About Me Stories
Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Chaudhry
Your average peripatetic and seafarer
Hi Globetrotters. My name is Taimoor Chaudhry (pronounced Tay-muur Cho-dharee).
I also go by Tim or simply Tee — a bunch of unassuming nicknames bestowed upon me by American classmates during college. Genesis of these nicknames was the difficult pronunciation of my name but now they are a part of me.
I love to travel because I like to experience new places and cultures. Travel gives me food for thought and satisfies my wanderlust.
As a kid, I shared my father’s passion for travel, but opportunities were limited. We only got to travel locally.
My two most treasured possessions were traveling literature and an Atlas. I would fantasize about my travel readings, look for the places I read about on maps, and embark upon my travel journeys — all from the comfort of my room.
A child’s imagination has the power to create many memorable adventures!
I am making up for the lost time — having traveled to over 50 different destinations across four continents.
My number one travel activity is being lazy! A lazy traveler? Isn’t that sort of an oxymoron? It isn’t!
Slow is the name of the game. I take it slow when I am traveling. I feel there should be a difference between traveling and running a marathon. You would not find me trying to scale multiple destinations in a week's time.
I like to soak in the atmosphere, strike up conversations with people, and indulge myself in self-reflection.
It helps me to feel the places, speak to them, and even get some answers back.
Now that I am traveling with my wife and two grade-schoolers, going slow has become a necessity.
I grew up in South Asia, but I am based in the United States now. There is a lot of back-and-forth shuttling because of my work.
I worked in the Maritime Industry for some time. I am also a strategist, HR consultant, communications specialist, and research fellow. In short, I perform diverse jobs to make Lakshmi Devi and Plutus happy.
My dream job is to be a writer and a storyteller. One day, I would like to pursue it full-time.
I do not believe in all-time best places. Every place that I have visited had an ‘element of being best’ in its unique way. I would name a few that I enjoyed without any order of priority.
- Woodstock, Vermont during the peak fall season.
- Salt Lake City for bob-sledding/ snowboarding.
- Annapolis and Newport— when sailing.
- Interlaken and Bavaria — summer retreats.
- Skardu, and Kashmir for spring.
- Boston and Chicago — any day or night of the year.
All my spare time is dedicated to my family. I did not have the luxury to spend much time with them during my last job. I also love to sail! Sometimes, I spend time with family while sailing — always a win!
My top travel tip is to travel in a group. I have always traveled either with friends or family. It enables me to create memories and strengthens my relationships. I have learned how to rely on others — to ask for help and provide support when needed.
If I could live somewhere else? That’s a tough one for I would love to live simultaneously in so many different places. If I have to choose, I will pick Germany — specifically Bavaria. I love the laid-back atmosphere, hospitality, and the abundance of nature.
My favorite way to travel is by road — with me behind the driving wheel. I feel it gives me added liberty to pick and choose my travel schedule. After much persuasion by my family, we now mostly travel by train which is a nice alternative to travelling by road.
Being a seafarer, I have traveled a lot by ocean — if traveling without my kids, I still like the salty touch and the moist sea breeze during my travel adventures.
Three lessons I’ve learned from traveling include,
- Respecting local customs
During overseas travels, I learned that respecting local customs and way of life — even if you are not in agreement, is a great way of making local friends. Adherence to the when in Rome principle has enabled me to obtain better cultural understanding and access to hidden gems and saved me some money. I am not a scrooge but traveling on a budget enables me to visit more destinations without extra expenditures.
- Being spontaneous
I am not undermining the planning your journey part — in fact, I meticulously plan my journeys bearing in mind that I travel with my kids. But I urge intellectual flexibility and spontaneity whenever a fleeing opportunity appears at your window.
Some of my best travel memories were fermented when I took unscheduled pit stops, detoured on a hunch, and modified my travel plans when suggested by local friends.
- Taking it slow
Take the time out to soak in the spirit of the city or the place where your travels take you. Put away your cameras for a while and try to capture the surroundings without any assistance from technology.
I loved reading Globetrotters spotlight stories by other authors, and I am excited to be part of the Globetrotters family!
Follow me here: Chaudhry Writes. LinkedIn||Instagram||
