Shivya Nath inspires millions of people! She taught us to follow and chase dreams no matter what your age, gender or financial conditions are! Here is a quick yet satisfying sneak-peek in her full-size life!
Lately, a lot of you folks have asked me about my "sponsors" – apparently some genie-like people who fund my travels 😜 . . So I thought it's time to un-rub that magic lamp and tell you the truth. There ain't no sponsors. I fund 80% of my own travels, and the other 20%, I travel on assignment for travel-related companies whose travel philosophy matches mine, and create content for them✏️ . . How do I fund 80% of my travels? Through travel blogging… I've worked for years to build an engaged, organic readership, and like-minded brands recognize the value of my honest opinions in the travel space. I also try to accumulate loyalty points from airline and accommodation websites I love. And I'm always on the hunt for good travel deals and money saving ideas. Like recently, when the folks @matrixtravelcompanion reached out to me, I discovered a new app to score awesome last minute discounts on hotels and short-term apartment rentals (check it out; it also lets you discover travel ideas / activities in your given location!) 🌏 . . Ultimately, whatever I earn and whatever I save, I spend it on travelling. Because like a wise soul once said, you can't buy happiness but you can buy a plane ticket, and that's kind of the same thing 😉 . . So if you dream of travelling long term, stop looking for a magic lamp or a genie or "sponsors". Start experimenting with your skills, come up with a savings goal, and make it happen. The link in my bio is a compilation of all my travel secrets, if you want to know more about how I made it happen👆 . . Photo –> My "office" in the backdrop of Mt Krn in the Soca Valley 😍 . . #theshootingstar #digitalnomad #livingoutofasuitcase #livethere #workhardanywhere
A post shared by Shivya Nath (@shivya) on Jun 22, 2017 at 10:37pm PDT
Weekly feature: #theshootingstar . 👉 Olympic National Park, near Seattle . 👉 Photo by @zenandzany . . "Right in the middle of an extremely busy and demanding career in consulting, I slowly came to realize that I was constantly prioritizing work above everything else in my life. It was time to hit the reset button. I got on this self-imposed sabbatical, a serious infusion of ME time." . . Mohini says that among other things, she is using her time off to travel because it puts her outside her comfort zone. She loves the opportunities that come with encountering unknown situations, places, people 🐾 . . "This moment happened on the way to Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park, near Seattle. The air was fresh, moisture-laden; there was snow along the trail, green velvety moss on every surface in sight; and the day was foggy with a hint of rain, with occasional sunlight peeking through giant trees." Follow her adventures 👆 . . Hashtag your travel photos for a chance to be featured on my gallery every week ⛄️ . . #seattle #traveladdict #ifoundawesome #wearetravelgirls #wanderlust
A post shared by Shivya Nath (@shivya) on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:42pm PDT
1300 days ago, I decided to let go off my rented apartment, sold most of my belongings, packed the rest into a backpack and started calling the road "home". I wondered how long it would take me to crave a 'normal' life again. Turns out, a different country every few months, a different bed every few weeks, a different horizon every other morning, and a different way of life every now and then, is my definition of 'normal' now 🌏 . . Cycling Taiwan's East Rift Valley, with the mist-clad Eastern coastal range on one side, the roaring Pacific Ocean on the other and lush rice paddies in between, was intoxicating. When the going got tough, I played mental math and calculated the number of days I've been on the road without a home 😝 . . And you, what's your definition of 'normal' these days? . . #theshootingstar #taiwan #slowtravel #welivetoexplore #lptraveller
A post shared by Shivya Nath (@shivya) on Apr 2, 2017 at 10:59pm PDT
As much as I wanted to explore Koraput's tribal culture, I was in two minds about traveling there. The last thing I wanted to do was ask a differently dressed tribal woman to pose for me for 10 rupees, or discreetly steal a photo of them – for that's what some guidebooks seem to suggest and many tour operators and tourists seem to do. It just feels wrong. This is possibly India's last generation to keep their culture alive, not a safari, not objects waiting to be photographed. What I really wanted was to sit with them in their front yard, hear their stories, share some of mine, and drink to good health. . . Luckily, I stumbled upon Desia, a socially responsible tourism venture in the hinterlands of Koraput – and stayed in their charming, traditionally built mud cottage, hosted by staff from the neighboring tribal villages. Along with the owner who's travel philosophy in these parts is similar to mine, I drank fresh palm toddy with Harijan women, shared light-hearted moments with Paraja women, hung out with Bonda men, and feasted on festive food in a Mali village. . . If you ask me, traveling is not about the photos. It is first about opening our minds to an unconventional way of life and sharing a memory with someone who's world is completely different from ours. So it also becomes about finding the right people to travel with, guide you, translate for you and host you. I'm glad I picked Desia (the word refers to the lowland tribes of Koraput) for that… and these star studded night skies were just a bonus 😍 . . #theshootingstar #odisha #indiapictures #responsibletravel #nightphotography
A post shared by Shivya Nath (@shivya) on Mar 19, 2017 at 7:47am PDT
A BIG thank you to everyone who came for the @natgeotravellerindia meetup yesterday! It was such a fun evening, talking about responsible and slow travel, hearing your stories, answering your curious questions (from hitchhiking to how to make your blog stand out), and putting a face to handles I've been tweeting / Instagram chatting with for years 😇 . . One of my resolutions for 2017 is to fight my public speaking demons and share more of what I've learnt in my journey as a travel blogger and digital nomad. Last week, I enjoyed sharing the stage with eminent travel writer Dilip D'Souza on a panel on travel writing at KC College, and yesterday, with @nehadara – deputy editor of Nat Geo, @hungryvagabond and Mark Hannant on what the world of travel will look like this year 🌏 . . Next: I'll be talking about how responsible travel companies can use digital marketing to reach the right audience, along with my friend and fellow blogger @breathedreamgo – at the Responsible Travel Summit in Delhi by @outlooktraveller on 19th Jan; come say hi if you're around! . . Thanks to @dreamtravler27 & Kavita Peter for the photos!
A post shared by Shivya Nath (@shivya) on Jan 14, 2017 at 4:14am PST
"I don't like it when people crib about their lives. If you don't like something, change it." ⛄️ . I remember my aunt's words many years ago, when we sat drinking beer at a microbrewery in Singapore. I didn't know what she meant then by "change it", but when I went back to the same brewery after all these years yesterday, I realized I have more or less figured it out 😇 . . Maybe you know that I spent 6 years of my life studying and working in Singapore. The cribbing always stemmed from the lack of freedom a corporate job afforded. I always wanted to be someplace else, doing something else. When I gradually took the plunge to quit and experiment with other ways of life, I was trading a big steady income for freedom – and it's the best choice I've made for myself 🙌 . . The point is, she was right. When you don't like something in your life, only you can change it. You have to set your mind to it, take responsibility, fight battles against those who think they know what's best for you, and go in knowing that it might not work out in the end. But if you ask me, life is better spent experimenting and failing, than simply cribbing 🎉 . . And you, any Sunday wisdom to share? . . PS: I've mostly been running errands and catching up with friends in Singapore, so this is another sunset from another day, in Indonesia! #theshootingstar #sunsetmadness #digitalnomad
A post shared by Shivya Nath (@shivya) on Dec 17, 2016 at 10:06pm PST
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