Exclusive - Smriti Khaannaa on her love for travelling: It is a therapy in itself, it gives you the time

For Smriti Khaannaa, travelling is not about simply packing a bag, visiting a new destination, and coming back with a bunch of pictures. For the actress, it is more personal than that. Travel gives her a chance to step away from her regular life, take a breath, and spend some much-needed time with herself. With acting schedules often keeping her busy, she feels that getting away once in a while helps her reset. “Travelling is much more than just a holiday for me. It is a way of reconnecting with myself. As an actor, life can become quite hectic and unpredictable, so travelling helps me pause, breathe, and experience life beyond my daily routine,” Smriti says. She also enjoys getting to know a place rather than just seeing it. The local food, people, traditions, and everyday life are what make a trip memorable for her. “Every place has a different energy. I love discovering new cultures and traditions, trying local food, and meeting new people. There is something really nice about stepping into a completely different environment and seeing how people live. I always come back from a trip feeling refreshed, inspired, and with a much calmer mind,” she adds. For Smriti, travel also has a way of putting things into perspective. She believes that sometimes simply being away from your usual surroundings can do a lot for your state of mind. “Absolutely. I believe travelling is a therapy in itself. When you go somewhere new, meet different people, and experience their culture and way of life, you start looking at your own life differently. You get away from the daily stress and the constant rush, and that gives you the chance to reconnect with yourself,” she says. She believes that one of the biggest lessons travel teaches you is that everyone has their own version of happiness. “When you travel, you realise there isn’t just one way to live. People have different lifestyles, different priorities, and different things that make them happy. It makes you look at your own life too. You start wondering if you are actually enjoying it or if you are just constantly running from one thing to another,” she says. “Sometimes we are so busy with our routines that we don’t even notice the small things anymore. Travelling gives you the time to slow down, think, and appreciate life a little more,” she adds. One particular trip that continues to stay with Smriti is her educational visit to Pauri Garhwal. It was an experience that made her look at happiness and contentment in a very different way. “One trip that had a lasting impact on me was my educational visit to Pauri Garhwal. I saw people who had very few material possessions, but they were genuinely happy. The children were playing with simple handmade toys and were so happy doing that. People celebrated weddings with so much enthusiasm. Their connection with their traditions and nature really stayed with me,” she recalls. The experience made her realise that having more does not necessarily mean being happier. “That trip made me realise that happiness doesn’t always come from having more. It comes from appreciating what you already have. I came back feeling more grateful and grounded. It changed the way I looked at what really matters in life,” Smriti says. Interestingly, she feels the trip did not actually change anything around her. Her life was the same when she returned. What had changed was her outlook. “Definitely the way I see my circumstances. My life was exactly the same when I came back from Pauri Garhwal, but my perspective had completely changed. Seeing people live such simple yet joyful lives made me more grounded and grateful for everything I have,” she says. The trip also made her more conscious of her relationship with nature and the simple things that often get overlooked in everyday life. “It also made me respect nature even more. I realised how closely our happiness is connected to the way we live with nature. Since then, I’ve tried to appreciate the little things instead of always thinking about what I should have next. Sometimes, you don’t need your life to change. You just need to look at it differently. For me, that change in perspective has been one of the biggest takeaways from travelling,” Smriti ends.