I'm building Segera to promote a different way of doing tourism.
Before the 'Fast & Furious' promo in Manila, I went on a vacation in the Philippines 10 years earlier. I loved it. My 'Miss Saigon' friends showed me around.
Slow travel now rivals the fly-to-Barcelona-for-lunch culture. Advocates savour the journey, travelling by train or boat or bicycle, or even on foot, rather than crammed into an airplane. They take time to plug into the local culture instead of racing through a list of tourist traps.
I want to explore a new place each year, and it can be within India. When I was shooting for 'Mohenjo Daro', I couldn't travel out of the country for two years. But it gave me an opportunity to explore new places within India. I'm sure there are so many places to explore in India, and I would love to go there.
I'm addicted to when people are bringing you around their country, telling you their stories. They become so enthusiastic, so passionate.
In general, I feel so much of pop culture is set in the generic big city, particularly comics. I feel like there are so many other stories to tell.
I don't enjoy traveling in America. I don't like the food, the cars. It is not exotic enough. It all tastes a bit like airline food.
Go to Mozambique! As long as you don't expect to find flawless infrastructure, just go. Because this is a country where people have not quite grown accustomed to tourists. You still feel a genuineness that no longer exists in countries where tourism has been industrially developed.
Trying to micromanage the perfect vacation is always a disaster. That leads to terrible times. If you get lost and you just end up eating just anywhere, you know, you see a bunch of Venetians sitting around smoking cigarettes, eating something unrecognizable in a dark alley somewhere, chances are it's interesting.
We're really creating a whole different kind of travel experience. One that really celebrates the different places, different cultures, the different cities and immerses you in that culture.
In the beginning, I tried to be a more cosmopolitan writer, but I realized that I was a country boy, and I had to deal with things I knew about and where I came from.
Airbnb is a trusted online marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world. From a private room to a private island, we offer an entertaining and personal way for travelers to unlock local experiences and see their surroundings through the eyes of a local.
There are so many beautiful locations in Rajasthan, so many beautiful locations in our India that have not been explored. Foreigners come and explore such places, but we fail to see those locations with that perspective.
What we've demonstrated is there's an immense appetite to travel more authentically and immerse yourself in culture... as opposed to having a commoditised experience.
I'm not a good tourist. I don't like walking around and looking at things. I like being in a city and working and finding out how other people live.
People ask me about staying here. I think they assume that I wouldn't want to come back to a place like Mississippi, which is so backward and which frustrates me a lot. The responsibility that I feel to tell these stories about the people and the place that I'm from is what pulls me back.
I tend to stay away from the big tourist traps.
I'd rather go to a place and spend a couple of months, get to know it, get to know the people.
I see a lot of nice hotels, but I never really get to enjoy the cities, because I have to be on a plane the next day.
I always have more fun when I stay in hostels - you just meet so many more people. A hotel makes sense when you're doing work things, but travelling, you don't really get a feel for a place if you're in a hotel. I find it seems to make it all feel like everywhere else.
I like to go to Africa purely with something to do. I'm not very comfortable getting into an armor-plated Land Rover and going to see things, with my hand gel, you know, it's not me at all. So I like to hang out and you know, really get to know people and try and do something that resonates with them.
If you look at any sitcom that you watch, if it takes place in, say, a small town in Massachusetts, and it's about the dynamics of the people in that town, the showrunner probably grew up in a town like that, witnessed things, and created content.
Whenever I was planning a trip or a holiday, flights and hotels were easy. But when it comes to the stuff you want to do when you get there, working that out was really hard.
Airbnb has grown thanks to our hosts creating memorable experiences and inspiring their guests to be hosts in their hometowns.
Though Suparna is a Malayali, she has spent a large part of her life in Mumbai. She's a Mumbai girl. In fact, I saw the real Mumbai through Suparna's eyes. Of course, I knew Mumbai before I got to know Suparna. But it was Suparna who showed me sides to Mumbai I had never seen.
