It's not just that Borivali resident Nickolai Kinny suffers from a case of restless feet. It's that this explorer has devised a plan to fulfill her travel dreams every weekend with little more than Rs 1,000
It's not just that Borivali resident Nickolai Kinny suffers from a case of restless feet. It's that this explorer has devised a plan to fulfill her travel dreams every weekend with little more than Rs 1,000
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Nickolai Kinny's friends never manage to pin her down for a coffee and muffin session on a lazy, wet Sunday afternoon. The 22 year-old is most likely be out on an open road, lugging her trademark Wildcraft backpack, exploring one more nook in India, with her cell phone switched off to help her disconnect from the daily grind. If a holiday is a long-looked-forward-to event on your bucket list, you should probably meet this 'tiny lady', who takes a vacation every five days. 
Nickolai 'Tiny Lady' Kinny sits at the feet of a sculpture of the Buddha at
Kanheri Caves in Borivali National Park
"My first solo trip was five years ago, but I started travelling every weekend only about a year ago," Kinny tells us over email, because, as she says, written words come more easily to her. "It's a decision I took when I opted for a Monday-to-Friday, 9 am-to-5 pm job, and then ended up quitting because I wanted more from life."
This writer bumped into Kinny on a weekend trip to the Warli village of Walvanda in Maharashtra. Flashing a ready smile and furnishing a pill for a coughing fellow traveller at 3 am, she pulled out her torch, pen and diary to make jottings of the day's happenings when the rest of us had rolled snugly into our sleeping bags. The next day, she had a sweet poem ready to read ufffd her parting gift to our gang.
A published poet (she writes dark, melancholic stuff that is quite at odds with her effervescent self), the Borivali resident blogs about her travels under the title, Adventures of a Tiny Lady (appropriate since she stands 4 feet 11 inches tall). On drab weekdays, she studies for her Master's degree in Tourism Management and manages social media and organising of tours for Grassroutes, an organisation that seeks to link the urban world with rural India.
Is there a rich godfather financing her trips? "Usually, I finance my own travel," she replies. "You'd be surprised how little you need in order to travel in and around India. At other times, my work requires me to travel, so I go where I'm needed."
Opting for public transport, local food and fuss-free living means Kinny spends between Rs 400 to
Rs 1,000 on a weekend trip.
And lack of company has never been an issue. "Travelling solo gives you an opportunity to contemplate. It's also exciting to rely on your instincts alone," she says.
From seeing a million fireflies twinkling in the moonlight as part of an annual mating ritual in a village in Maharashtra to discovering a Stonehenge-like erection in Manipur, Nickolai has been everywhere.
The next time you sleep in late on a Sunday to deal with yet another hangover, think about that.
Log on to www.nickolaistravelogue.wordpress.com
For wannabe weekend nomandsu00a0
> Subscribe to at least one travel magazine to know where people are travelling, what budget is required, what the place has to offer and what festivals are currently on.
> Read travel blogs by local travellers to see where they're going, and learn from their personal experiences.
> Connect with fellow travellers online and make it a point to meet them in person over a trip.
> Budget your weekend getaways not only with regard to money but time also, so that you can be back at work on Monday without feeling exhausted, and wanting a vacation to recover from a vacation.
> My travel book picks: Weekend Breaks from Mumbai by Outlook Traveller and Offbeat Tracks in Maharashtra by Milind Gunaji. They come very handy.
Priceless finds
> On a road trip to Kashid, Kinny discovered the beautiful beach of Korlai, with a light house and a fort. "A little further, we found a medieval public bath and a bakery that sells buns for Re 1. It's the yummiest thing I'd eaten, and that cheap."
> On a trip to Dahanu, she stumbled on Devkop, a lake in the middle of nowhere with water clear enough to go snorkeling in, and learnt that policemen in this town carry talwars (swords), not guns. Another interesting find? A bastardised brand by the name of 'Biloori' marketing packaged drinking water.
> On a trip to Lonavala, she explored the forts of Lohagad and Visapur, a celebrity wax museum, Tungarli lake and sacred gardens which had statues covered in domes facing all four directions. How many of us can boast of doing more that eating Chocolate Walnut Fudge and swimming in the hotel pool on a trip to Lonavala?
Girl Going solo?
> While budgeting your trips, make safety your first priority. The lower the cost, the more obscure the location tends to be, and the bigger the risk with safety.
> Never accept food/ drinks from rank strangers, even if they seem friendly.
> Avoid all body contact with men you have just met or even if you have known them over a few days. Do not hug or shake hands. Use the conventional 'namaste' instead.
> Avoid traveling at night. Never get into a cab or auto that has someone other than the driver seated inside.
> Listen to your gut feelings.
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