On a recent trip, I met a group of travelers who had visited over 60 countries each. They weren’t just ticking off destinations but comparing experiences—how public transport worked in different cities, the nuances of local etiquette, or the way food changed across borders. What struck me was how they spoke about travel not as a checklist but as a way to absorb the world. One of them, an Indian traveler, mentioned how he no longer cared about hitting an arbitrary number of countries by a certain age. Instead, he focused on staying longer in fewer places, learning bits of the language, and understanding daily life. It was refreshing to hear because travel, at its best, isn’t about stamps on a passport but about how those places leave a mark on you.
There’s a growing trend among Indian travelers to set goals like “30 countries by 30” or “50 before 50.” While having goals isn’t bad, it often turns travel into a race rather than an experience. The people I met had moved past that. They stayed in hostels not just to save money but to meet other travelers and locals. They ate street food not for Instagram but because it was where flavors felt real. One of them mentioned how spending three weeks in a small town in Vietnam taught him more about the country than hopping between five cities in a week ever could. The difference was depth—choosing to engage rather than just pass through.
Travel should influence how you see the world, not just where you’ve been. The best conversations I had with these travelers weren’t about the most beautiful beaches or the tallest buildings but about the small things—how strangers helped them when they were lost, the way a local family shared a meal, or why a particular city’s rhythm felt different. Those are the details that stay with you long after the trip ends. It’s easy to get caught up in counting countries, but the real value comes from letting places change you, even if just a little.
I’ve started to rethink my own approach to travel. Instead of rushing to see everything, I want to slow down and let experiences settle. Meeting those travelers was a reminder that the best journeys aren’t about how far you go but how deeply you let the world in. There will always be more places to see, but the ones that matter are the ones that linger in your mind long after you’ve left.