I am not a travel writer by any stretch of the imagination. Huxley, Naipaul, Mehta, and Greene were some great writers who chronicled their travels. Travel writing serves as a diary and descriptions of a person’s experiences in a place. What one sees, hears, tastes, smells and feels when traveling is important. Paul Theroux was one such writer who could describe vividly his experiences in his travel books. The word travelogue supposedly comes from a combination of the two words travel and monologue. A travelogue is then, in its most basic form, a spoken or written account of an individual’s experiences traveling, which usually appears in the past tense, in the first person, and with some authenticity. Observations on history, society, and culture are common features.
I was excited to write about my travels and experiences more with the photographs when I went on a cruise in Europe, then to Nepal and the Himalayas. With the lockdown and all borders shut, I kind of lost a bit of travel time, it was then I decided I should share my experiences from my perspective on Instagram in a blog format. My travels were not exploratory. Most of the time, they were on business, speaking, consulting, or with the family.
To me travel was not something I picked up as a habit, I needed to do it for a living and then needed to do it for the family. It was then that I realized what I liked and what I did not like, unlike my family who really loved to try new food experiences, to me it was very much my own food. I loved history and culture, even when I went to watch the football finals in Moscow, I visited all the history museums.
Depending on where the source of information is from, there are 7 continents and about 196 to 203 countries depending on the various definitions of a country.
The Continents
| Continents | Population % | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | 55.9 | 51 |
| Africa | 17 | 54 |
| Europe | 9.75 | 49 |
| North America | 7.75 | 23 |
| South America | 5.5 | 12 |
| Australia/Oceania | 0.5 | 14 |
| Antarctica | (1106 people) | 0 |
Asia
In Asia, I visited about 27 countries out of the 51. I have written about my travels to a few of them. Close to 60% of the world’s population live here.
| Southeast Asia (ASEAN) | West Asia | South Asia | North Asia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | Bahrain | India | China |
| Singapore | Saudi Arabia | Sri Lanka | Hong Kong |
| Brunei | Qatar | Maldives | Taiwan |
| Thailand | Kuwait | Nepal | Macau |
| Indonesia | UAE | Pakistan | Japan |
| Philippines | Oman | Bangladesh | South Korea |
| Cambodia | |||
| Vietnam | |||
| Myanmar |
Australia / Oceania
I just visited the two countries here. I have written about my travels to Australia.
1. Australia
2. New Zealand
Europe
I just visited 9 countries here. I have written about my travels to a few of them
1. UK
2. France
3. Switzerland
4. Germany
5. Italy
6. Greece
7. Russia
8. Finland
9. Estonia
North America
I just visited 3 countries here. I have written about my travels to a few of them.
1. USA
2. Canada
3. Mexico
South America
I have not visited any country on this continent. On my bucket list I do have a planned trip to Machu Picchu (Peru) I hope to see Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Cusco was once the capital of the Inca Empire. Dating to the mid-1400s, Machu Picchu is said to be a marvel of mortar-free limestone architecture perched on a high plateau deep in the Amazonian jungle
Africa
I have not visited any country on this continent. I have no excuses; it is really unforgivable. Even South America, I can blame it on the distance but not Africa as it is well connected from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On my bucket list are visits to Egypt, the pyramids of Giza, and the city of Cairo. And of course, the Safari tours in Tanzania and Kenya
Antarctica
Will have to pass it for now
Learning
And, finally, those of you who wish to share your experiences and wish to share your travel stories, check out tips to write better travelogues.