Why I chose to become a ‘Globetrotting Angel’

The Power of Travel:

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By venturing to different parts of the world, one gets to see various startup ecosystems. I got exposed to what is coming up in different parts of the world and also got to reflect on whether or not those sectors , products, or services would have any fit in the Indian market. There are many times that I would travel abroad, find an idea absolutely genius, and then come back to India to realise that it would just not work — either because the price point was way off, or the market was already too saturated, and I had just not come across it before. The first time this occurred was when I was considering starting my own 3D Printing business that would create miniatures of you after scanning your entire body using photogrammetry. This seemed very interesting and I had seen it for the first time in New York. When I researched how I could set it up in India, I found a company in London, run by a French gentleman, that was doing the same thing and was open to partnering with me and setting it up in India using a franchise model. Further R&D led me to discover that it was already a saturated market in India. There was already a company based out of Hyderabad which manufactured and leased this equipment to at least 2 if not 3 companies that were competing and doing the exact same thing already.

I realised 2 things. Firstly, never take anything for granted. And secondly, always start with R&D and don’t waste your time. It’s too precious. However, had I not seen the store in New York, I would have never looked for more companies that do this and would never have met the French gentleman, which would mean that I would not have grown my network.

This brings me to my next point. Travelling is the best way to network.

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Every single time I am sitting on a flight, I make sure to speak to as many people as possible. You never know who will be able to help in creating synergies. What’s more is that you get to exchange experiences and stories with one another. These, along with your own adventures from your various trips, make for great icebreakers when one is speaking to people.

Networking and exploring global startup ecosystems helps to enhance one’s personal development. It helps boost your learning curve and also opens your mind to various other perspectives and traditions.

A huge part of the power of travel is the exposure to various new cultures.

So far I have been speaking majorly about international travel. However, both international and domestic travel, improve cultural competency, and also expose a person to various types of cuisines. One learns about heritage and about history. I have gotten a chance to taste some of the most exquisite foods as a results of my travels and have learned a great deal about various ancient civilisations — Be it in Greece, Rome, or Egypt to name a few.

Travelling also exposes one to the economic condition of the country. I still recollect having to break my head over dealing with millions of Dong in Vietnam; as opposed to how easy it was when I just had to half the price of everything in Japanese Yen, to know what the price would be in Indian Rupees. Through the exchange rates I could easily learn about the state of the economy of the countries to which I travelled.

The adventures one has, not only become stories for life, but also associations and experiences that one relives all their life. I for one will always revisit the time I travelled to Iceland to see the Northern Lights, and in 2018 — when I went to Tomorrowland (One of the world’s largest music festivals). Recently, I was in Japan, and I got to see the sakura. These are experiences that are surreal to describe, but the memory of which can form a large part of that happy place when one needs an escape.

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Speaking of a happy place, travel is extremely important for one’s mental health. People talk about ways to reduce cortisol — the stress hormone. For me, travel is definitely a huge stress buster. If you won’t find me on a plane, it will be working out, because these are the 2 things that keep me going!

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