This young Mumbai-based backpacker has visited over 80 countries in seven years

Powaibased backpacker Shubham Singhi had been looking forward to a trip to Greenland in 2020 Unfortunately the Covid19 lockdowns began and he had to cancel his plans because of the travel restrictions a majority of countries imposedOne year later Singhi is raring to resume his travels and says Covid19 may have permanently changed the way Indians travel ldquoA lot of Indians will start backpacking because they are working remotely and because they donrsquot have to go to the office I think it is already happening it gives them to live anywhere and still workrdquo he saysSinghi who currently works with a travel startup says he visited Himachal Pradesh two months ago He speaks from experience he may be only 25 but hersquos already travelled to over 80 countries in the last seven years since he first began travelling soloHe says the travel bug bit him very early ldquoMy parents used to travel a lot and they would take me along so I developed a passion for travel when I was very youngrdquo he saysSinghi went to US to study for his Bachelorrsquos degree in Economics and later decided to become a backpacker He started with Croatia and Bosnia where he studied for one semester and says he prefers shoestring travel budgets ndash his biggest expense being his air ticketsThe backpacker says he likes to rough it out because not only is he interested in the history and culture of every new place but also in meeting new people And this is why he prefers couchsurfing over other accommodation options A scenic view off Pamir Highway in TajikistanOff the beaten track While he has visited many places over the years his experiences in Central Asia in 2019 is one of his favourites because even he didnrsquot know much about the region before he backpacked there He says it was both challenging and memorable especially when he visited remote regions of Ishkashim and Wakhan Valley in Afghanistan and Gorno Badakshan in eastern TajikistanFrom surviving on potatoes in both countries for three weeks because he is vegetarian to grappling with the language barrier at the Afghanistan border while being scrutinised by over 30 security personnel he was waiting for his guide to turn up his travels have clearly been an adventureldquoThere was a lot of thinking and planning involved and I had to get a guide in Afghanistan to enter I didnrsquot speak the local language and had to find my own way I was the first person to travel there in three months tourists donrsquot usually go thererdquo explains Singhi who thinks of himself as a spontaneous travellerTajikistan was even more challenging for Singhi He says his road trip on the Pamir Highway to a remote and poor region of the country helped him get out of his comfort zone Seeing how people lived there and spending time with the locals helped him gain an important perspective into living without material things especially without a mobile phone which has become a necessity in todayrsquos timesA breathtaking view of Wakhan Valley in Afghanistan captured by Shubham SinghiTravelling as a vegetarianBeing a vegetarian poses its own set of challenges he says especially if you are visiting meateating countries But Singhi says he is better prepared now and it gets better with every trip ldquoWhen I went to Namibia with my friends we camped in tents on top of our cars Being vegetarian we carried food from home thatrsquos how we lived thererdquo Interestingly he says it was easy to be a vegetarian in Jordan where he roamed the streets and explored the local cuisine realising that there were so many options for vegetarians even though it known as a country of meateatersCamping in NamibiaGoing solo is bestSinghi has had varied travel experiences but when asked about his trips with his friends he instantly admits travelling solo is better as that way he can hit the road for longer durations his friends obviously wonrsquot always be free for long tripsHe also says that when friends come along the trip ends up being about parties mainly while he loves exploring places getting around on his own and often staying with locals and learning about their lives ldquoTravelling has made me extremely flexible and I can survive in any situation It has made me fearless and helped to build my confidencerdquo explains Singhi Future plansSinghirsquos diary and his camera are his constant travel companions and he uses them to update his blog World In My Backpack which is about updating readers about the best ways to travel around the world Singhi says he hopes to start his own travel company soon offering guided trips to likeminded travellers around the world What is couchsurfingCouchsurfing is a concept wherein a traveller stays temporarily in other peoplersquos homes typically while travelling or backpacking around the world The host provides them with accommodation usually a bed to sleep in at no cost