LoneRider Diaries

This page is about my journey across India meeting new people and understanding different cultures. This idea sparked in me when I was backpacking across Europe. I met couple of Europeans who had more knowledge about India compared to me. I felt bad that being an Indian I didn’t see as much as the Europeans. That is when I decided to ride across India.

This idea to travel sprouted when I didn’t even have a motorbike. To embark on this adventure I needed two things 1. Cash in the account 2. A cruise bike. For the first one I took up a 9-5 job corporate job and saved sufficient amount of money. For the later one I decided to take either a Royal Enfield or Bajaj Avenger. After a lot of analysis, I decided to take Bajaj Avenger 220cc.

I had to decide the right time to quit my job. The thought process was mainly about the next things in life. I had a great time at IBM Watson working on state of art technologies. But I had to decide what next in terms of personal as well as professional growth. So I applied for PhD and meanwhile planned take a break before committing myself for 3-4 years. So here starts the journey of the LoneRider.

What is this whole trip about?
Well this trip is a completely unplanned trip. A trip where there is no deadline and limits. I wanted to taste different cultures and meet as many people as possible from different aspects of life.

Why ride alone?
Lot of people asked me why I was travelling alone and suggested me to take someone along the way. I don’t mind riding along with like minded people, but who has free time like me. This trip is completely unplanned. I travel as per my mood and interest. If I like the place I don’t mind staying an extra day otherwise I would just shorten my stay. It is better to ride alone right? 😀

How are you planning this trip?
In few words I have a rough plan in mind but it will be enhanced on the go. For example: I initially planned to ride south from Jaisalmer. But I met a lovely Punjabi family there and I have decided to ride north. Since I decided that I would not ride more than 300km a day. I decide to stay in a village/city/town in 300km radius from my current destination. I prefer to stay with local family rather than a guest house.

What about accommodation?

• Couch Surfing: An interesting concept of staying with local.This gives me the opportunity to know their culture as well as share interesting stories.
• Youth Hostel India: I am a lifetime member of Youth Hostel India. There are roughly around 700 hostels across India. These are quite cheap and reduces my cost of travelling.
  • Hotels and Hostels: The last and final option I usually take is staying in a hotel or hostel. There is an interesting app called “Ixigo Road trip”, which recommends places nearby to stay.

What bike are you riding?
Below is my ride named “The Beast” [from X-men]. It is Bajaj Avenger 220cc 2013 model.

How are you planning to sustain yourself in terms of money?
I will be freelancing so that I keep my cash reserve intact. My specialisation is in NLP, Data mining, Machine learning and Python.

How long is the trip?
Completely undefined. The trip might end when I get bored or when I am out of cash or when I get my PhD admit.

Stay tuned to know more about what all things I am carrying and numerous travel stories. If you want to be posted about my travel stories do like my LoneRider Facebook page.