How a trip with my girlfriends made me feel empowered
Months ago I had watched a web series called The Trip and was awed by it instantly.
Awed, because it was about four girls taking a road trip to Thailand.
I have had umpteen numbers of trips in my life, some with only male friends and some with both my male and female friends, but I had never been in an all-girls’ trip.
Undeniably, I was looking forward to an opportunity, and about a month ago, I got a reason to plan a girls’ trip. A very dear friend of mine was going through a 'low' phase due to her break-up. I thought this was the right moment to plan a girls’ trip to Kerala.
Isn’t that exciting?
Planning, budgeting, booking — everything was done at the drop of a hat, but no, the hard part was about to come.
We all know our parents. When we started planning, we were six. Then we became five, four and finally, we were three girls on the trip.
Nevertheless, I embarked upon the journey with two of my girls.
Let’s name them Ms S and Ms R.
I had earlier travelled with S and R individually. Hence, I knew them pretty well, but they were just acquaintances to each other.
I was the bridge between them. So, I knew that I couldn’t be monkeying around and goofing up like I did in my other trips. I had to be the responsible one.
We decided to meet in Cochin airport.
So, here I was along with our driver Mr D, waiting for their (R and S) flights to land. Mr D understood English and Hindi, but never spoke in either of the languages.
After two hours, all three of us were at the Cochin airport, excited and thrilled to start our journey.
Our first destination was Munnar, which was nearly four hours drive.
The first few hours went by a lots of catching up, friendly banters, selfies and halts at different scenic spots.
Music was on. It was so engaging that we forgot to inform our parents.
I admit I forgot everything at that moment. All I knew was that it was my dream trip.
After a few hours of drive, we were amidst the mountains at Munnar. We were starving by then. So, we spent some time gorging on food and buying some snacks from the market.
It looked like a serene evening and the view from our resort was breathtakingly beautiful.
It was surreal.
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I woke them up early tempting them with scrumptious breakfast, which was free, by the way.
Our driver Mr D drove us around. We visited some famous churches, tea gardens and local markets.
Despite language barrier, we were able to connect with Mr D. He was fondly engaged in our conversation, was also enjoying hindi songs. Most importantly, he clicked some amazing pictures for us.
I was the happiest to see the pictures and it felt as if we had hired a photographer for the trip. By the end of the day, we had befriended Mr D.
We knew that we weren’t on frugal budgets, perhaps because we were all girls travelling on our own. Albeit, we were tensed regarding the stay, people around and a hell lot of other things.
But as the day passed, those concerns faded away.
After staying at Munnar for two days, we were en route to our next destination- Thekady.
The thing that excited us at Thekady was jeep safari. The four-hour drive in an open jeep was quite a filmy thing. The wind gushing through the hair, the beam of sunlight, the chirping of birds and the bumpy roads made me feel as if I was on a film set.
As funny as it may sound, but being a film buff, this was how I had exactly imagined my girls’ trip to be like.
I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t cautious anymore but the conversation with the local people and the hospitality of the place didn’t make us feel like outsiders.
There were, of course, people to raise eyebrows and ogle.
But that didn’t deter us to bond over mindless gossip sessions at hotel room, pulling each others’ legs.
The mornings always started with clicking lots and lots of pictures, though my friend Ms R abhorred getting clicked.
We were left with two more days when we headed to Alleppey.
My friend Ms S was the most excited one as we were going to spend the night at a houseboat.
Okay! Let me put this out that I fear water and don’t know how to swim. And on the contrary, my co-travellers are great swimmers; at least in their heads. They were thrilled to be on the houseboat and I was hysterical, but I had no option to chicken out. Adding to that, Ms S and R decided to watch a horror movie. I was completely against the idea.
Clearly, they were teaming up in everything and I had to be in agreement with the majority. We ended up watching a horror flick and the night went by tossing and turning on the bed.
The next morning was a bit nostalgic as it was the last day of our trip.
We spent the day at Kochin hogging on street food and going to some flea markets.
Actually, that was the perfect end to our trip. After all, how could a girls’ trip end without shopping?
They say, “If want to know someone, travel with them.”
That was the last night of the trip and I felt that I knew S and R a little more than earlier. They also became friends. Women bonding is not always over shopping and boyfriends.
Often, we have seen male bonding being celebrated in films and now I thought was the time to cherish female bonds.
The following day, after a poignant goodbye and a promise to meet again, we parted ways from the airport. I was sad but I was also glowing with happiness knowing that we girls managed to have a hassle-free trip.
Trust me it was a very proud feeling.
The trip ended along with my apprehensions and anxiousness. The feeling of self-doubt and insecurity completely waned away. I felt confident and empowered. I was filled with gratitude and was on the top of the world. I felt immensely grateful to my parents, for giving me a leeway to decide my journey without any hesitation.
I say this because I know a lot of young girls like me who wish to travel are not allowed by their families. I wish to see more women travellers in the world, cherishing female bond and exploring themselves, while exploring the world.
Also read: Why everyone must plan holidays with long lost friends