A nomad who promotes a minimalist lifestyle with his travel vlogs and writing, Aakash Ranison believes that simplicity is the key to conscious living. The activist talks to Travel+Leisure India & South Asia about keeping up with the nomadic life, his carbon-neutral book, and more.
Excerpts from the interview with Aakash Ranison:
T+L India: It’s been more than eight years since you’ve started living a nomadic life. How has your journey been?
Aakash Ranison: The journey has been mind-blowing and life-changing. I was just moving from one city to another because I was enjoying it. I first started cycling, then walking, and eventually hitchhiking. Now, I’m a person with a positive perspective and am open to challenges. This journey has been a blessing.
T+L India: The path that you’ve set out on is a challenging one. How do you keep up?
Aakash Ranison: I really enjoy what I’m doing. Being happy, travelling, enjoying the whole universe, creating art, and communicating on behalf of nature is the purpose of my life; that’s how I see it, so it’s not challenging.
T+L India: Do you also budget your travels? What factors do you keep in mind while budgeting?
Aakash Ranison: I budget my life—and for me, my life and my travel are not two different things. I live a super minimalistic lifestyle, with just two bags. One is a backpack with all my devices, and the other is a small trolley bag with six pairs of my clothes. I’m also vegan, and not a fancy one. So, my expenses in general are very minimal.
T+L India: Your new book, I’m A Climate Optimist, released recently. Can you tell us more about that?
Aakash Ranison: The idea is very simple, I don’t want to fight with anyone when it comes to climate change. It is a problem, and the solution is sustainability. My book is all about action and there are 10 chapters and each chapter [talks about] one industry—like food and beverage, plastic, etc. In each chapter, there is a small narrative that comes from my personal journey of living a sustainable life. There are 45 well-known personalities who’ve also contributed to my book. More importantly, the book has been printed on environment-friendly paper, using vegetable ink. A 100 per cent of the royalty is going to a charity that I started last year—Greener Earth Foundation. The money will be used to offset the carbon emissions generated by the book, thereby making it India’s first carbon-neutral book.
T+L India: What is the first step towards becoming a conscious traveller?
Aakash Ranison: If you really are a traveller, then you’ll be a conscious person automatically. It’s about choosing whether you are a tourist or a traveller. A tourist manipulates the place by putting the money and comfort first, but a traveller puts the experience first and absorbs the place, and that’s how you become sustainable.
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Written By
Simrran Gill
Features EditorAn advocate of slow travel, Simrran Gill can mostly be found documenting her journeys, food, and people. Often fascinated by life in general, she is a true-blue Delhite and loves every opportunity to pack a suitcase and hop on the next flight out. She is a post-graduate in journalism and has previously worked with Outlook Traveller. When not travelling ..Read More
