While many people dream of travelling full time, very few people actually accomplish it. Savi Munjal and Vidit Taneja of Bruised Passports are two such wanderers. These old friends (they’ve known each other for twenty years!)-turned-spouses love the thrill of discovering new places, sharing fresh stories, and looking good while they do it!
Let’s Get Started
Both Savi and Vid (as they prefer to be called) began travelling in earnest when they were in college. They both left India to study – one in Singapore and the other in the UK – but were always catching flights to see each other, kick-starting something new and special that they would discover as a couple.
Savi says, about her background, “I hold a PhD in English Literature. After completing my Bachelors, Masters, and M.Phil degree from Delhi University I moved to U.K. on a full scholarship to pursue my PhD from the University of Leeds. While completing my MPhil degree in India, I also taught English Literature to undergraduate and graduate students at St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi.”
Vid says, “I moved to Singapore right after high school to pursue a degree in Computer Engineering. I then worked in Singapore for 3 years before quitting my job and moving to U.K. with Savi. After working at University College London as a Business Analyst for more than 6 years, I quit my job to travel full-time and pursue my passion for travel photography.”
Pursuing Their Mutual Passion
Savi and Vid have always been fond of travelling, writing, and photography. When they got married in 2008 and moved to London, they made a pact with each other that they would travel to a new place every month. 10 years later, they have stuck to that pact.
By the year 2013, they had been to 50 countries and hundreds of cities together and had a lot of stories and photographs to share. Moreover, they wanted to encourage more and more people to travel and experience what this world has to offer. To that end, they started chronicling their adventures online – and Bruised Passports was born.
Why ‘Bruised Passports’? Simple! Savi says, “The name Bruised Passports is befitting for our blog as our passports are perpetually bruised and battered with visas and immigration stamps.”
How Does It All Work?
Savi and Vid split their responsibilities based on their strengths. Vid says, “I’m responsible for capturing and editing all the photographs as well as maintaining the website, Savi conceptualises photos and ensures curation of the content that goes up on the website as well as social media channels. She is amazing with words and adds soul to all the photographs.”
He adds, “Savi’s background and interest in the English language comes in handy when writing articles and my education in the field of Computers comes in handy when dealing with website maintenance issues. That said, we have picked up a lot of skills required to become successful online entrepreneurs along the way.”
Vid elaborates, “From learning the essentials of online marketing, social media management, and search engine optimisation to networking with professionals from around the world, we have picked up, and continue to pick up, many new skills and traits that help us become better at making a living out of our passion.”
Keeping The Dream Alive
Financial solvency is a necessary evil that the most idealistic of entrepreneurs face. Savi and Vid take the practical approach by combining their passion with hard work. They contribute to newspapers and magazines as well and offer photography services to brands that are on the lookout for new ideas and concepts. This is especially true of hospitality businesses. Additionally, they have begun consulting on social media marketing ideas for brands who want to develop their online presence.
Savi says, “The key to becoming a good freelancer is to tap into your strengths and qualities and to find work in the field that you’re good at. There are plenty of job opportunities online – from graphic designing to software development, the opportunities are endless. It goes without saying that hard work, dedication, and perseverance is key to be successful in whatever you do.”
The Ups And Downs
Their nomadic life is not without its own unique challenges. Vid says, “Let’s start with the positives. The biggest rewards are the ability and freedom to do what we wanted to. We’ve been able to pursue our passion, and work towards building a virtual community, which in itself is a satisfying feeling. Moreover, we end up garnering amazing experiences from around the world. People usually wait till they retire to travel around the world but with a bit of courage, dedication, and perseverance, we have been able to travel the world and fulfil our dreams sooner.”
He admits, “The biggest challenge when one has an established online presence is to be punctual and driven. Posting social media posts at fixed times no matter where in the world one is, battling with extreme weather conditions to get good photographs and material for articles, and responding to the ever-increasing messages and queries from fellow travel enthusiasts from around the world are just a few of the challenges.”
Following In Their Footsteps
Savi says, “While it might appear lucrative as a way of making a living, like with every other job, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. We have noticed over the past 5 years that this is not for everyone – there are a great many things about this way of living that can put many people off. The constant moving around, no fixed routine, no fixed hours of work, and many hours spent behind the computer curating content for online media.”
Vid interjects, “It works for us because we are truly passionate about travelling, and have been for years even before we started a blog. We enjoy writing and photographing while travelling around the world and that helps in maintaining the content over at Bruised Passports.”
Savi concludes, “If you genuinely love travelling and writing, and don’t mind the few challenges that come with this kind of living, there is nothing like being able to make this your work.”
Both Savi and Vid realize the huge sense of responsibility that comes with having a big online following and make it a point to voice their opinions and try and inspire others too. They not only talk about gathering the courage to follow the life of one’s dreams, but also important social issues like education for children and gender equality as both of them are passionate feminists.
Through their photos and text on social media and on their website, they also encourage people to be more positive and to look at life through rose-tinted glasses.
Takeaway – Habits That Help!
According to Vid and Savi, they’ve had to nurture some traits more than others. They elaborate, “Courage to defy and question convention, belief in your dreams and abilities, constant hard work to improve yourself, and dedication to your work.”
Liked reading this? Then you might also like to read Partha Varanashi – On Setting Down Deep Roots And Riding The Waves Of Success.
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