As I prepare for my year-end trip to Assam and Nagaland in Incredible India, I can’t help but reflect on the year that’s just whizzed by and the year that will undoubtedly come upon us faster than we can say travel.
Here are my reflections on the cusp of a new year.
• Isn’t it wonderful? Despite everything, there are still places on earth not that easy to get to.
When I tell people I am going to Nagaland, their first look is of bewilderment. “Where?” And then curiosity. “Why?” One even jabbed me on the shoulder and said, “Good on you.” Like I was travelling to the moon or something. For some, this tiniest of states in north-east India might as well be there.
Houses in Kohima, the hilly capital of Nagaland – still many places to be discovered (Image credit: undefined-undefined/iStock-Getty Images)
But it shows that despite Disney and technology telling us what a small world it is, we do live on a big, diverse planet and there are many places not on the well-beaten travel path, yet to be discovered.
As much as I have travelled, I know I have barely scratched the surface of Planet Earth.
• Dreams stay in you a long time, so hold on to them till it’s time to live them
The seed for Nagaland was first planted when I met a Gurkha, a long time ago, and he told me he trained in its mountains and valleys. I had a crush on him so I determined to tread where his footsteps had been. I never even bothered to find out if it was the truth. As we have found out these days, what we hold to be truths are true, never mind the facts.
Travel is fuelled by dreams. Seeds are planted in encounters, conversations, books, movies and now, social media.
Kachari Ruin in Dimapur, Nagaland (Image credit: undefined-undefined/iStock-Getty Images)
• We may live in a convenient world, but I am not sure we should live for convenience
We live in a world of convenience. Food is delivered to our doorstep, drivers come to us on demand, cars are now sold in Alibaba’s giant vending machines. Travelling to Assam and Nagaland is far from convenient. First, the visa although the new e-visa application process is so much easier than before. Second, the arrangements – the flight and out of Kolkatta was easy, the rest has taken almost six months in the planning. Not by us but by my tour operator friend, Uttara Sarkar Crees, who makes a living designing travel itineraries for people who want to go beyond the tried and trusted paths. There’s no AI in Uttara, only HI – the changes, the arrangements, I don’t see any Lola taking over in my lifetime, but then they do say, life is short.
• Anticipating the next wave – you can prepare but you can never be really ready
I’ve been reading up a lot about Assam and Nagaland. I know the facts. Tea plantations, tribal cultures, hornbill festival (featured image), population of just over 1m in Nagaland, making it the smallest Indian state, there’s an ongoing fight for autonomy. We will be travelling by plane, four-wheel drive and boats. I’ve requested no elephant rides, so not sure what’s the alternative when we go wildlife viewing. A friend who went to school in Darjeeling in Assam tells me the area is absolutely beautiful especially Nagaland which is unlike anywhere else in India. The people are unique, the scenery spectacular. I’ve been advised what to pack, what to tip. I am full of anticipation and as prepared as I can be but I know I can never be fully ready for the experience.
Tea pickers at a tea plantation in Assam (Image credit: TinusPhotoBooth/iStock-Getty Images)
It’s like this next wave in digital that’s coming to transform travel. Voice, machine learning, robotics, chatbots, blockchain – we can read up as much about it as possible, listen to experts and prepare but we can never be fully ready.
All we can do is be open-minded, be nimble enough to go with the flow, yet be purposeful enough to know why and where we want to get to, and figure out the how along the way.
• The big will get bigger but we need the small to keep travel diverse
On this trip, I will stay in two branded hotels – Swissotel Kolkatta and Oberoi Grand – the rest are in independently-run accommodation I never heard of. I am sure that during the course of the 10-day trip, I will meet lots of entrepreneurs, traders, tour guides, drivers all of whom add to the fabric of what is called experiences these days. Long may they thrive. It’s what we travel for.
• Cracking the code for the last mile
The next wave of travel will be fought on the ground – the in-destination piece, which brings us full cycle. In the old days of group travel, it was the inbound operators who ruled. They had the hotels, coaches, tour guides, itineraries. Who will rule in the in-destination piece, from transportation to tours & activities, in the mobile age? Will it be the specialists who sell tours & activities, will it be the accommodation giants like Airbnb and Booking.com who have launched their own Experiences, will it be hotels who should have a natural, physical advantage or will it be ride-hailing companies who have frequency and data and thus, the power to recommend truly local experiences to travellers?
It is often said, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. In this next wave though, it may be more about the destination, less about the journey.
Whatever, I can’t wait to experience the last mile in Assam and Nagaland.
Safe travels wherever you’re headed and Happy new year.
Thw Khemniungam tribe of Nagaland (Image & featured image of Hornbill Festival credit: Nagaland Tourism)