A nation in search of the next destination - Hindustan Times
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A nation in search of the next destination

Hindustan Times | ByBhaichand Patel
Nov 23, 2015 06:58 PM IST

Flying for pleasure, road-tripping for thrills or cruising for kicks. Indian travel has been a long journey from the days of modest trips to hill stations

Cruising on ships has caught on with Indian travellers with disposable income. Trips to Dubai and Singapore are now passé and you can do Europe and America only so many times. Getting on board luxury ships that more or less go nowhere for seven or ten days at sea is the latest craze. Zoya Akhtar’s film, Dil Dhadakne Do, has a lot to answer for. Cruising was catching on, but seeing Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Anushka Sharma having a ball in the waters of the Mediterranean, in insanely expensive designer outfits, has sent many Indians scurrying to the nearest travel agent.

Indians got tired of visiting Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street and Madame Tussauds on Baker Street. The arrival of cable television transported them to exotic places they had not heard of before.
Indians got tired of visiting Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street and Madame Tussauds on Baker Street. The arrival of cable television transported them to exotic places they had not heard of before.
Indian travellers today are more adventurous and are flying as far as Vancouver to see the whales and explore the coast of Alaska on ships. (Photo courtesy: Shubhi Vijay)
Indian travellers today are more adventurous and are flying as far as Vancouver to see the whales and explore the coast of Alaska on ships. (Photo courtesy: Shubhi Vijay)
Until 50 years ago, the maharajas would set sail in their first-class cabins. In this 1938 picture, the Maharajah and Maharani of Bhawnagar with their two sons. (Getty Images)
Until 50 years ago, the maharajas would set sail in their first-class cabins. In this 1938 picture, the Maharajah and Maharani of Bhawnagar with their two sons. (Getty Images)
Mussoorie, 1977 (Getty Images)
Mussoorie, 1977 (Getty Images)
Indian tourists taking pictures at the Colosseum in 1948. (Getty Images)
Indian tourists taking pictures at the Colosseum in 1948. (Getty Images)
Grazia magazine editors talking to an Air India hostess on a flight to Bangkok in 1965. (Getty Images)
Grazia magazine editors talking to an Air India hostess on a flight to Bangkok in 1965. (Getty Images)
People who once rarely stepped out of the comfort of their towns now go on group tours to see the lions and ostriches in South Africa or the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
People who once rarely stepped out of the comfort of their towns now go on group tours to see the lions and ostriches in South Africa or the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
(Photo Courtesy: Neha Tatrari)
(Photo Courtesy: Neha Tatrari)
Traditionally we were not vacation-taking people. When we travelled, it was for a purpose, to attend a wedding, a funeral or on business.
Traditionally we were not vacation-taking people. When we travelled, it was for a purpose, to attend a wedding, a funeral or on business.
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