Mumbai: The world is full of solo women travellers but seldom do we see a seven-month pregnant woman swimming underwater far away on foreign land in Mexico, or walking 18 km on the tough terrains of Aruba, and floating in a 50-feet-deep mud volcano. “I have achieved the impossible. I still remember the first kick while swimming in a cenote (a natural sinkhole) in Mexico,” said Mumbai-based solo traveller Anindita Chatterjee – known as Travel Chatter, who had set a goal to travel to 70 countries before having a baby at the age of 40.
“My gynecologist told me that I have very little or close to no chance of conceiving a baby. My friends and relatives also discouraged me from thinking of having a child at 40. But I had hopes and passion for pregnancy,” said Chatterjee who added that she was trekking in Rishikesh when she realised that she was pregnant. “I wanted to make my pregnancy memorable. I know I have to stand for my passion and love for travel so that my daughter also makes her own decisions,” she added.
First 45-day trip at 2nd trimester
While pregnancy brings with it a host of restrictions, including travel fear, Chatterjee shattered these myths and took her first 45-day trip to four countries after the first and half of the second trimester. From dancing with the locals at the Pink Lake after the mud bath, snorkeling in Curaçao, hiking up a hill to see Lake Guatavita to driving a car in the Caribbean islands solo, Chatterjee did it all. “Nothing is impossible as long as you put your heart, mind and soul into it. I am a very adventurous person by nature and it should reflect in every special moment of my life,” she said. Chatterjee has already taken her two-year-old daughter Kiara to more than 10 countries. To date, Chatterjee has travelled 81 counties across the world.
The motivation to travel was instilled by her parents when she was a child. She would travel to different places during vacations. “After becoming a mom, I didn't want to lose myself or my identity. I will continue to follow my passion with my new travel partner, my daughter, and I know she enjoys travelling just like me,” said Chatterjee, who took her first trip with her daughter to Goa when she was two-month-old.
She credits most of her adventures during pregnancy to her husband. “He knows my passion and supports me in my decisions. My husband was in New York when I wanted to travel for my babymoon. He was there at the hotel working and I would go out and explore on my own. A travelinfluencer, Chatterjee now spends a lot of time encouraging women to travel solo and live their dreams online and through seminars.
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