Have you ever wished to quit your day job and wanted to explore every corner of the world? Well, meet Abhinav, a passionate traveller who has turned that dream into reality.
Well, today, on Travel Tour Idea, Abhinav joins us to share his incredible adventures, travel wisdom, and hidden gems he’s discovered along the way.
Before continuing, here is a minor update: We just started taking written interviews on our blog. If you are a traveller and would like to be featured, contact us. Stay tuned for more travel talks like this in the future.
Let’s warm welcome Abhinav, the wanderer by choice.
Hi Abhinav, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was fired from my job for travelling too much, destiny turned me into a travel blogger. Travel blogging fell into my lap during a tumultuous time when I was directionless.
It has worked for me. As of now, my travel blog, A Soul Window, has been listed as the top travel blog in India more than 40 times, and my interviews have been published in various leading magazines and newspapers. I have been blogging since 2014.
I have worked with several international tourism boards, such as Shymkent (Kazakhstan), Uganda, Sri Lanka, Canberra, Jordan, the U.A.E.U.A.E., Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan. Closer home, I have worked with more than 15 Indian state tourism boards.
To be counted as the Top Indian Travel Blogger was never my dream. I just wanted to travel all my life. Now that God has helped me achieve more than I had ever desired, I feel thankful and grateful for it.
I started travelling solo across India in 2008, and ever since, there has been no looking back. I have explored around 400 places in India and 15 countries.
What started as a soulful, spiritual journey has now turned into a business where I love to work every day, even on the weekends.
My travel writings and pictures have also been published in magazines and newspapers such as Lonely Planet, National Geographic, B.B.C.B.B.C., Times of India, Mint, Femina, Railbandhu, Jet Wings, Shubh Yatra, D.N.A.D.N.A. newspaper, Outlook Traveller Getaway guidebooks, Travel3sixty, Namaste.
A.I.A.I., Travel Escapades, Village Square, Go-Getter etc. My interviews have been published by Aaj Tak, DD Kashir, Turkestan T.V.T.V., Times of India, Hindustan Times, I Diva, Your Story, India Times, Ishq 104.8 FM, Radio One, Red FM, Radio City, etc.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road? If not, what are some of the significant challenges you’ve faced along the journey?
When I started travel blogging in 2014, it took a lot of work to find attention online. This was when no one cared about YouTube and Instagram. I started my website, A Soul Window, and within no time, I started getting a lot of attention.
It was an unusual success for those times. I moved from Navi Mumbai to Ghaziabad, and there was no looking back. Moving to Delhi, N.C.R.N.C.R. opened a plethora of opportunities for me.
Within months, I was interviewed and included in the best Indian Travel Blogger lists. I even bagged a fully sponsored luxury trip to Jordan.
But there was a problem. None of these were helping me earn. Most of such deals were on a barter basis for me. Today, I am charged a fee for attending a media trip. Still, earlier, I participated in many such trips on a barter basis.
However, eventually, I started earning well through my website, brand deals, campaigns, etc. Writing for other magazines and newspapers also added to my income. Some sponsors paid me in addition to inviting me on an all-paid media trip.
That said, the initial few years were very tough.
When I was fired from my job, I moved from my sea-view apartment in Navi Mumbai to a nearby chawl to cut costs. I never took any monetary help from my parents despite them offering the same.
I learnt some basic cooking and spent days at home looking for opportunities. Gradually, after a year of slow progress, things started to pick up when I moved to Delhi N.C.RN.C.R.
Whether a person wants to build an audience on a website, Instagram, or YouTube, I recommend waiting at least 1-2 years before seeing any actual results.
Not everyone can afford to work for so long, living on peanuts, but if you can manage to do this, you may achieve success. Nothing is guaranteed either, except for websites where you can see good, consistent growth.
The only challenge I faced during this journey was a regular flow of money. With time, things started to work in my favour.
We appreciate you sharing that with us, Abhinav. What should we know about travel influence, vlogging, and content creation?
Whether it is blogging, travel influencing, vlogging or other form of content creation, patience is the number one factor that plays a significant role in success. People think that the biggest of the creators got overnight success.
Even people around me call me ‘lucky,’ which annoys me to the core. Nothing happens by luck. No one saw my patience, years of honing my skills, sleepless nights, wet pillows, empty stomach days, and poor living conditions before I made it in travel blogging.
I thrived only because I persisted. Overnight success is a myth. Most of the biggest creators spent years in agony and low income before they made it big.
Also, the word blogging has been corrupted over the years. Presently, all the content creators are called as bloggers. Not many understand that a blogger is a person who has a regularly updated website.
People also falsely think that YouTubers and Instagrammers earn the most. This is far from the truth! Many bloggers who are not famous earn more than what even the best YouTubers ever earn.
Their numbers just need to be visible. If you are an introvert and a good writer, you can still make good money without having to jump around on Instagram and YouTube.
What are Abhinav’s upcoming plans and future goals?
I have a single goal of constant travel with good money inflow. I am a traveller at heart before anything else. And this is what I want to do all my life. I have been to all the states of India for over 15 years of solo independent travel.
In the future, I would love to explore parts of India where I have yet to travel, such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Diu, Spiti, and the Zanskar region. Internationally, South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa are high on my wish list.
Anything else you want to share with us Abhinav about yourself or your business?
I despise the words ‘influencer’ and ‘content’. Why can’t a travel blogger just call it a video or picture? Words like content sound very clinical. Someone like me who travels for the soul and personal mini-evolutions can not relate to such unemotional words.
Of course, I treat my blog as a business, but I will always be a traveller first. We should never forget why we started!
Abhinav’s contact information and social media listed below:
What was Abhinav’s biggest achievemnet till date?
Being able to embark upon the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is my most significant achievement in terms of travelling. It was a ‘God-sent’ opportunity, and I am lucky I was the chosen one.
To date, I am the only blogger who has done Kailash Mansarovar Yatra yet. Everest Base Camp Trek and seeing Uganda in a helicopter for eight days was also memorable.
Apart from the yatra, the mere fact that I am able to live the life of my dreams is an achievement in itself. It was a challenging journey for me, and I am glad I made this dream come true without anyone’s help.
I have successfully saved myself from nasty bosses, long daily commutes, and an ordinary life. By travelling far and wide solo and independently, I have also widened my horizons and enhanced my cognitive abilities.
Thanks for your time, Abhinav; if you want, you can share your experience with us below in short lines.
Thanks for the interview. Alright, Abinnav. It’s been wonderful talking with you, and we wish you all the best for your future. We hope your story motivates our readers to start travelling ASAP.
Frequently asked questions regarding Abhinav’s life and travel journey.
Below are the answers to the most asked questions regarding Abhinav’s life.
Q1. What is Abhinav’s monthly income?
Not known.
Q2. Is Abhinav single or taken?
Abhinav is single.