A Not So Exotic Maldivian Holiday

The other side you need to know

As a kid, I was not a fan of traveling. In fact, I despised it. I would always complain when my parents decided to take me and my siblings on trips during summer vacations.

All the motion sickness, fear of using public washrooms, sleeping in unknown bedrooms, and the pain of packing were the reasons that kept me uninterested in traveling, no matter what the destination was.

But then I grew up and gave in to the beautiful picture internet painted around the travel experience.

Now traveling is different for me.

As an adult who earns money, I can afford to do so as per my preferences and at my pace.

I am a slow traveler, unlike my parents who were way too enthusiastic in their youth and packed back-to-back trips in limited time. Their way of traveling was just taking off and deciding on places to visit and stay on the go. I was then and still am an old lazy soul for their enthusiastic ways.

Although after rediscovering travel, I have not traveled much but somehow managed to cover 3–4 countries.

Thanks to the pandemic, a lot of travel plans were canceled too. In the last 2–3 years I almost forgot how it felt like to travel and was always cooped up at home with my dog. We grew closer and my introverted side became even more rigid to step outside.

It was last year that I got very desperate and booked a trip to the Maldives because

Tickets were refundable
Visa was on arrival
Even if something did not work out there was not much to lose

New year 2022 in the Maldives, I was losing my shit with excitement.

The excitement died quickly once I landed there. Let me tell you why.

Excitement blinded my wits

Since I had to cancel two international trips due to the pandemic and had not traveled for more than 2 years, my desperation got to me.

I had to go somewhere, see something new, take a break, and do anything that would break the monotony that had built up in my everyday life.

I came across this ad on social media, all girls trip to the Maldives, and gave in.

I signed up almost immediately after seeing some travel influencers on their page that helped me conclude that this travel company was not a fraud.

But that was not enough, I made a mistake of not doing thorough research on the itinerary.

While Maldives is world famous for its exotic water villa life and heavenly landscapes, what is not well known is that there are local islands that can look and feel different from that dreamy getaway.

Moreover, I relied too much on influencer marketing and forget to consider the fact that they are given better experiences than regular travelers and are paid to promote the same.

PS, it was not an all-girls trip either.

A thorough planning could still save the day

But I did not plan much and relied on the travel agency completely.

When you travel to a new destination for the first time, a few things that should be thoroughly researched are

Food
Weather conditions
Culture

While I was aware of the weather conditions through the internet and packed all the essentials; I forgot to consider that the Ocean is the source of Maldivian cuisine and I am a vegetarian trying to avoid dairy and other animal products all the time.

The other thing I was not aware of, the local island we were staying at was a bit conservative where women could not be out in swimsuits.

The impact:

I fell sick because the limited vegetarian options did not work out for me
Widened expectation gap between my dream vacation and the local island experience

Overall, a letdown.

My roomie for a week was nothing like me

Well, I knew about this at least, two strangers to share a room to spice up Maldivian adventure. But too spicy for my liking.

Except for different preferences on AC temperature and same morning schedules everything else was under control because everything else was happening outside.

But we both agreed on one thing — the rooms were different from what the social media influencer showed on their page.

The view however was beautiful when clicked from a clever angle, as seen in the picture.

Lessons to learn from my mistakes:

Doing thorough research on the travel companies you are trusting your vacation with and checking customer reviews instead of influencer reviews.
Bother customer care until you get all satisfactory answers while carefully going through the itinerary and looking up all the local places mentioned.

One big mistake I did was never looking up the local island we were staying at, I kept thinking it’s Maldives, what could go wrong?

If you have particular food preferences, dig further into the said destination’s staple cuisine and try to find out more about the set menu included in the itinerary. If it does not meet your expectations, carry snacks and other alternatives.
If you are an introvert like me and still opt for a group trip due to the convenience, pay a few bucks extra to get your own room. A comfortable hotel stay is as important as exploration.
Lastly, don’t let social media get to you, and take your time planning the vacation.

Here is the good part that you were not expecting:

1/ I made friends!

Two amazing women came to my rescue when the introvert in me was nervous with all the big group interactions.

We spent evening hours randomly strolling across dimly lit streets, bought local snacks at the supermarket, sat beside the sea, and heard ocean waves in silence.

2/ Irrespective of the local island stay, Maldives is stunning. With pristine sea green waters, white & soft sand, and endless blue skies, it can be more beautiful than your imagination.

Once you are in the middle of the water (If you are not afraid) you experience overwhelm seeping from your eyes. Gorgeous and indeed worth the hype.

3/ Marine life is beyond beautiful.

When I was under the water, piercing through in the most clumsy movements, I came across sea turtles, nurse sharks, clownfish famously known as Nemo and so many other colorful fish, almost like a rainbow but alive.

In that moment I saw the most beautiful and unfiltered side of the Maldives.

The whole ocean comes together when no one’s watching, its free spirit is infectious; its touch is comforting. Mother Nature left me spellbound.

4/ Bioluminescent Plankton. Bright, royal blue sparkly sea waves engulfed my two feet and made my ordinary existence extraordinary. Felt nothing but grateful to experience that miracle.

Manifesting another trip to the Maldives and this time I am doing everything right.

Have you been to the Maldives? How was your experience?

Thankyou for reading.

TC,