Fired from a stockbroking firm after seven years for “traveling too much,” Abhinav describes his journey to his dream job as swimming in rough waters, initially. Although he couldn’t take any real interest in a boring, uncreative job, he didn’t have a plan to quit and do something else either. So it was an accidental milestone that got him into travel blogging, and only after three years of being jobless, struggles with mental health, and a failed business behind him, did he start to move forward with confidence.
In 2014, when Abhinav became freshly unemployed after a steady job, being a travel influencer was unheard of as a career choice. His first encouragement came from friends, while traveling overnight on a train to Pathankot. Today, he’s one of India’s most famous voices for travel and exploration.
Of course, he had to build his brand and hone his skills. He managed largely with the help of friends and family to host an excellent and picturesque narrative of his travels on a professional website. And then the accolades started coming in.
“More than 11 reputed websites like Skyscanner, Thrillophilia have listed me as the top Travel Blogger from India… In the past 3 years, my articles and pictures have been published in National Geographic Traveller Magazine, Lonely Planet Magazine India, Mint, Jet Wings, BBC, Shubh Yatra, Pudhari and others. 4 of my cover stories got published in magazines like Railbandhu, Go Getter (Go Air’s in flight magazine)… I was invited by tourism boards from Canberra(Australia), Sharjah (U.A.E.) Jordan, Indonesia and closer home in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Goa etc.”
Abhinav attributes his success to the rising consciousness for the need for digital branding by tourism boards internationally, to his own sense of ethics that doesn’t allow for an artificially inflated social media following, and to a genuine love of adventure that only makes him feel truly at home on the road. No more rough waters now; he worked hard enough to make his dreams look like smooth sailing, and he’s ready to ride any wave that comes!
