🔎 Guest: Nomading in your own country, meet Anu, the Indian Nomad
🔎 Guest: Nomading in your own country, meet Anu, the Indian Nomad
Anu also welcomes and hosts Nomads in India with Nurall.co
👋 Welcome, welcome newbie readers and listeners!👋
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🤝🏻 Meet Anuradha Subramanian (Anu), an Indian woman in her mid 30's who left a lucrative corporate career to embrace a life of entrepreneurship & nomadism. She realised that the biggest opportunity for her in life was to live it experientially and without limits. Therefore, she decided to explore the path that very few women in India venture into and the nomadic journey that has transformed her as an individual. She is now the Head of Business Strategy & Operations at Nurall, and a host for Nurall residencies in India.
🇮🇳 Free event on India: 3 things that surprised me as a female traveller to India
🫶How do you take care of yourself when nomading?
A balance of everything is important for a healthy lifestyle and routine. It doesn't matter whether I am nomading or not- I always need to ensure that my mental and physical wellbeing are handled.
We tend to get excited about so many different experiences that sometimes we say yes to everything that feeds the excitement. For this reason, I value knowing my limits and ensuring I don't overdo anything. I think recognising this was the first step I took to start saying 'No' to people, situations & experiences that could overwhelm me.
Most nomads are highly social beings, and being the 'best' version of yourself is an exhausting business. Therefore, I need to schedule regular downtime on my calendar when I switch off and try to tap into the silence within. It could be through meditation, focusing on the sounds of nature, or taking a little nap. This 'down' time is a significant lever to keep me operating at the most optimum version.
Some other routines I have adopted as habits in the past few years:
I love cycling 4 times a week and its sense of happiness and renewed vigour whenever I am in the saddle.
I usually try to get at least 10 mins of Vitamin Sun before 10 am every morning.
At least 4 days a week, I try to sleep before 11 pm and get a full 7 hours of sleep.
I love community cooking. A few times a month, I participate in potlucks or host dinners because I love the intimacy of connecting with people over a home-cooked meal and sharing an enriching experience.
✴️ How do you find community as a nomad?
Finding your community is not easy. There is a professional one and a personal one. As a nomad, sometimes the lines get blurry, and I think it is essential to recognise when this is happening, especially in the initial years when you have a finite amount of time and infinite things to do.
🇮🇳 Free event on India: 3 things that surprised me as a female traveller to India
One big learning I have had over the years is that the best way to find community is to offer help- when you are new to a place, people don't know you, and the best way to build their trust is by lending a helping hand to them. You become more conscious and aware of the local community's needs and offer something that might help. Business always comes later. The first step is to build your equity within the community & earn their goodwill.
Additionally, cafes and co-working spaces are my best and easiest places to strike up a conversation and make initial contact with new people. I also make it a point to participate in local events, especially the networking ones - but also some fun ones- it helps to have diverse interests. You can end up finding your tribe easily if you are part of a close-knit community.
🌱 How do you consider the planet and minimise your impact?
As individuals inhabiting this Earth, we must be conscious of our impact and find ways to shape our needs and desires in line with our ecosystem and not overwhelm it with our mindless consumption. This was why I decided to leave the city and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle in a non-urban setting. It was important to step away from my 'comfort zone' and circle of influence.
Since I made this move five years ago, I have naturally moved to a more sustainable and minimal lifestyle. I decided to shop only at thrift stores and avoid buying fast fashion. I now only purchase clothes on a need basis and as a replacement for something in my wardrobe that I can donate or recycle. I do not do online shopping (unless essential). I always carry a cloth bag for shopping and an extra box for takeaway food.
🇮🇳 Free event on India: 3 things that surprised me as a female traveller to India
I slowly travel because I want to discover things organically and give time to the place to grow on me. While I love traveling alone, I don't mind making impromptu plans with friends on similar journeys.
🔗 Meet Juliana and read her Digital Nomad Story
I usually opt for local transport overflights for overnight travel to avoid an additional carbon footprint. For instance, we have a very robust intercity transport network in India. Our railways, buses, and shared autos (tuk-tuks) help you travel to every corner of the country. I also find that this is a great way to connect with the local people and understand the diversity & dichotomy that exists in our country.
As an Indian who grew up with a certain privilege because of my upbringing, my local travel usually helps me connect with people who are not like me and experience a life I would otherwise observe from a distance.
🇮🇳 Free event on India: 3 things that surprised me as a female traveller to India
As a solo woman traveler - like Anca, featured previously - it is also exciting to follow how people always look out for you and your wellbeing. The hospitality & openness that I have experienced on such journeys have, in some part, also fuelled my desire to travel & learn more about the fascinating cultural landscape in my country- the food, language, rituals, beliefs, history, and identity. It has shaped me into the kind of explorer I am today- curious, conscious, mindful, and eternally grateful.
+ Anu and Nurall are examples of Entrepreneurs focusing on the exploding Nomad market, read more about that in this recent BBC article where I was featured.
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