Life is one big exploration, and we all explore the unknown and try to discover our purpose in life. Only a few get it, the rest go through it as a ritual going through its five main phases of birth | infancy | childhood | adulthood and dying. To quote Erikson’s model of human development, which includes:
Stage 1 – Infancy, trust versus mistrust;
Stage 2 – Toddlerhood, autonomy versus shame and doubt;
Stage 3 – Preschool years, initiative versus guilt;
Stage 4 – Early school years, industry versus inferiority;
Stage 5 – Adolescence and Identity
If explored well, life has so much to offer, to start with 195 countries in the world, give or take a few. I consider myself quite well travelled but in the past two decades of my international exploration, I haven’t been able to visit more than 44 countries, some visited multiple times. Truthfully, 100 is the number of countries you should target in one lifetime to explore. More than that is optional and not important. Exploration just doesn’t start with countries, but within yourself and around to achieve the destination that you truly should reach in one lifetime.
This issue is all about the Travel Industry. Furthermore, we explore the evolving landscape of travel and lifestyle in India, shedding light on how social media influencers are reshaping these realms with their digital presence and unique perspectives. From the best cameras for travel enthusiasts to a special feature in honour of International Women’s Month, celebrating the achievements of women entrepreneurs such as Starts Up, funded by Vinita Singh & Namita Thapar, this issue is brimming with inspiring stories and insightful content.
In an exclusive collaboration with Audi, we have dropped a series of five episodes titled “Cars With Stars,” featuring well-known stars from the Hindi film industry competing in an obstacle race, drifting the Audi Q8 e-tron and also going on a drag race all-timed on a leaderboard. We are streaming now on YouTube/TopGear Mag India. The world of tech is on a forever quest of exploration, and with the Mobile World Congress, we saw new shapes of sliding smartphones and transparent laptops. Since this edition focuses on travel and exploration, the special mention for our versatile cover star, Mrunal Thakur, embodies the spirit of adventure and wanderlust, having done movies both in Hindi & South film industry as well and making a journey to stardom on her own.