Although India has always been a top tier destination for us, the hype and intimidation that has surrounded it has indefinitely left it on the back burner list.
Why force it? It will happen when the time is right for us.
The first seed was planted last September of 2018 by one of my old high school friends, Ryan Bennett: an all star athlete, ultra-marathoner, world traveler, blogger and founder of his own nonprofit! Perhaps most notably, he has spent the last couple of years bringing WeWork to India. “Come in November for Diwali.” How could we say no??!
We planned for it and really tried to make it work but unfortunately, it was simply too much movement on short notice and we had to postpone it one more year.
Fast forward to July 24, 2019. Patricia (Fresh Traveler) and Javier (MYGHT) invited Carmela to do a FAM trip organized with Travel With Us.
It was an opportunity to test out an itinerary, which could indirectly generate some funds for Carmela’s nonprofit, FLYTE.
We had a cause, a purpose, a reason greater than curiosity or the test of mental and physical strength. And it was designed by a team we completely trust. This was it! This was exactly the calling we were waiting for!!
For months, we waited for approval from the Tourism Board Of India. The scheduled date of departure (September 14, 2019) was fast approaching and we still didn’t even have (nor apply) for our visa. It started to feel like maybe India just wasn’t in the cards for us, after all…
…until 4:30pm, September 6, 2019. Carmela received word that we were approved! We had just over a week to pack and get our things in order.
By this time we had been in the US for seven and a half months straight, longer than any trip back since we went full time remote in December of 2015. What better way to shake things up than this long awaited trip of a lifetime??
How was it? As with any new destination, it’s often hard to put it into words. So we tried our hand at filming and editing a highlight reel of our introduction to Incredible !ndia. Don’t forget to turn up the volume 🙂 (Password: namaste)
Kerala, India from No Wrong Turns on Vimeo.
So, what do you think? Does this make you want to visit Kerala? We can plan it for you! #NoWrongTours