The Blueprint for Travel in a “Post-Covid” World — Anjali and Milind Chalisgaonkar’s Pandemic Travels

To put it simply, Milind and Anjali Chalisgaonkar aren’t like the rest of us. While the ongoing pandemic has rendered most of the world completely immobile, the couple refused to even slow down. In the last year and a half alone, they’ve been to over a dozen different destinations, each with increasing enthusiasm.

“In some ways, COVID has made it easier for us to up and move!” Milind declared nonchalantly, hardly aware of the utter confusion I felt on the other end of the line.

You see, the Chalisgaonkars were keen on preserving their love for being on the move while refusing to compromise on their safety. The threat of catching the virus loomed large, but they made choices that prioritised their health.

This didn’t affect the quality of their holidays, though. Not one bit. Celebrating with groups of close friends, going on running vacations, visiting family all the way in England… With a little bit of foresight and a whole bunch of precautions, their journeys during the pandemic form a blueprint for what all of our own trips over the next few years could look like.

As far as we can tell, the virus isn’t going anywhere. If you’re thinking about resuming your travels but aren’t sure how, here’s what the Chalisgaonkars have been up to!

The balm(y weather) before the storm — Thailand and Myanmar

Januaries in Thailand are something else. Just ask Milind and Anjali.

The two found themselves living it up till mid-February on one of their usual trips out. The news of a virus breaking out in Wuhan reached them but, like the rest of us, they didn’t imagine what it would lead to.

Returning to Bangalore was normal enough… Till you factor in that it would be half a year before they would step out again.

Home sweet home? — Bangalore

March brought with it a complete nation-wide lockdown that the couple didn’t immediately feel. Being extremely active as a habit, they jogged in loops around their apartment complex whenever possible to keep away the restlessness.

It worked, at least in the beginning.

Around five months into this routine, things started looking a little different. No longer content with staying put, their first holiday since the pandemic got underway was planned with a group of their running buddies. With it came the realisation that, while it takes a lot of forethought and caution, dipping your toes back into the world of travel was still possible.

2020, goodbye (and good riddance) — Coorg, Kerala, Mysore and Goa

Sneakers packed and ready, Anjali and Milind regained some sense of normalcy on holiday in September. Having their old friends for company and their love for running satisfied added an extra kick to what was anyway going to be a special trip.

“It’s important to pick places that are relatively isolated and that give you a lot of space,” Milind clarified while explaining their decision to book independent cottages on this first vacation.

Occupying five or six private villas bang in the middle of a coffee estate proved to be a great move for the runners. They took walks around the property and lounged in the open when they weren’t sweating it out. The trip was only four days long but reminded them of what they were missing out on. Trip number two to Kerala followed shortly.

Their annual tradition of running the KaveriTrail Marathon was obviously thwarted — the entire event was called off — but the Chalisgaonkars decided to pay the track a visit in October anyway. First, however, came Wayanad.

Booking a room in a largely open-aired Club Mahindra resort was their way of continuing to stay cautious. Tea gardens happened to surround them here as well, and they made the most of the outdoors during their three-day pit stop.

The Royal Orchid in Mysore was their journey’s next stop and their final outing to Goa in December acted as the perfect closer to a salvaged 2020.

Early 2021 — Tamil Nadu

Five days in early January went by in a blur of hopping from one corner of Tamil Nadu to another. Chettinad to Thanjavur to Rameshwaram to Yercaud, all while taking precautions not to overdo things.

The couple’s biggest tips from this jaunt include “DON’T stay in places with centralised air conditioning” and “eat outdoors!” They travelled everywhere in their own car before getting vaccinated and got their shots as soon as it was allowed.

It looks like the advice works because the details of the next trip were already being fleshed out!

Starting the journey off by dropping into Chandigarh in March, the Chalisgaonkars travelled all over Himachal Pradesh, staying at friends’ houses and going for treks until, alas, tragedy struck. A positive covid test meant that they were forced to quarantine in Kullu for a staggering 17 days, an unfamiliar concept to the ever energetic twosome, but having taken the first dose of the vaccine meant their infection was on the milder side.

Renting out a bungalow on the outskirts of town, the two took it easy and the weeks sped by. They popped into Dharamshala for a night before heading back to Bangalore in April.

A fitting end — the Himalayas and London

And now we’ve arrived at the final stage of this long and eventful narration, at the part where Anjali and Milind decide to go on their annual Himalayan trek because of course.

July was for booking all the relevant transport accommodation before actually making the familiar trip to Kashmir. They spent half a week in Sonmarg, taking brisk walks to get themselves acclimatized to the altitude, before the six days of trekking commenced.

Once they got back home, the excitement was nowhere close to ending because, a mere eight days later they were on a flight to London to see their son.

The point of this piece is to demonstrate that, while the safety of you and your loved ones always comes first, there’s a point at which you need to decide to take a bit of a risk and get back out there. Make sure you’re masked up at all times, get the two shots, arm yourself with a sanitiser and cautiously make your way back into the routines and traditions that you’ve been separated from for almost two years.

If at all you need help planning a safe yet exhilarating holiday, within India or otherwise, hit us up and we’ll be sure to help! Tailor made itineraries for you are our specialty and we’d be so glad to help!