Why do I always…feel the need to leave!

In the picture is Poonam with an Indonesian farmer. She is doing an Indonesian village program with him and his son.

Entrepreneur Poonam Rawat-Hahne writes about her love of travel and why she’d do anything to pack a bag …and leave for yonder shores.

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Travelling is existence for me. I can’t imagine how dull and flavourless life would be if I couldn’t travel.  I am a traveller not a tourist, meaning that when I am in a new country I want to feel the country and the best way to do that is by being, eating and sleeping local.

I like to be with the natives and discover their way of living. I like to stay in locally owned guest houses and home stays, eat where I see the locals eating, sit with the locals around the fire or on top of a mountain or some deserted beach or surrounded by thousands of fireflies while trying to talk to them in their language with loads of actions. This curiosity of mine has made my life richer, besides bringing amazing & unforgettable experiences; I have made many local friends whose friendship I still cherish!

I started travelling when I was 14. I still remember sitting in my living room with my parents, well actually standing in a ninja position retaliating and fighting for my right to travel. I wanted to travel from Delhi to Ajmer to visit my best friend. Being an Army officer’s daughter I have lived for a maximum of 3 years in one place and this tradition continued even after I turned 20, but then those moves were from one country to another..…..

Coming back to my story…after 3 hours of discussion my parents gave up and allowed me to take the train journey alone to Rajasthan (big deal in India). This was the time when the travel bug bit me. During my late teens when my friends were interested in partying or dressing up, I used to take my back-pack and leave for mesmerising journeys. Being a single girl travelling was not so easy but you should know the rules and have the confidence and the rest follows.

When you travel alone you are never alone! I meet so many locals and fellow travellers when I travel alone. While travelling I have met some of my best friends! In fact I met my husband Thomas Hahne while living and working in Bangkok, Thailand. Now we have 2 sons, they love travelling and are always ready to put their back-pack on and take a flight or just go away in our campervan.

I love discovering the road less travelled and spend as much time as possible there. The deep feeling of satisfaction and abundance that I get is unbeatable, it’s my soul food…this enriches me!

My dream project Fernweh travels helps achieve all this! Fernweh is a beautiful word in German, which means "the opposite of home sickness”. I think I have Fernweh 24/7. Our travellers get to experience this amazing richness of the local cultures, foods, nature and much more while staying in charming locally owned homestays, camps, heritage properties and boutique guesthouses. This is an attempt at uplifting the underprivileged (many simple village friends I have made along my nomadic life). I have started village and handicraft programs in India, Indonesia, Thailand and rural Italy. I have made all the trips from scratch and work with locals.

You will discover the hidden world with me and meet amazing people whose hearts are bigger than their houses! Discover the beauty of traveling while contributing towards the upliftment of the underprivileged! Contact us here