How do I finance my travels and other passions

15/1/2025

How do I finance my travels and other passions

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

It is easy to give up on our passions by giving excuses to ourselves

Keeping our passions alive is a challenging endeavor, and sustaining them financially is even more arduous. I can attest to this firsthand. It may come as a surprise, but I once abandoned my passion solely due to my own financial concerns. Let me take you back to 1997-1998, when I discovered my first passion: Badminton. I achieved remarkable success, winning the State Championship and representing myself at the National Badminton Championships. My entire life revolved around badminton, and I never imagined my existence without it. However, in 1999, my parents compelled me to abandon badminton to prepare for my board exams. Despite my earnest attempts to convince them to allow me to pursue a career in badminton, I failed to persuade them. Consequently, I spent the next six years in a state of deep depression. For years, I held onto the belief that my parents had shattered my spirit with that decision. Living in the Himalayas provided me with a sense of “nirvana,” albeit not a profound one. Gradually, I realized that my insecurity stemmed from my fear of financial inadequacy. If I had pursued a career in badminton and not been able to secure a stable income, it would have been easier for me to give up.

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

Started spending on my passions (dancing) after I started earning

Taking up computer engineering, securing an internship at an IT multinational, and living a comfortable life was a breeze. My first job was at TCS Ahmedabad, where I was a workaholic and progressed well during my first year. However, I soon realized that the other aspects of corporate life didn’t interest me much. After accumulating a wardrobe filled with the latest fashion trends, money became less of a concern for me. I yearned to pursue my passions. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find suitable badminton partners in Ahmedabad. So, I turned to my next passion: dancing. (I had studied Kathak in school.) I enrolled in the best dance classes in town and honed my skills in various styles, including Jive, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Waltz, Hip-Hop, and Jazz. While others (who were earning as well as me) would fret about the costs, I went ahead and invested in my dancing education. I also cut back on unnecessary expenses like salon visits, beauty treatments, fashion accessories, dresses, sandals, and makeup. Additionally, I decided to take up swimming again.

Moved to Pune to continue pursuing my passion in sports and adventure

I embarked on my first-ever Himalayan trek to Bhrigu Lake (14,500 feet) when I was 16 years old. It was an unforgettable experience that left a lasting impact on me. However, I faced a dilemma: how could I pursue my passion for adventure while juggling my job? Seeking a solution, I joined Infosys and relocated to Pune. My intention was to explore adventure activities on weekends, but to my astonishment, I discovered a hidden gem within the Infosys campus—sexy wooden badminton courts. After a gap of 12 long years, I picked up my racquet once again and dedicated myself to badminton. Through my passion and dedication, I became the “Corporate Badminton Champion of Pune” for several years while residing in the city.

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

I began dedicating time and money to dancing (this time, it was Tango with Sandip Soparrkar and Bachata). On weekends, I embarked on city explorations, visiting markets, bars, spas, restaurants, and the nightlife. Soon, I purchased my sweetheart, the i10, on EMI (Infosys had offered me a substantial bonus for joining). This enabled me to venture out of town on weekends, transforming long drives into exciting road trips.

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

I began taking weekend treks and engaging in other adventure activities in the Sahyadris.

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

Started traveling to take my passions (trekking and scuba diving) to another level

I switched jobs to IBM for a modest pay increase and upgraded my wine preferences from Sula to French wines. My treks in the Sahyadris were replaced by treks in the Himalayas. As I hiked in the Himalayas, I discovered that engaging in activities brings me greater happiness than accumulating material possessions. I’ve written a separate post about this transformation: How trekking changed my perspective on life. With this newfound attitude, I was able to reduce my spending on materialistic luxuries that were once part of my life. I started saving even more money to fund more challenging and expensive mountain expeditions and international trips for scuba diving. I also had to invest a significant amount in purchasing the necessary gear.

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

Quit my IT career to give myself a chance to make a living out of my passions

I never owned anything substantial except my car. I lacked the savings to invest in anything except the annual Tax saver FDs. I was content with managing the best lifestyle I could afford. However, comfort always made me feel uneasy. One persistent issue was that I wasn’t utilizing my full potential, which frustrated me. I recognized that my potential far exceeded my own imagination. This realization led me to rediscover my passion—this time, it was for adventures. After working for 9.5 years, I gathered the courage to quit my job, take a year-long break, and assess if I had the fortitude to pursue my passions. The only savings I had when I left my job were my maturing Tax-Saver FDs and my accumulated PF. Despite this, I still had the courage to part with most of my belongings, retaining only what I truly needed that could fit in my car, ensuring my mobility and location independence.

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

Lived on my savings and collaborated with Tourism Boards

After quitting my job, I dedicated the entire year to my savings. I embarked on a 1.5-month backpacking and adventure trip to Southeast Asia, exploring Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Subsequently, I spent 16 months living and backpacking in various parts of Himachal Pradesh. During this time, I even managed to purchase a MacBook Air and high-end trekking shoes. I made a conscious effort to avoid unnecessary spending and focused solely on the essentials. After relocating to Tirthan Valley, I began blogging regularly. This led to invitations for sponsored trips by tourism boards. Additionally, I completed a few sponsored treks with trekking companies and was fortunate enough to visit luxury properties for property reviews.

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

Freelanced as travel blogger and travel planner

My year-long break ended in March 2017, and I was supposed to resume earning from April onwards, as per my initial plan. However, I had made up my mind to forgo corporate life and pursue my passion for adventure travel. I was a bit concerned about my financial situation and decided to freelance with travel companies for travel writing and blogging assignments, as well as personalizing trips for a few enthusiastic travelers. (This wasn’t an easy task either. I had even carried my laptop to the Everest Base Camp trek and worked from there during the acclimatization days.) The freelance work started covering 80% of my modest expenses, and on the side, I continued to work diligently to establish myself in the business aspect of adventure travel.

RavenousLegs - Solo Travel, Adventure Travel, Sustainable Travel

Made my way to my dream job

It took me four more months than my deadline, but I eventually landed a dream job. I’m now the Product Manager for SCUBA Diving for Trip360, a new adventure unit of Cox and Kings. Adventure and travel are now my passions! Getting here was incredibly challenging, but I’m glad I didn’t give up on my second passion because of financial insecurities.

So, all of you who were simply seeking figures and calculations, such as the percentage of my salary I kept for my passions, the annual amount I spent on my travels, and the like, I understand that I’ve let you down with this post.

However, I can confidently say that all of my passions were entirely funded by my own efforts, even while I managed to cover all my living expenses, took care of myself when I fell ill, cooked and bought my own food, drove myself to various places, stood up for myself, made my own decisions, and pampered myself with wines—ALL BY MYSELF. And let me tell you, EVERYTHING came with a price!

My intention is to convey that it was never about my earnings (I’ve made significant compromises on my income to dedicate time to my passions) or my spending. It was always about my attitude towards my passions and my priorities.

I viewed spending on my passions as an investment, which is ultimately paying off.