Mumbai: Entrepreneur and content creator Gauravv Saxena, who has explored more than 80 countries and spent eight years living abroad in Uganda, believes travelling has played a major role in shaping his perspective on life, people and different cultures. From navigating remote cross-border routes in East Africa to exploring unfamiliar terrains, Gauravv says his journeys have pushed him far beyond his comfort zone.
Talking about how travel has challenged him, Gauravv says, “Navigating remote cross-border routes in East Africa and adapting to completely unfamiliar terrains across 80+ countries tore down my comfort zone. It stripped away predictability and forced me to rely entirely on quick thinking and resilience.”
For Gauravv, travelling is also a way of becoming more open-minded. He feels that experiencing different cultures firsthand makes it difficult to hold on to preconceived notions. “Yes, without question. Crossing borders repeatedly dismantles biases. Seeing how diverse cultures navigate life with completely different values makes it impossible to hold onto rigid, narrow viewpoints,” he shares.
One experience that particularly changed his understanding of family and community was witnessing the traditional Ugandan marriage ceremony, Kwanjula. “Witnessing traditional Ugandan marriage customs such as the Kwanjula ceremony, where the groom presents meaningful dowry and gifts directly to the family as a profound gesture of respect, gratitude, and a lifelong commitment to honour and care for them, completely reshaped my perspective on family obligations and community bonds,” he says.
Gauravv is also a strong believer in solo travel and considers it an important part of his life. “Solo travel has a different kind of thrill. Having explored over 80 countries, it has become an essential part of who I am. It builds unmatched self-reliance, offers headspace for clarity, and naturally opens doors to authentic local connections that you simply miss when moving in a group,” he says.
Unlike travellers who prefer detailed itineraries, Gauravv enjoys letting the destination guide him. “Frequently. Ditching the plan and wandering without a fixed schedule leads to the best memories. Stumbling upon quiet roadside cafes in Europe or taking unplanned detours through local villages happened because I let local conversations guide the day,” he reveals.
His longest stint away from home was his eight-year stay in Uganda, during which he also explored neighbouring regions. Recalling his return to India, Gauravv says, “Returning home brought a surreal mix of deep nostalgia and restless energy, realising I had evolved even while familiar surroundings remained unchanged.”
When life gets overwhelming, Gauravv says he would prefer escaping to a place far removed from the noise of everyday routines. “A secluded sanctuary overlooking the mountains in Switzerland or a quiet coastal spot where slow mornings, fresh air, and absolute silence replace routines and work stress,” he says.
For Gauravv, one travel experience everyone should have at least once is travelling completely alone to a foreign country. “Travelling completely solo to an unfamiliar international destination where you don’t even speak the local language. Navigating without any fixed itinerary, purely on instinct, observation, and the genuine warmth of the locals, is an entirely different level of experience. This journey takes you beyond your comfort zone and completely changes the way you see the world and yourself,” he concludes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
