Nonchalant Wanderer

Hitting the road before sunrise, passing across the green pastures, acing high mountains, and peacefully relaxing by the riverside has been a part of Priyanshu Singh’s travel agenda for the past few years. A trip taken decades ago in a military vehicle along the snow-capped hills of Kashmir along with his father has since been an inspiration to explore more places for the Adecco India MD.

Driving a sturdy Scorpio, Singh has travelled the length and breadth of India covering the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Goa, Meghalaya, Assam, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Even though he moved to Bengaluru six months ago, Singh has parked one of his cars in Delhi for discovering northern trails and the other is used to find his way around the southern part of India. “I like to travel by road because it is massively flexible. You can do whatever you want and, moreover, you are independent,”” he says. When in a foreign land, he skips the guided tourist bus tours and rents a car or an SUV. With South America being the only spot left for him to visit on the American continent, he has journeyed to other countries such as Italy, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Egypt, Poland, etc.

Although he carves out a few days every month for a local trip from his demanding schedule, Singh prefers to call his pursuit a passion rather than a hobby. “I do not look for anything specific. Every place has its own charm. There is no life-changing realisation that comes upon me during these trips. I just go on road trips to explore the new places, people and culture,” he adds. The most recent entry in his travelogue was a 5,000 km-ride from Pune to the capital up north. An exhilarating experience spanning over 20 days made it one of the longest trips he’s undertaken.

Ask to him briefly list his most favourite experiences and the following three make it to the top of the list — riding towards a hospital for 25 hours along the treacherous route in the Himalayas to nurse a broken thumb; meeting his life partner while being bogged down on an off-road trail in Arizona; and watching a sprightly and agile salmon jump upstream in Scotland.”Is there a lesson to be shared from his road travails? “Never be in a hurry to take a decision. Enjoy the ride, but keep an eye on the destination,” he signs off.