Taking The Plunge

Anant Bhagat saved up for nearly four decades to splurge on his lifelong dream...a ‘foreign’ trip and made it happen

Mark Twain once said ‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’

A similar dilemma confronted Anant Bhagat when retirement after 36 years of service left him with ample time to relive a dream he shared with wife Archana, that of travelling overseas...and make it happen. He recently undertook a 14-day tour of Europe and couldn’t have asked for a better bet.

“All my life, I wanted to make a foreign trip … at least once but owing to household responsibilities and concurrent financial constraints, it could never materialise. So, the moment I hit retirement, I decided it’s time to make that trip,” says Anant.

He was aware that it wouldn't be easy, even feasible but this time he decided to face his fears and “take the plunge anyhow.”

The timing couldn't be better either. Anant was completing 33 years of marriage while his son had just got married last year and a honeymoon was pending. 

Anant and Archana Bhagat undertook a once-in-a-lifetime plunge

A foreign trip for a family of four would be anything but ‘affordable’ but careful planning “since I started earning” and the gratuity received after retirement helped him put the finances in place. 

Help came in from all quarters including a family friend who helped him plan the entire itinerary, made all the necessary bookings and reservations. “The itinerary suggested by him cut down the expenses by almost half,” recalls a relieved Anant.

“It was like the stars had aligned and all just to make my dream come true. I had no clue how to even start planning for the trip. I would have been happy visiting any place outside India. 

But after considering suggestions from friends and family, we zeroed in on Europe. Things started to fall in place and the four of us travelled to Italy, Switzerland and France in what was a surreal experience,” he says.

The excitement of preparation

The 14-day tour in April included travel to Rome, Venice, Lucerne, Paris among other popular European cities. But the preparations had begun weeks ago.

First and foremost, the passports had to be put in order. Archana had already travelled once to Dubai “but that was in 2008 and her passport had already expired so had to be renewed.”

Anant’s son Akshay and daughter-in-law Rutuja too had their passports ready. “Fortunately, I had made my passport about three years ago. Like I said, the trip was fated.”

Other than the excitement of travelling abroad, it was the nervousness of making such a trip for the first time that made Anant and Archana jittery. 

“The itinerary included cities with varying climates, so we had to buy clothing appropriate for summer, rainy and cold weathers. It was quite stressful, but we managed.”

Shopping for clothes was, in fact, the easy part. Travelling for the first time overseas, Anant and Archana didn’t know what to expect at the food front.

“So, we decided to buy ready-to-cook food packets of rasam rice, biryani, masala rice, poha, upma, etc. 

We also carried laddoos and chiwda too ... just in case!” he exclaims.

The proverbial misadventures

Italy’s ongoing water crisis that left Venetian canals running dry and the government tabling a new drought decree to tackle the country’s severe water crisis had affected tourism as well.

“Would you believe it? Restaurants in the Italian cities we visited didn’t even have wash basins! We were supposed to use either tissue paper or buy bottled water to wash our hands,” maintains Anant.

In the absence of water and pricy bottled water costing “two euros for a bottle”, the four would “carry pre-filled water bottles from the hotel itself” to suffice through the day.

It took a while to adjust to the breakfast offered throughout...in cities across three nations that mostly included “cookies, cakes, bagels, eggs, cornflakes, bread and fruits.” Anant would end up eating toast butter with milk or coffee.

“Most hotels provided an electric kettle in the room so we would prepare the ready-to-cook food and carry with us to have for lunch.”

On one occasion, however, in the absence of the kettle, they had to borrow one from the hotel kitchen. And the steam set off the fire alarm! It took a bit to calm things down...but they did.

Language posed a big problem especially in Italy and France. “In the former, most locals didn’t know English while in Paris, they chose not to speak in English.”

Interestingly, the misadventure began the moment the family landed in Europe at the International Airport in Rome. The taxi that was pre-booked failed to show up at the Arrivals Terminal.

“We had to call up our contact in India who called the agency in Rome who then contacted the taxi driver who didn’t speak English. He was waiting for us at the far end of the airport. We managed to get to our hotel but the whole experience was quite stressful especially given the language barrier.”

“In another instance, we had to catch a train in Milan in a thirty-minute lay-over: And our first train got delayed by twenty minutes. Since reservations had already been made in the next train, we had few options. Fortunately, the connecting train arrived at the same platform, so we managed to board it in the remaining ten minutes. In hindsight, if reservations are to be made, there should always be more time for contingencies like these.”

Archana was so stressed at the time; she kept asking Anant to check if the train was going in the right direction. “We were prepared to miss the train and had thought the day was lost. I feel, it’s better to take the regular trains that are unreserved and on regular intervals. It will help avoid such stressful conditions.” 

Another ‘missed’ instance was in Venice when they ended up at the wrong location to “redeem their pre-booked tickets” for a river cruise. “The map led us to a riverbank with no cruise or ticket counter in sight.”

Archana Bhagat with Anant, daughter-in-law Rutuja and son Akshay

After many refused to help, a waiter finally helped them find the right way. “When we reached the cruise, just ten minutes late, despite having left an email for them informing about our delay and to wait for us, it had already left. The manager told us we need to book afresh, and the tickets cost 70 Euros. My daughter-in-law then spoke to the unrelenting lady and persuaded her to issue new tickets at a total of 12 Euros and we took the next cruise.”

Anant feels itineraries should not be planned with such tight back-to-back schedules. In a foreign country, it’s easy to lose one's way and there may not be a helping hand around.

The filmy connection

Most of the cities the family travelled to were popular tourist destinations featured in several Indian movies. “While travelling we kept recalling movie scenes and songs shot in these places.”

Among all the places, Venice took Archana and Anant back in time when, as a young couple, they watched Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman’s famous song ‘Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahani’. 

To relive their past, the couple embarked on the famous Gondola Ride and were transported to the old-world charm, once again. 

What amazed Anant was that "there was WiFi everywhere...in buses, public places, stations." For wife Archana, visiting Switzerland was a life-long dream come true. “Now, I've seen it all," says a content Archana. 

Anant, on his behalf, has started to look ahead to his next 'foreign' trip...sponsored by his son Akshay, this time around.

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