[1]I am a frequent flier and due to my work schedule, there are times when I end up boarding two flights in one day. I enjoy visiting new places. I plan my holidays according to the amount of time I have in hand. If I have a sizeable chunk of time, I try and visit a place I haven’t seen before. I hate having only a few days to explore a new place and if that’s the case I’d rather not go. If time is short, I end up going somewhere familiar.
I have travelled alone, but it’s a lot more fun to travel with a companion. Large groups of people are very difficult to manage and coordinate with on a holiday, as everyone has their own agenda. I prefer to travel with one, two, or maximum three people.
When I go somewhere on work, I always keep a few days for enjoying the sights and sounds of the city, and of course, shopping. If I don’t know anyone in that city, I find out from friends over the phone or on Facebook if they know people I can meet and go out with and get recommendations from them.
Recently, I went to Uganda for work, and the kids of the organisers took me around. I went to some of the craziest and coolest partying spots.
Among the destinations I’ve have been to, Europe is a place one can visit many times and it still seems like a new place.
I went to Spain last summer and fell in love with it. I met a lot of fun people and made new friends, saw some really cool sights, experienced some really great sounds and tastes and did some fantastic shopping.
But still, there are many places I’d like to revisit, and Paris tops the list. I met and hung out with people who I think are the coolest people in the world, walked through the streets of Paris all night, ate escargots and drank wine with almost every meal, and partied at some crazy clubs.
But the one place I’d go back to again and again is the Eiffel Tower at night, when every hour it lights up and starts twinkling like something out of a fairy-tale. It’s simply magical.
However, my favourite holiday destination is Spain. I spent time in Barcelona and Ibiza while I was there, but there are so many more places I want to explore.
I love Barcelona, I went there in the summer. The sun sets at 9pm. So we would have early dinner and then go out for a walk through the Ramblas and bar hop. Once my friend Mihir and I walked into a club on the Ramblas one night, and two hours later we walked out with a group of 10.
We danced and sang our way to a DJ’s house, and sat eating and drinking all night long. We tried to go swimming at 8 am, but weren’t allowed. The whole episode was hilarious. It’s the most memorable moment of that visit.
Anushka Manchanda is a singer As told to SWATI VISHNOI
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/tvljpg-874