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The Shooting Star

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  • Romania photos

    One Year of Travelling Without a Home.

    by Shivya Nath

    Much has been learnt, more has been loved - and the one thing that has remained constant is my desire to keep moving.

    September 17, 2014
    Comments 124
    Reflections

3 years ago, I gave up my home, sold most of my stuff and embraced a nomadic way of life. This journey has taken me as far within as with my feet.

indian travel bloggers, indian travel blogs

LATEST

How Croatia Compelled Me to Rethink Travel Blogging.

Published by Shivya Nath

Maybe this is the travel blogger's version of a mid-life crisis.

July 19, 2017
Comments 13
Croatia, Europe, Responsible Travel, Travel Blogging

Advice for the Young and Penniless Who Want to Travel.

Published by Shivya Nath

This is all the advice I wish someone had given me when I was sixteen.

June 21, 2017
Comments 44
Travel Inspiration, Travel Tips

Not Your Typical Travel Guide to Taiwan.

Published by Shivya Nath

I knew nothing about Taiwan except stinky tofu...

June 1, 2017
Comments 23
Asia, Taiwan, Travel Guide

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STORIES FROM THE ROAD

India, Maharashtra, People, Stories from the road

Bombay to Barcelona: How Travelling Inspired an Indian Street Kid to Chase an Impossible Dream.

His story is the story of so many kids we ignore every day on India's streets.

May 3, 2017
Comments 36
Central America travel blog
Latin America, Offbeat, Reflections, Stories from the road

6 Months, 6 Countries: Epic Memories from Central America.

This week, I made the long journey back to India from the Americas. Having a glass of wine at the bar on my Virgin Atlantic flight, I got chatting...

March 12, 2015
Comments 63
Romania life, Romania culture, Romania people
Culture, Offbeat, People, Romania, Stories from the road

Romania, You Can Fool The World With Your Smiles, But Not With Your Heart.

Romania had one hell of a way to welcome us. We had dragged ourselves out of the flight after 20 hours in transit, when 3 burly ashen-faced men stopped...

August 13, 2014
Comments 51

ABOUT ME

Hello! I'm Shivya Nath. In 2011, at age 23, I quit my corporate life with a dream of traveling the globe. 2 years later, I packed up my life into a backpack and decided to hit the road indefinitely. I travel slow, seek offbeat and local experiences, stay in a place for a few weeks or as long as it inspires me, and move on.

I've hitch-hiked along Romania's northern countryside, lived with a Mayan community in Guatemala, journeyed along Canada's great wilderness by train and swum with black tip sharks on Malaysia's east coast. I hope to inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and discover the world!

Read more about me here.

Wonder what a life of travel is like? Find your answers here.

Published on:

"The difference between living and existing is how much wonder you find in the beauty around you."

Shivya Nath

INSPIRATION

June 21, 2017

Advice for the Young and Penniless Who Want to Travel.

This is all the advice I wish someone had given me when I was sixteen.

by Shivya Nath
Comments 44
December 12, 2015

How I’m Funding My Adventures Around the World Through Travel Blogging.

I started 2015 on a private island in Panama, with 150 rupees ($2.5 USD) in my account. That’s the lowest...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 118
Indian travellers, Indian solo travellers, women traveling alone
May 18, 2015

21 Months on, My Nomadic Life Feels Normal.

21 months ago, when I packed up my home into a backpack and decided to hit the road indefinitely,...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 63
March 20, 2015

I Travel Because…

We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate....

by Shivya Nath
Comments 31

"An adventurous life does not necessarily mean climbing mountains, swimming with sharks, or jumping off cliffs. It means risking yourself by leaving a little piece of you behind in all those you meet along the way."

Shawna Grapentin

GO NOW

August 1, 2015

In Photos: Incredible Moments in South Africa.

These are all the reasons I want to make 2016 the year of Africa for me, and hopefully for...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 41
Kazbegi, Kazbegi photos, Stepantsminda
July 6, 2015

If You’re Looking for the “Shire”, Come to Georgia!

Somewhere deep in the Caucasus mountains, I sip a glass of fine Georgian wine, watching the clouds playfully swirl...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 37
Virgin Atlantic flight bar, Virgin Atlantic new upper class
September 25, 2014

The Coolest Way to Fly Out of India!

There are airlines that fly you from one part of the world to another. And then there is Virgin...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 44
Goa monsoon, Goa rains
September 2, 2014

Offbeat Goa: 12 Mind-Blowing Experiences.

On a rainy Goan afternoon, wrapped up in my blue poncho, I drive my bike past verdant rice paddies, abandoned...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 37

The thing about solo travel is, you can never feel 100% ready. There will always be a tiny voice at the back of your head asking, "Are you crazy?"

Shivya Nath

SOLO TRAVEL

September 19, 2016

Solo Travel Moments That Left Me Scared Shitless.

Every once in a while, I look back at my travels and think of the moments that have changed...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 47
April 9, 2016

Practical Ways I’ve Learnt to Stay Safe While Travelling Alone.

The thing about traveling alone is, you can't truly open yourself up to adventures if you're constantly worried about...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 39
solo female travel india, solo travel tips
July 2, 2015

Solo Travel: To Go or Not To Go?

Come with me, for if you never step out that door, you'll never know how far you can walk.

by Shivya Nath
Comments 44
April 3, 2015

How I Conquer My Solo Travel Fears.

Here’s a confession: Even though I’ve been solo tripping for years, sometimes the idea of being somewhere remote by myself,...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 44

"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from."

Seth Godin

TRAVEL TIPS

June 21, 2017

Advice for the Young and Penniless Who Want to Travel.

This is all the advice I wish someone had given me when I was sixteen.

by Shivya Nath
Comments 44
February 7, 2017

How to Score a Schengen Visa on an Indian Passport. 

Take my tips and tricks, and make your Europe travel dreams come true.

by Shivya Nath
Comments 29
October 22, 2016

How I Manage Visas on My Indian Passport As I Travel Around the Globe.

That's the thing about traveling the world on an Indian passport; frustrating though it is, it is totally worth...

by Shivya Nath
Comments 87
August 5, 2016

Charming Hideouts to Truly Experience Island Life in Mauritius.

Living in a typical Mauritian fishing village, I felt like an islander myself.

by Shivya Nath
Comments 32

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

H. Jackson Brown (no, not Mark Twain)

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Just published a blog post after almost a month, because I've been going through what might be midlife crisis for a travel blogger... titled "How Croatia Compelled Me to Rethink Travel Blogging" 🤔 Read it at the-shooting-star.com or at the link in my bio. . . An excerpt: "As my social media followers often remind me, isn’t it part of my job as a travel blogger to disclose the exact location of my stories and photos, so others can choose to experience my finds over ‘tourist traps’? I’ve dwelt on this dilemma for a long time. But walking on those cobblestoned streets in Istria (mostly at sunrise and late at night), it occurred to me that no, perhaps that isn’t the role a travel blogger is supposed to play. The way I see it now, my work as a travel blogger should inspire my readers to think of travel differently – to reconsider their travel choices, to seek local encounters, to carve out their own journey. It’s the reason I never have, and never will, give you a three day itinerary to “do” a destination. That’s not how I aspire for my readers to experience somewhere I’ve been and loved..." . . Go read, and help this conflicted travel blogger through her dilemma? . . #theshootingstar #travelblog #digitalnomad #astrophotography #responsibletravel Weekly feature: #theshootingstar . 👉 Munsiyari, Uttarakhand . 👉 Photo by @stardude . . "The best thing about being in the mountains is not the splendid views. It's not the fresh air or the cool weather, not even the tranquility of the moment. It's the sheer insignificance of our existence. Viewing something that has outlasted our creation and shall be standing tall when we consume ourselves with our ego and stupidity. It gives me moments of clarity and somehow makes me a humbler and more compassionate being." . . Shashank took this picture on an unexpected adventure on the Khaliya trek in Uttarakhand. He says, "I am an artist and deeply appreciate the beautiful canvas we all live in." Follow his adventures! . . Hashtag your travel photos for a chance to be featured on my gallery every week 🌏 . . #uttarakhand #indiatravel #incredibleindia #munsiyari #traveldudes Has Goa changed or have I? . . The wind in my hair is the same, but the things it whispers are different. The thin narrow roads through the rice paddies are the same, but the people that drive past me are different. I have my helmet on, but once in a while, someone slows down to wink or pout (ugh). The sunsets are fiery and dramatic amid the dark clouds, but the things they remind me of are different. The reminder isn't that feeling of being alive, but of rushing home before night falls because I don't want to run into that bald guy with blood shot eyes again, who has followed me twice to sell me 'something to smoke'. The nights are the same, the moon feels so far away in the vast skies above the rice paddies, but the way the moon looks at me feels different. The swaying palm trees are the same, the friendly banter with the women working in their paddies is the same, the way the sky opens up and drenches me is the same. But something is different. . . Has Goa changed or have I? . . #theshootingstar #indiatravel #solotravel #goatravel #shotontheiphone7plus A small challenge for you! On your own gallery, post your answer, as a photo and caption, to "Travel to me is ______________" . . Tag your answer with #theshootingstar and I'll post my fav on my gallery on Friday! . . I'll go first on this one. Travel to me is the notion of moving, whether outside or within or both. Whether in the mountains or in the cities or in our own backyards or along the cliffs and valleys in our own minds. Something that can't be contained within a definition, something that changes for every individual, something intrinsic within all of us. And in some ways, it is also an escape, from the boundaries of our upbringing, from our comfort zone, from the very notion that we need to live in one place, whether geographically or within 🌏 . . I'll set you a challenge every Friday for a month, ranging from quirky riddles to thought-provoking questions; the idea is to get more creative about our photos and captions on Instagram. Are you game? . . Photo --> Throwback to hiking in Triglav National Park, Slovenia 👣 #indiaphotosociety #girlsdolovetravel #wanderlust #challengeyourself Ask me anything 🤔 Q3 by @jenygoesplaces - "Years down this journey, what do you feel about the life you left? Do you see yourself going back to a job and settling down at a place?" . . I sometimes think of my two years of corporate life, the 9 to 5 routine, working with a great team on social media strategies, of the money that landed up in my account every month without fail... and I compare it to my current life, that gives me the freedom to pick up my bags and leave for where my heart longs, to stay as long as I want in far off corners of the world, to have created a living out of something I love (writing and social media), of the money that sometimes shows up and sometimes doesn't. Both lifestyles have their pros and cons, but I know the latter is for me, I choose freedom and adventure over stability and money. . . To everyone who asks me what I'm chasing with all this travel, I want to ask what we are chasing in a "regular" life? If we are chasing a (false) sense of security through a steady job and a legal relationship and a house we own, then that's exactly what I aspire to run from. From the illusion that I control my life and the future. . . The road is like a mirror for my personal life. You know all those friendships and relationships we bank on? When you're always away, you learn which of your relationships are real enough to survive time and distance. So I might have much fewer "real" relationships now - some from my earlier life, some from the road - but they feel so much more real to me than a room full of pseudo friends. . . I don't see myself working 9 to 5 again, or for someone else. But I do dream of a place where I can maybe spend 6 months every year, surrounded by nature, grow my own produce and start a sustainable travel initiative... so far, it's just a distant dream 😇 . . And you, what does your journey in life currently look like? What are you chasing? . . Photo --> Throwback to life in Zanzibar. I'm answering questions about my nomadic way of life all month; #askmeanything ✍🏼 That Goa feeling 😍☔️🌴🌨🌾💙

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