going to see what it was like to leave Hyderabad and see what was waiting for me outside of my comfort zone. Something about leaving Hyderabad felt right, even if it was just for a work trip. For the first time, I was experiencing what it meant to leave something familiar behind. Starting anything is always going to be the hardest part. This was no different. From the waiting area of the bus station to sitting in the bus that had Hyderabad in its rear-view mirror, I was able to get to know my coworkers in a different way. It felt natural. People I knew in a professional capacity became people with a personality that I could engage with. The path itself was an important part of the trip.At work, people are normally known by their responsibilities and titles. But outside of the office, they are not as important. A journey becomes a different kind of place, a place where all one does is chat, laugh, eat, tell stories, and spend some time.

Dandeli and Gokarna
Dandeli taught me something new about travel. The greenery, openness, and proximity to nature made me feel a distance from my daily surroundings. It helped me understand that at times we need to get away from our surroundings to know what the world has in store for us. From Dandeli, I made a trip to Gokarna, and the ambience totally transformed. Forests and adventure were replaced by beaches, waves, skies, and silence. Standing next to the sea made me think that sometimes travel is not only about reaching another tourist destination. Sitting there and chatting or just observing waves can make the trip unforgettable.

Beyond Language
The next lesson I learned from my travels involved the differences that I observed, especially concerning language and communications. Sometimes, language is not enough for communication. However, communication proceeds. A smile, a gesture, being patient, or just trying to understand the other person is able to remove barriers even where language fails. Travel brings out the differences, but travel shows us something else too. Underneath different languages, traditions and cultures, different lifestyles of the people we meet, there are still many things that we share as human beings. These include curiosity, kindness, laughter, and communion that need no translation.
 

More than Colleagues
Undoubtedly, the most important thing I discovered about my colleagues through this journey was how much more than just colleagues they are. Apart from all of the work-related activities, I had the opportunity to learn people and understand them better. Communicating on a more personal level, laughing, and having fun together helped me understand that travelling together creates a bond that is not necessarily created at a workplace. You might start your journey as a group of colleagues, but somehow you return as friends.

What I Have Brought Back
Everything felt familiar when I came back to Hyderabad, but I was no longer the same person that I had been when I left. I came back carrying with me memories of Dandeli, the serene shores of Gokarna, conversations along the way, new acquaintances, and more appreciation of the world around me than before. My first venture out of Hyderabad opened up a whole new understanding to me that travelling is not just about places, but also about people, experiences, differences, conversations and viewpoints. Hyderabad is where my trip started, Dandeli provided me with an adventure, Gokarna with serenity, and the road in between them provided me with memories. My trip might have begun with this particular trip, but my travels do not end here. Sometimes you leave your familiar world to see the world, only to come back and find a little more of yourself in the process.