A travelling entrepreneur is a happy entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurship does come with a hectic schedule but it also brings along opportunities to travel to news places. Taking you business to a new country, going to a different state just to meet an investor or just taking time off after months of working, travelling in any form is both fun and a learning experience.
Getting to know new cultures and learning to adapt to new circumstances are some of the many by products of travelling that can be very useful in business. Also, travelling experience changes you as a person and broadens your mind. Each experience is different and can teach you something new.
We asked entrepreneurs and some of their memorable travelling experiences and places they wish they can go back to.
The Argentinean cough that took us from drug store to drug store
Kanika Tekriwal, Founder, JetSetGo – South America is my absolute favourite. I would give an arm and a leg to visit the continent every chance I got. The thing I enjoyed most is to go out there and talk to strangers. I’ve made some of my closest friends travelling and talking to absolute strangers in restaurants, clubs and trains. I am also a big endorser of trying all food local.
A funny incident that happened on the trip, well I can laugh about it now, is that I managed to get the Argentinean cough. It was a horrible cough, which barely allowed me to speak two words without coughing spread over a p of some 8-9 days. We struggled from drug store to drug store trying to explain to chemists what it was we were in need of. Post which we had to board our flight to Peru where I had the entire aircraft awake simply because I was coughing. I learnt my lesson and never left the country after that without my big bag of local drugs.
Good people, good food, weird people and weird food
Ashwini Ashokan, CEO and Co-founder, Mad Street Den – California is my meditation, the place that brings me so much peace and freedom to me. When I get off the flight – I can’t explain the joy I feel. Good people, good food, weird people and weird food. It feels so right, helps me think out of the box all the time. I’ve been on ethnographic trips doing field work, design research and attending conferences and they’re some of the best places to talk to people. People therapy I call it. And it worked out well because that was work for me at one point in my life. Not to mention the beauty and history in these places.
Chennai, where I’m from, is also among my favourites. You can’t take Madras out of me. I have a love hate relationship with her.
We did’t know if we’ll survive the ride or not
Amit Koshal, Founder ; CEO, Fashalot – Sikkim. It’s a beautiful destination with serenity and amazing people everywhere. We went to Nathula Pass. The drive is crazy, every single minute in probably a 2 hrs ride, you don’t know if you will survive the ride or not. But the journey gave me enough courage to sail through in difficult times.
I became Ms. Rugs and Beyond
Sakshi Talwar, Founder, Rugs ; Beyond – The most interesting was last summer on a Mediterranean cruise. Every day during noon when most of the people were by the deck, I would wear my company T-shirt which boldly said “Keep Calm and shop Rugs and Beyond”. Sure, it’s a great way to promote your brand while cruising with 3000 plus passengers; however by the end of the trip people knew me as Ms. Rugs and Beyond to the extent that even the cruise staff addressed me calling that. It was so much fun interacting with all those people and of course generated business later on.
The Khmer regime changed my perspective towards life completely
Likitha Bhanu, CEO and Founder, Terra Greens – I recently visited Cambodia which was great and I learnt a lot, especially about the Cambodian genocide which happened in the 70s. I think knowing about what the Cambodian people went through and the extent of damage that happened during the Khmer regime changed my perspective towards life completely. Compared to the problems Cambodia faces every day, my problems felt so insignificant and for once, I felt really grateful for living in a country which values freedom and protects us from harm. Cambodia definitely holds a special place in my heart and I feel that more people should educate themselves about the Cambodian genocide and definitely visit!
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