Sometimes the best experiences are impromptu ones
As a Travel specialist and an erstwhile Trip leader, the happiest moments for me are always when I am on the ground and it gets even better when I am on the Ground with Travel Advisor's on a FAM Trip.
Here is one such incident, It was in 2020, just as Industry was recovering from the pandemic and things were limping back to normal. A couple of Travel Advisors whose India visit was long overdue were in India and this was to be a trip to cross check the Hotels that we use. An exercise we regularly undertake to ensure that the quality is maintained.
The Site Inspections were all done, the trip to Ranthambore had been a huge success and all that was left was an evening Dinner, which the Hotel owner was cooking for us, It was a casual setting in one of the lawns of the hotel, tables had been set with drinks and snacks, chairs were brought out, a fire pit had been installed for cooking the local delicacy called Laal Maas (literally translated red meat) which is cooked over slow fire with red chillies, a barbeque was set up to serve snacks. All in all a typical example of Rajasthani hospitality.
Over drinks and snacks, under a star lit sky everything under the sun was discussed and before we knew it, it was closer to mid night. Everyone was tired but no one wanted to go back to the rooms, when suddenly our host asked us if we wanted to see the foxes in the wild.
In a matter of seconds everyone sprang into action and we made way to his SUV and were on the road. we must have driven for around 5 minutes when we spotted the foxes.
From here we drove to yet another site and saw a few more foxes, the jungle has a completely different vibe in the night, the inability to see beyond a certain distance just adds to the magic of what comes next.
We were gone for about 45 minutes, but once we got back instead of heading back to our rooms now that everyone was wide awake we continued to sit and chat till wee hours of the morning. Indian hospitality was at its finest this night, drinks were replenished regularly even at 0200 hours kebabs and Paneer tikkas were being grilled for us and conversation, thanks to all the drinks flowing, was from the heart.
We left Ranthambore with puffy eyes with less than 3 hours of sleep but that didn't matter, the trip was fruitful and the evening with its impromptu safari was a one of its kind experience.
It is these experiences in Travel that make it truly an amazing profession for me. The People you meet, the culture you experience and the memories you make.