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“Travelling solo is the best. You can be whatever you want to.”, says Rajiv Dubey, General Manager-Media, Dabur

afaqs! interviewed media heads to know about their journeys throughout their career and how travel has changed their perception of work.

Rajiv Dubey, General Manager-Media, Dabur is a sea lover who believes that travelling solo is the best because we can be whatever we want to be for there is no baggage! Let's dive into his interview to know about his thrilling travel experiences, bucket list, travel mantra, and more...

Edited excerpts:

Out of the four which one would you choose for a vacation - Hills or Beaches or City life or something else? :

“Travelling solo is the best. You can be whatever you want to.”, says Rajiv Dubey, General Manager-Media, Dabur
Rajiv Dubey

Life is a beach. Just looking at the sea makes me feel great! I can spend a lifetime doing it.

What has been your most unique experience while on a business trip?

My most unique experience is missing a flight while sitting in a lounge. I missed a flight while sitting right in front of the gate yapping away with friends. By the time crew came to look for us and dragged us to the plane, the captain decided to offload us and delayed the flight further. That triggered a chain reaction and delayed more flights of the airline that day (funny thing is that the airline shut down later). At night, when we were taking the last flight, some of the passengers asked the crew the reason the flight was delayed. The crew pointed towards me and explained the chain reaction for the delay and I answered with a grin.

What would be the top three places on your travel bucket list and the top three on your professional list?

Top three personal would be: Aurora Borealis, going on a bike ride to Ladakh (again), and Croatia.

Top three professional would be: ABC of India: Arra, Balia, and Chhapra towns.

What is your favourite travel story from a personal trip?

It would be going from Manali to Leh in six days on a bicycle - staying in tents, sleeping on the floor of the tent, “going” out in the open, and eating whatever one saw - mostly Maggi. Also, seeing the deep blue sky in the day, big stars at night, and being out of breath while climbing up. It was a very unique experience going up the highest mountain passes in the world on a bicycle.

Have you ever taken a trip while broke?

I was in high school when I travelled solo soon after Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister. The youngsters were full of hope about the new Prime Minister and new education policy announcement. Around that time, I travelled to Gorakhpur to meet my relatives. It was my first solo trip by train. On the way back, my relatives didn’t let me buy the train ticket and got me seated on the train and I came back without a ticket while dodging the TTE. That was a unique experience of supposedly travelling broke while co-passengers gave me food, thinking I didn’t have money. My father freaked out when he got to know that I travelled without a ticket and ate someone else’s food.

Travel stimulates the mind. What stimulates you in your workplace?

The opportunity to work with 30-40 different brands which work differently in different geographies with different challenges is very exciting!

How often do you travel? Are you impulsive when it comes to travel plans?

Almost every month for work and every quarter for pleasure. I have also undertaken long distance cycling covering 400-600 Kms in a day. If that accounts for travel, it's an impulse I want to take often.

Share us your travel mantra which can also be a work mantra (for e.g.- Never go solo)

Travelling solo is the best. You can be whatever you want to. You have no baggage!

(In line with its new show, 'The Calling', TLC has partnered with afaqs! to interview media heads to know about their experiences combining work and travel)

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