I recently got the opportunity to interview Selvaganeshamoorthi Balakrishnan, a fellow Singaporean, who accomplished something extraordinary. Ganesha traveled all the way from Singapore to Montreal, without taking a single flight. He traversed the continents of Asia and Europe and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean before making his way up North America to Montreal. After fulfilling his military obligations in 2018, he embarked on this remarkable journey which took him a total of 9 months to complete.

I hope you are inspired to read on; this is not a story you want to miss. I was very excited to interview Ganesha (I had never interviewed anyone before). It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I gained many insights from our conversation over Zoom. We may live in troubling times but Ganesha reminded me of the things which are truly important in life. His traveling tips and his perspective on the world are both unique and refreshing. I wish to share some of these insights with you today.

Don’t plan your trip down to the last detail

It may seem ludicrous at first thought but Ganesha did not have a fixed itinerary for his trip. He had a general route in mind and embraced whatever else came his way. He spoke of his hitchhiking experiences; often not knowing when he was going to arrive at his destination. He also regaled me with his couch-surfing tales; often not knowing where exactly he was staying or what his hosts had planned for him.

“For most of the trip I did not know where I was going to end up, 5 or 7 days later”

Understandably, planning for 9 months was seemingly impossible as there were too many variables to be accounted for. Such a trip could not be planned but that was the beauty of it. His idea was simply to go there and get lost. True to this spirit, he only begun packing 2 hours before his departure. He did not prepare much aside from finances; he had saved the allowance he received from the army and the money he earned from tutoring.

“If you plan, you are only going to see places which you know exist, be in situations you expect to be in and meet people whom you know. If you don’t plan, you are going to see places you never knew existed, you are going to see things and experience things you never expected to see or experience”

The inspiration for his trip stemmed from years of tuning into Nat Geo Adventure, a backpacking and travel related channel. They constantly featured the overland route from Europe to Singapore. Ganesha had his sights set on completing a similar journey but thought London to be an arbitrary final destination. He was set to attend university in Montreal 10 months after completing his military service. This was his chance to do something that no one else had done before. The perfect opportunity was presented to him and he seized it.

Budgets do not have to be restrictive

Ganesha tried to save as much as possible in preparation for the trip. In order to make things work, he stuck to a strict budget of SGD$25/day. This was meant to cover transportation, meals and accommodation. For most of us, this was not a lot of money to go on. I was amazed by his sheer discipline in terms of budgeting. While he managed to cut costs significantly by hitchhiking and couch-surfing, I wondered if he ever felt restricted by the tiny daily budget.

“Limiting in some ways, liberating in others”

The budget was not a cause of concern while in Asia as food was relatively cheap but he had to tolerate his hunger pangs while in Europe as things were a little pricier. Visiting certain tourist sites which costed a bit more money was also out of the question. Many would see the budget as a huge limiting factor but not Ganesha. He may have gone hungry in certain countries which were more expensive but he felt that, overall, the budget was liberating.

In a way, the budget allowed him to experience an entirely different form of travel, one which was more focused on the people he met. Ganesha met all kinds of people from all walks of life while he was on the road. I found this inspiring as it really goes to show that you do not need a fortune to travel. Traveling rough may not be as glamorous as luxury travel but it certainly is enriching. Traveling this way helps you connect with the locals and really get in touch with the culture.

Keep cool when things go wrong

Many people have an idealistic view of this type of traveling but Ganesha reminds us that it is not all sunshine and rainbows. There were times where things simply did not go his way. It was his mindset which helped him cope with the obstacles he faced. For instance, he was the unfortunate victim of a motorcycle scam in Thailand, one which cost him SGD$600. He told himself that the money was for a good cause as the perpetrators probably needed it more than he did.

Not everyone in the world is going to be your friend. Sometimes, he was rejected while hitchhiking, other times he was ghosted by his couch-surfing hosts. He maintained that it was their right to do so and no one owed him anything. Ganesha was even sexually harassed and molested. Despite all this, he maintained a cool disposition and took it in his stride. His persevering mindset helped him to keep going despite the challenges he faced.

I believe that this is an excellent learning point, one which is applicable to daily life. To put it bluntly, shit happens. We simply cannot control the things which happen to us but we can control how we react to them. We would like to believe that everyone out there wants to be our friend but the reality is that there are some people who just want to take advantage of you. However, we should not let this possibility, of things going wrong, limit us from venturing out into the world and experiencing life.

Continue traveling from home

Unfortunately, due to COVID, traveling and exploring the world is not entirely feasible at this moment. Ganesha is no stranger to this as he was not able to travel as much during his time in the military. While he was in the army, he hosted many couch-surfers via CouchSurfing.com. Hearing about their backpacking stories across Asia kept his traveling spirit alive. I think this is a wonderful way to travel without actually having to leave the country.

“Visit places you never really visited or always wanted to visit back home but never had the chance to do so”

Ganesha hopes that people will keep the travel in them alive amidst these troubling times. It is essential to find happiness in the smallest things like cycling or hiking. Simple activities can bring you joy too. When the world is closed off, we may look inward and explore our own backyards. We must do whatever it takes to keep the dream alive. We have to find the motivation to keep going and when the world opens up again, we shall seize the opportunity to travel.

“Have a trip in mind that you want to do the moment the borders are open and save for it”

About Ganesha:

• Ganesha currently lives in Montreal, where he is pursuing his other passion: aviation. He settled on Montreal as the city was both cheap and culturally interesting.

• Moving to Montreal was no problem for Ganesha who is fluent in French. He also speaks Russian, which he picked up in the Russian Language Center in Singapore.

• The Middle East is one of his favourite regions in the world, particularly the countries, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Israel, Iran and Palestine. These places boast a very unique culture but are unfortunately very misunderstood. He absolutely loves deserts.

• Central Asia is another region he is captivated by. The mix of two contrasting cultures and the natural beauty of the land draws him to this part of the world. He is taken away with the deserts of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

I invite you to check out his Instagram and his Facebook page to learn more about the man behind the adventure. There are many interesting photos on his social media platforms which are definitely worth viewing.

Travel Advice

“Travel as light as possible and only buy things when absolutely necessary and the moment they do not become necessary, discard them”

Ganesha’s mantra for traveling is something we can all learn from. He has a very relaxed attitude toward traveling and I believe that this makes his trips all the more enjoyable. The gear he brought with him was inexpensive and non-professional. He trekked in jeans and survived -20°C weather on the Great Wall of China, clad in a knock off jacket from Vietnam. You do not need much to embark on an adventure; you just need to be brave enough to put yourself out there. There were many who doubted Ganesha but he did not bother with what they had to say as he knew what he was doing.

Chasing Dreams

The trip truly changed Ganesha’s perspective on life; initially, he thought that career was the most important but all that has changed. Life often feels like a rat race in Singapore, with society constantly telling you to sacrifice today for tomorrow. That may seem good on paper but you don’t live in the present. Ganesha is willing to give up a bit of career in the name of exploring the other side life, doing the things he enjoys such as traveling and exploring new cultures.

“Career is important but what is also important is living a life with no regrets”

The trip brought him a certain happiness, one which money can’t buy. He managed to build networks, push limits and learn more about himself. He even managed tick another item off his bucket list by writing a book. To me, Ganesha is a role model; he is someone who said yes and truly put himself out there. Just look at all the wonderful things he was able to accomplish. He went forth and chased his dream and it is my hope that the rest of us have the courage to do the same.

“Surround yourself with people who take a plunge”

I found great pleasure in interviewing Ganesha and listening to his amazing stories. He has a very refreshing perspective on life, one which is uncommon these days. I highly recommend purchasing his book where you can learn more about him and his experiences during his trip. There were many things that I learnt from my chat with Ganesha and I hope this piece does justice to that.

I find myself feeling inspired as I pen down my thoughts about the interview and I hope that reading about it has inspired you too. It is my dream that one day, we all get the chance to do something extraordinary with our lives. As always, thanks tuning in and I hope you have a great day ahead. To end off, I just want to say that if you have a dream, go for it.