It's the most festive time of the year! Christmas is here, 2021 is just around the corner and we're all hoping for a new year that's far better than the one that's going by. I wanted to bring a special Christmas episode here, and for this one, you and I are going to be listening to magical stories from Europe's fabled Christmas markets!

Listen in, and I won't be surprised if Europe in winter shoots up a few ranks on your bucket list!

A HUGE thanks to the voices in this episode -

Susana Quadros - www.instagram.com/slidestospices
Vinodini Sunder - www.instagram.com/travelsmusingsandmore
Satya Nair
Juliana Nair
Romeeta Sukhtankar - www.instagram.com/livabledesignproject
Soumya Nambiar - www.instagram.com/soumna_travelbooksfood and www.travelbooksfood.com
Ankita Bora - www.instagram.com/ankitabora07
Shreya Sharma - www.instagram.com/shreyasharma15
Sandhya Venkateshwaran

I'd love to hear from you! Follow me on www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl, check out my website www.peppytravelgirl.com, and feel free to drop me a message at either. Happy listening!

Music by Pranav Chadha.

Photo by Elijah G on Unsplash

The larger part of my favourite travel memories is defined by interactions with people. Of these, chance encounters take the top spot, and in this #PepTale, join me for a short conversation with a stranger over breakfast in Tainan. Some stories don't really end. They're just.. left hanging for the listener to imagine as they wish, and this is one. If you're reading this, drop me a line on my Instagram www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl and tell me how you wish this story would end. If it does at all :) Happy listening!

Also, please forgive the audio quality. I recorded this on the go in a very remote destination when I went down memory lane and felt the story was coming out at its best. Thank you!

Follow me on www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl.

Feedback always welcome at www.peppytravelgirl.com!

Music created by Pranav Chadha.

Few sense an opportunity when presented, and fewer actually reach out and grab it with both hands. Japleen Kaur is one such human, who saw what she had dreamed of her whole life in front of her life, and without a second thought, leapt at it. She's a Mumbai girl who moved to Bir in Himachal Pradesh to live the life of her dreams. Her love for travel showed her the place where she would build her life as it is today, and in this episode, we talk all about moving to the mountains, calling them home, exploring Bir, and uncovering some secrets that go beyond paragliding.

Lots of stories, dialogue, and laughs in this one! Watch out for a fun segment where Japleen and I spin a yarn together ON THE SPOT with no prior preparation.

Japleen is a travel content creator and a master storyteller who also conducts writing workshops every week. Catch up with what she does at www.instagram.com/millennialladki.

Drop me your feedback at www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl and www.peppytravelgirl.com. As always, I love to hear from you!

Travelling solo ain't always a cakewalk. While it's always a lot of fun and never fails to entertain, it does, sometimes, serve up its own moments that can terrify, that can cause your stomach to sink, and sometimes leave you thanking your lucky stars. As a girl travelling alone, there are far too many of those, let's face it. Today's #PepTale is a story from a time which could've gotten really, really bad. The episode opens with a few thoughts on what the internet has been looking like recently and why I'm talking about this story and then goes into a tale that I don't want to give away much of. Listen in! It opens up another glorious angle to solo travel and everything that makes a part of it. ESPECIALLY that beautiful thing known as 'gut-instinct'!

I'd love to hear from you! Follow me on www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl, check out my website www.peppytravelgirl.com, and feel free to drop me a message at either. Happy listening!

Music by Pranav Chadha.

Living in a body that's not "conventionally attractive" can mean a ton of self-sabotage, as I realised on multiple occasions when I denied myself experiences when I was travelling. Thinking back, it hurts, but also begs the question - WHY? Why do we self-sabotage? Why is acceptance of one's body so difficult? Why do we live with so much shame and where did it come from?

Anushka Kelkar joins me on this #PepTake to delve into the topic of bodies, shame, and acceptance. We talk about where body image issues come from and its impact on our life, how capitalism has its part to play, and how we can set out on a journey of befriending something that's going to be with us for the rest of our life.

Anushka fosters an online community called Brown Girl Gazing which opens its doors for women to meet at a common platform, share their journeys with their bodies and unlearn shame together. Follow her work on www.instagram.com/browngirlgazin.

Music by Pranav Chadha.

Visiting Africa is a dream for many, and Tanya Khanijow made hers come true on her solo trip to Namibia. It was her first time in the continent, and she drove across the country in a 4x4. She describes her journey as 'life-changing', and in this conversation, we find out why. This #PepTalk opens up with Tanya talking about how this trip actually happened. She goes on to tell us about her 4x4 vehicle, or as we now call it, the 'wonder car'.

Head to 11:11 for details on arriving in the country and the route she took. At 16:00, she details her experience and interactions with animals and seeing 3 out of the Big 5. She went out of her way to interact with the Himba tribe, a tribe that is living in present-day Africa but still holds on to its traditions. Listen to her talk about this at 20:00. At 26:40, she tells us how we can be a little more responsible as travellers. 

Tanya goes on to talk about her experience camping in the desert at 28:50. All things food come in at 35:15, followed by an incredible helicopter ride and some tailored experiences at 43:35. A little bit of mysticism comes in at 45:50, and then a little bit of Bollywood at 48:16. Listen to her highlights from the trip at 52:00.

To round off this #PepTalk, Tanya talks about the logistical aspect of traversing through Namibia and gives us a quick 10-day plan to explore the country.

Tanya is a travel filmmaker extraordinaire, and her work will transport you to wherever she goes through brilliant cinematography, editing and narration. Hop over to www.youtube.com/tanyakhanijow to see what she does. You can also follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/tanyakhanijow.

Follow me at www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl. You can also reach out to me at www.peppytravelgirl.com.

Music by Pranav Chadha.

How do you earn while travelling? Is it possible to work on the go? Can I actually work while sipping cocktails by the pool? Is this for real?

A location-independent lifestyle sure sounds glamorous. With good reason, because living life on your terms, living anywhere in the world and making money while at it sounds like a dream, doesn't it?

Kaushal Karkhanis is a graphic designer, a content creator and a community-fiend who's been living the location independent lifestyle since 12 years and joins me on this episode to tell us all about how he does what he does and how we can design a life we probably dream of.

You'll hear about how his tryst with travel blogging started at 05:00, how he managed to bounce back from zero at 08:00, and what enabled his location-independent lifestyle at 10:30. He tells us how he started work as a digital nomad at 13:12 and how he manages to balance work and travel at 16:57. The pros and cons of the lifestyle come out at 19:26, and you'll also hear about the different ways you can pursue this at 21:11. Learn about the concept of geo-arbitrage and why it's something you need to know about at 22:15. Kaushal even tells us about the mistakes he's made on this journey and what you can do to avoid them at 23:38.

We discuss the future of the gig economy and what the future might hold at 26:05. Take advantage of some valuable life lessons Kaushal doles out at 29:47, after which he gives us all a glimpse into what his journey has been like at 31:35.

Skip to 34:15 to listen to what you need to know before jumping into this life, and then move on to tips and tricks at 39:09. Transition options pop up at 41:09 and listen in at 45:54 for resources that will help you out.

Hop over to Kaushal's travel blog - www.exoticgringo.com - to see where he's been. Head to www.kaushal.page/nomad for a full list of resources that can help you get started on a location-independent lifestyle.

I welcome comments, compliments and feedback! Drop me a message at www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl, and check out my website www.peppytravelgirl.com.

Music by Pranav Chadha.