2024’s High Points, a Conundrum, and a Blogging Solution.

I miss our current base in Himachal Pradesh every time I go, sometimes very much. I miss looking out over the mountains and the always shifting agricultural landscapes when I sit at my writing desk. Long walks through the fields and towns, where I could welcome people with a familiarity that only comes from having lived here long enough, are something I miss. I miss spending time at my favorite café with a cup of tea and the same old dull menu.

But each time I return, I question why. The monotony of life starts to get to me as I settle into a pattern that I know well. The little irritations seem like huge annoyances, and the sceneries gradually lose their enchantment. I get that old want to be somewhere else.

The previous several months have seen a sharp decline in that sweet spot between wanting to go home and wanting to stay at home. Is it because my brain has been rewired by all those years of travel? Am I simply not suited to deal with the mundaneness of daily life? Is it time to pay attention to my inner life?

Even if going back “home” to Himachal has lost some of its allure, spending over two years in these mountains has brought about a lot of happiness. Watching the landscape change into wild pink cherry blossoms in the fall, floating in hot springs on a wintry day, enjoying a lazy spring picnic, chulha-cooked saag and makki ki roti, misty monsoon days, kombucha from our local kombuchery, hiking to old and abandoned villages, dhaba brunches, and the snowy magic of winter were all highlights. plus a lot more. I will continue to treasure them as long as we are here.

Now that I have a Master’s degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University and have made the esteemed Dean’s List, it feels unreal! I spent a month at the storied Harvard campus in Boston in 2024, even though the degree was primarily online. I attended lectures at Harvard Yard, worked on my research at the renowned Widener Library, attended book launches, philosophy talks, and poetry events at Harvard Square, connected with climate scientists, grassroots leaders, and tourism professionals to gain insight into my capstone on climate adaptation in tourism, and walked the fine line between academic research and imposter syndrome.

Slow travel in Peru

I chose to celebrate by taking a two-month leisurely trip around Peru, mostly alone and partially with my boyfriend, since I had to go halfway across the world to complete my studies anyhow. Living with Indigenous Quechua families, meeting what may have been the last generation to live on floating islands on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, hiking in the breathtakingly gorgeous Andes, and eating a ton of potatoes from the more than 1300 varieties they grow are some of the highlights of that time, which I intend to write about in detail.

Global recognition as a sustainable travel advocate

Even though I’m frustrated by social media and how it’s destroying narrative and travel, I’m determined to utilize it for good. My whole focus over the last few years has been on climate action, community impact, and sustainable travel, in addition to my own path toward slow and mindful living.

I was pleasantly pleased when The Shooting Star won “Blog of the Year” at the 2024 Inspire Global Media Awards in London. Check out my blog’s new appearance if you’ve been receiving my blog articles by email. I updated it largely to reduce its carbon footprint, making it 73% less than the typical website.

I was also honored to receive the title of “Champion of Responsible Travel” last month.