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In May of 2015 I began spending a few days each week camped out in the corner of a little cafe called “Space Out” in the village of Dharamkot, India, photographing travelers who happened to walk by on the footpath.
Using my makeshift studio (a piece of black cloth hung between two planks of wood, a tripod), and with a side window as my only light source, I spent a month photographing whomever I managed to summon inside through the window. After agreeing to the portrait, I had them remain as they were, in the exact clothes they were wearing when I interrupted them. I wanted them frozen exactly as they were, on that day, so far away from home, so full of new ideas and experiences, each a hero on their own unique journey. They were all so different, yet all so similar, as travelers tend to be.
Dharamkot, I should note, is a small village in the northern Himalayan region of India, consisting mostly of footpaths, homestays, yoga studios, cafes and wheat terraces farmed by the few dozen villagers who call the area home. It is mostly dormant during the winter, but springs alive during the summer months with wanderers from around the world.
After summoning the travelers inside, before I took their portrait, I asked them the questions included below, hoping their short responses might serve as keys to unlock their enigmatic stares. More often than not, however their responses usually deepened rather than dispelled the mystery.
Nick, From Cambridge, England
1) Briefly explain who you are: 48-year-old recently resigned secondary school teacher who knows there’s another way.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 4 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 2 months.
4) What brought you to India? See question 1.
5) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Worse. Decrease in overall levels of kindness and compassion.
6) What’s next for you? Personal efforts with my partner, and others, to do more about the answer to question 5.
Nicole, from Rotterdam, the Netherlands
1) Briefly explain who you are: Dreamer, drifter, wanderer, traveler
2) How long how you been traveling India? 4 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? My visa expires in a month, but I will continue traveling
4) What brought you to India? Spirituality. Buddhism. Meditation. Yoga.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Freedom
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Neither. It depends on your perspective.
6) What’s next for you? The unknown.
Adolf Maria Woodlouse, from Freising, Bavaria, Germany
1) Briefly explain who you are: The photo says it better
2) How long how you been traveling India? 3 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 1 week..
4) What brought you to India? My poverty and a hunger for adventure
5) In one word, why do you travel? I can.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? It takes a weak heart to judge. Good? Bad? It is changing and will keep changing.
6) What’s next for you? Home
Vega, from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1) Briefly explain who you are: No one.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 4 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 1 week..
4) What brought you to India? Love
5) In one word, why do you travel? Experience
6) What’s next for you? Now.
Daisy, from Paris, France
1) Briefly explain who you are: Who am I? Great question…
2) How long how you been traveling India? Been here 5 times. This time only 2 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 2 months.
4) What brought you to India? India is my home.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Connection with nature, to spend
time with local people, maybe a beautiful project with local people.
And sharing.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better
7) What’s next for you? I don’t know. I live in the present
Jacob, from Haparanda, Norrbotten, Sweden
1) Briefly explain who you are: My name is Jacob and I am my own God.
2) How long how you been traveling India? Something like 45 days?
3) How long before your trip is finished? My trip will never finish.
But I have to leave India in about 45 days.
4) What brought you to India? My heart.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Knowledge.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? I think we will
destroy the world with our self-destructive ways.
7) What’s next for you? You will take my photograph.
Ouriel, from Israel
1) Briefly explain who you are: I’m 24 years old from Israel. I work at a bar. I finished the army four years ago.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 2 weeks.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 4 months.
4) What brought you to India? The views and the people.
5) In one word, why do you travel? To see more of the world, to learn more.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? [Blank]
7) What’s next for you? [Blank]
Fleur, from Amsterdam, Holland
1) Briefly explain who you are: Post-graduate art student of art history, currently doing my masters in history of architecture. I’m not so interested in architecture itself… I’m more interested in the bigger picture: cities, their development, art, life and especially food. I go nuts about food in every possible way. Furthermore, I’m a romantic, a dreamer, but also realistic and hard and serious (for myself and others) at the same time. I’m very honest and open and love to seek beauty and passion in every possible way and anywhere I go.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 3.5 weeks.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 3.5 weeks.
4) What brought you to India? Yoga, food, the people, finding the
essence of life.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Breaking with the flow.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Sometimes I don’t want to look.
7) What’s next for you? Hopefully New York.
Max, from Nantes, France
1) Briefly explain who you are: Just a happy guy trying to make his life better through travel, spiritual work and animals.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 1 month.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 5 months.
4) What brought you to India? I was in a supermarket, not knowing what to do with my life. Then I saw a lot of Indian people in the super market and I said: there is no way I can go to India. And then the music in the supermarket changed to “Let it Go!” really loud, and I said: OK! Let’s go to India!
5) In one word, why do you travel? To live.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Both -> Ying et Yang. We see a lot of good things and good people, but also the most horrible things (monsanto, government, lobby, health).
7) What’s next for you? Nepal. I also want to learn some healing
stuff to become a healer.
Anja, from Ljubliana, Slovenia.
1) Briefly explain who you are: 34-year-old girl working in film
production who like to travel as much as she can.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 4 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 2 weeks.
4) What brought you to India? Beautiful nature, diverse people,
different cultures, colors, spirituality.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Freedom
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Worse. Individuality and money are making people worse.
7) What’s next for you? Find a job.
Moshe, from Jerusalem, Israel
1) Briefly explain who you are: I was a student, then was in the
moving business, now I’m traveling.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 5 weeks.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 5 days.
4) What brought you to India? Know the enemy.
5) What do you mean? All the Israelis come to this place,
Dharamkot. I wanted to see what’s going on here.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Troublemaking.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Worse. For all kinds of reasons.
7) What’s next for you? I join the reserve army next week.
Patin, from Nantes, France
1) Briefly explain who you are: I’m a crazy guy. I like traveling. I
like culture. I enjoy meeting different people.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 1 month.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 3,4,5,6 months. Depends…
4) What brought you to India? Indian people, different culture,
different landscape, a desire to change my thinking.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Why not?
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Worse because of
human impact. Better because of the development of relationships
7) What’s next for you? A shower. And a new life!
Noa, from Israel
1) Briefly explain who you are: Dreamer, drifter, wanderer, traveler
2) How long how you been traveling India? 1 month
3) How long before your trip is finished? 1 month.
4) What brought you to India? Culture. Freedom
5) In one word, why do you travel? Independence.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Worse. People are becoming more material.
6) What’s next for you? Home. Israel. Work. Study.
Mike, from Chelmsford, Essex, England
1) Briefly explain who you are: Engineer, drummer, DJ, godfather.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 3 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 1 month.
4) What brought you to India? A plane.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Challenges.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Worse because of our urge to constantly want better and not be content with what we already have.
7) What’s next for you? Fly home, work until I can travel again, then explore more of the world.
Sapir, from Israel
1) Briefly explain who you are: 22 years old, lived in a few places around the world but my home is in Israel. Just finished my time serving in the army, now it’s me time.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 4 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 2 months.
4) What brought you to India? I wanted to feel freedom.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Growth.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better. There’s no way I could really know, but I like to think positive
7) What’s next for you? Many ideas, but impossible to know.
Katie, from Melbourne, Australia
1) Briefly explain who you are: 26-year old female with a love and passion fro life and serving others.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 2 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 3 weeks.
4) What brought you to India? Came to learn more about the world, myself, others. And helping people.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Expansion.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better, because more people are waking up to the truth of oneness.
7) What’s next for you? Australia, to spread love.
Eden, from Sde Boker, Israel
1) Briefly explain who you are: I’m nobody.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 3 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 3 months.
4) What brought you to India? Family tradition.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Exploration.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better (positive thinking).
7) What’s next for you? Keep traveling.
Ayala, from Maccabim, Israel
1) Briefly explain who you are: 31-year-old young lady who’s standing in front of a big change in her life.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 1.5 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 1.5 months.
4) What brought you to India? Finding my dharma, my purpose in life.
5) In one word, why do you travel? To search.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? It stays the same, but I change because I’m growing.
7) What’s next for you? Happiness.
Jugaadu Singh, from Amritsar, Punjab, India
1) Briefly explain who you are: A Jugaadu from the land of Jugaads (India).
2) How long how you been traveling India? Born here.
3) How long before your trip is finished? No idea.
4) What brought you to India? My parents.
5) In one word, why do you travel? To see with a different perspective. To understand the world.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better. We are moving towards unity.
7) What’s next for you? Sleep.
Victoria, from Kiev, Ukraine
1) Briefly explain who you are: A nomad.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 8+ years.
3) How long before your trip is finished? ?
4) What brought you to India? Spirituality.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Spirituality.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? [blank]
7) What’s next for you? [blank]
Bikash, from Delhi
1) Briefly explain who you are: I was a businessman. I left to join
the spiritual life, and I am enjoying, feeling better. I now know what a human being should do with its life.
2) How long how you been traveling India? [Blank]
3) How long before your trip is finished? [Blank]
4) What brought you to India?
5) In one word, why do you travel? Because I want to know places and better understand human nature.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? In my experience, the world is every day getting worse. Science says we are making the world more comfortable for humans, but in the process they are spoiling the
world and very soon they will destroy the world.
7) What’s next for you? I search for mental peace. I learn, then I
will teach it to the people who need it.
Riccarda, from Heidelberg, Germany
1) Briefly explain who you are: I am a seeker. I like to find things
unexpectedly. One day I am a singer without sound, the next day I am a dancing soul full of noise and music.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 7 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? I don’t know at all.
4) What brought you to India? Curiosity, attraction, stories, books, myself. But in the end, coincidence.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Freedom.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Worse. Capitalism.
7) What’s next for you? Maybe more Himachal, maybe somewhere else. Time will tell.
Olga, from Moscow, Russia
1) Briefly explain who you are: Traveler, explorer of myself.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 8 times, totaling two years or more.
3) How long before your trip is finished? One month.
4) What brought you to India? It feels like home here.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Just to enjoy, and absorb new places.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? For me better… I believe.
7) What’s next for you? Good question. Nepal probably, but who knows.
Lilian, from San Francisco, United States
1) Briefly explain who you are: Visual artist, circus theatre
performer, teacher.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 9 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 2 months.
4) What brought you to India? Ladakh. I volunteered. Nepal. I
studied Tibetan thangka painting. Volunteered with a circus called
performers without borders to bring circus and theatre to vulnerable children in high-risk areas.
5) In one word, why do you travel? To change.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better. Be the change you want to see in the world.
7) What’s next for you? Going on tour with the circus in England as a clown.
Markus, from Vienna, Austria
1) Briefly explain who you are: I man trying to be the flow.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 20 years.
3) How long before your trip is finished? ?
4) What brought you to India? God.
5) In one word, why do you travel? We are all on the same journey.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better and worse at the same time.
7) What’s next for you? Dying
Arjan, from the Netherlands
1) Briefly explain who you are: An open-minded person living life to the full.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 6 months.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 2 months.
4) What brought you to India? Experience, learning.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Same as above.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better. You can feel it when you travel: there is a (slow) shift in consciousness.
7) What’s next for you? Back to the Netherlands after 3.5 years.
Annete, from Grass Valley, California
1) Briefly explain who you are: I’m a lover of music, nature and the arts. My heart is in the ocean and in the mountains — I’ve never lived far away from either. I am a healer and am forever seeking deeper understanding of the mind-body connection. I believe through understanding cultural differences between people, we are lead to understand similarities between the people of the world, and together we are bound through this.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 8 days.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 6 months.
4) What brought you to India? It wasn’t my plan. I was in Kathmandu during the earthquake. The city was chaos. In order to save resources and assure safety the Indian government offered emergency visas for India. I quickly fell in love.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Soul.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? I believe the dark
side is growing, but the light and the awareness of the people is also growing. I believe in the light.
7) What’s next for you? Now that I am unexpectedly in India, I will
take my time in the north, exploring healing modalities, study yoga and Ayurveda, then continue traveling until I run out of funds.
![028 [Blank], from Israel](https://i0.wp.com/nowheremag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/028-Blank-from-Israel.jpg)
[Blank], from Israel
1) Briefly explain who you are: On a 7-month travel after the army.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 1 week.
3) How long before your trip is finished? 3 weeks.
4) What brought you to India? It was close to the country where I
started my travels.
5) In one word, why do you travel? Exploration.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? It is not changing.
Everyone just keeps on living their life. Good stays good, bad stays
bad.
7) What’s next for you? University.
Sabrina, from Rome, Italy
1) Briefly explain who you are: Yogini, artist.
2) How long how you been traveling India? 4 years.
3) How long before your trip is finished? I am an a life journey.
4) What brought you to India? Yoga, culture, freedom.
5) In one word, why do you travel? To explore possibilities.
6) Is the world becoming better or worse? Why? Better and worse. It’s impermanent.
7) What’s next for you? I live in the present.
David Jennings is a writer and photographer from Oklahoma, though his peripatetic lifestyle has driven him away to 50+ countries over the past ten years. You can follow his travels on Instagram.