How passionate are you about traveling the world? I am sure the story of Amarjeet Singh Chawla, popularly called The Turban Traveler will leave you stunned. This 60-year-old Sikh man covered 40,000 Kms, 30 Countries in 148 Days and his passion for travel is unimaginable! Amarjeet Singh Chawla drove all the way from Delhi to London in his SUV car!! We definitely have to take travel notes from him.
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It was Amarjeet’s childhood dream to travel and this craze to travel across countries started when he met a couple from Europe who also backpacked their trip to India. Singh was very moved by their story and wanted to pursue his dream. But his parents wouldn’t allow any of it, like any other Indian family, they denied out of concern for their son. After successfully running his own garment shop for years, Singh handed the responsibility to his son and set out to pursue his dream at the tender age of 60!
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In 2018 July, Amarjeet Singh set out his journey for this adventurous trip from Delhi to London. He started from India to Nepal and further drove to China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Poland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Monaco, France, Netherlands, Denmark and reached London.
He finally completed this journey in the month of December after 6 months of driving around in his Toyota SUV. His car became such an important part of his journey, it was turned into a scrapbook where people could write well wishes, notes, sign on it and even take pictures standing alongside it.
On this journey, one of the things on his agenda was to pay a visit to the Europen couple he met. Singh was friends when they were in India, but later did not maintain any contact with them and he was just aware of the city they lived in. Driving all the way and surprising them was the motivation behind taking this thrilling journey. He was able to track them down, can you imagine the feeling of meeting someone after years? It must be exciting and of course heartwarming.
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It took Amarjeet almost four months of proper planning for his trip, making the itinerary, deciding the pitstops, arranging for visas and god knows what else. But it is true what people say, passion can drive you crazy! This unreal travel journey of The Turban Traveller is most definitely crazy!
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Singh shared anecdotes from his travels and mentioned that his experience was magical. ”One thing I learned through this journey is that people, irrespective of their country or creed, are generally warm and kind-hearted. For them, seeing someone in a colorful turban and a car full of signatures and writings was even more fascinating and they would come forward to interact. They’re all just like us! I truly understood the essence of the Sanskrit phrase, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ (the world is one, big family)” he said in an interview with The Better India.
But his expedition was not all that easy, he faced some rocky times. He fell ill when he was in Estonia, the left side of this body had turned numb and that is when he realized he cannot travel further without proper treatment. He returned to India immediately. He was fortunate enough to find an Indian family in Estonia who let him park the car until he returned. Through these times his family and friends were immensely supportive, he was back on his feet within weeks and managed to reach Estonia to continue his expedition. I haven’t seen this kind of dedication in anyone.
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In his interview with Better India, he mentioned that his visa was nearing expiry when he was in Mexico.“Fortunately, the Indian ambassador helped me with that. That was the beauty of the trip. At any point throughout the journey, whenever I stumbled upon precarious situations, help was always nearby,”. Nothing stops a man who is driven with dedication, passion and the pure love to see the world.
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On his journey, he even met famous Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger who signed his car and gave him his best wishes.
When he reached London, to his surprise, his family came there to receive him. Throughout his journey, he knew back home he has immense support and love. Even his old folks who had once denied him his travel dream were delighted to see their son in London. Well, this story doesn’t stop here, his family was upgraded to business class by the flight crew of British Airways. What is life without these little surprises?
The journey of The Turban Traveller has inspired me, his passion leaves us speechless and his dedication is unhindered. The next time I plan a trip, I will try being as enthusiastic and as adventurous as Amarjeet uncle!