About

Hi, I’m Aditi! I’m a traveler, green beauty junkie and a person who makes sure every aspect of my life is as holistic and healthy as it can possibly be.

My passport got its very first stamp when I was two and a half. I went to Mumbai, India. Both my parents were born and raised in Mumbai, and the majority of my family still live there. My background, being a first generation Indian American, is such a huge part in what made me fall in love with travel from such a young age. I was born and raised in the Midwest in the United States. And for my whole life, I felt as if I was straddling between two worlds: the east and the west. I was always hyper-aware of the major differences in social culture between the two that were so ingrained in me. I had such a unique world view from such a young age and I was (and still am) so fascinated by what makes people tick in different parts of the world. I was always so curious how people in different cities and cultures lived and thought, what their experiences were and what stories this beautiful earth and its inhabitants could teach me.

In my junior year of college, I took an art history class, which included a 9-day trip to Rome. This was the trip that sparked my desire and curiosity to travel even more. The following year, I went on a college volunteer trip to Lima, Peru where I got the chance to work one-on-one with special needs individuals. This trip meant a lot to me on a personal level because my younger sister has Down’s Syndrome.  To be able to help abroad in this capacity meant so much to me. I stayed in the same neighborhood as the people who I was volunteering with stayed. I woke up at the crack of dawn every morning and walked four miles to the school I helped at, and four miles back, in the blazing hot sun. It was very tiring, but I learned so much from truly immersing myself in the daily lives of the people in Lima who I was helping. It was a huge moment of growth in my life.

When we finished the volunteering, we got to go to Machu Picchu. When I got there, I remember sitting down and thinking, “I’m literally on top of the world.” I couldn’t believe I was there and got to have this incredible experience. It was surreal. After that moment, that’s when I knew I had to try to see every bit of the world that I could.

about

After graduating in 2010, I was off to London. I began a post-grad work and study program. I worked full-time, studied, and was on a RyanAir flight every other weekend exploring and taking in as much of Europe as I could. Basically, I got no sleep. And it was the time of my life! I was in London for about 4 months or so, and then came back home to catch my breath for a bit. I ended up getting a 6-month work abroad opportunity in Sydney which I accepted. I travelled all over Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and parts of Asia during my time there.

When I got back home to the US after my stint in Australia, I volunteered in Barbados and then left for Bali. I lived in Bali for 8 months while doing some online freelancing. I stayed in Ubud. If you have read Eat Pray Love, or have seen the movie, this is the exact part of the island Elizabeth Gilbert stayed. It truly is a magical place and I can’t even believe I can say I lived there for almost a year. I learned how to ride a scooter, made friends who I consider family and learned new online marketing skills, interned at a co-working space called Hubud which was built out of bamboo and on the edge of a stunning rice paddy field. But most importantly, I learned the most about myself there than I had in any other place in the world I had visited or lived. Bali is somewhere that most people regard as one of the most spiritual places in the world. It’s hard to explain unless you’re there, but it feels almost as if Bali operates on its own wavelength or frequency. This is a place that people go to learn about themselves; a place to become better people.

Towards the end of my stint in Bali, I got very sick. It started off as an ear infection, then my body broke out in rashes and I went on 3 rounds of antibiotics with no luck. I went vegan about 4 years prior to moving to Bali, had lost 50 lbs, gotten rid of the excruciating, daily migraines I used to get, as well as eczema. So I was already a pretty conscious person in the way I lived my life and what I put in my body. How then, I thought, could I get so sick and not be able to bounce back from this? My vision started to get blurry, and some days I would feel faint. I started to get horrible anxiety and even heart paplitations. I decided to head back to the US to see doctors here to try to get answers and get better.

The months that followed were some of the most excruciating of my life. I had to see so many different doctors and specialists, even a cardiologist. I had nerve damage in my body and even got a Bell’s Palsy on the right side of my face where I had no feeling in it. I was bed-ridden for about two months. I would have uncontrollable crying fits and was extremely depressed. After seeing so many doctors, I never got a straight answer from any of them on what exactly was wrong with me. The only one to tell me anything was the cardiologist, and thankfully what he told me was something that wasn’t permanent. I have spent the past 16 months doing everything in my power to get better. This experience further solidified my belief in natural and holistic medicine and remedies as opposed to western ones (except in extreme cases). As of now, August 2016, I am nearly back to 100% and ready to kick some ass in life again!

Over this year, I have learned even more in depth information on mental, physical and emotional health. I have gone to therapy to deal with some things from my past which I had thought I dealt with, but realized I hadn’t fully processed. I am so ready to share all I’ve learned on traveling to and living in 30 countries, going through an insane health battle and everything in between.

When I look back on all the traveling I have done, I realize that this innate longing to constantly move and travel comes from deep within. My dad passed away when I was eight years old, and I think ever since then, I have always had this fearless tenacity about me. There are those who say, “life is short” and to “live it to the fullest” and those who actually do.  And I believe that I am one of those people that do. I’ve never cared what anyone said or thought about me or my lifestyle. And I am proud to be a black sheep and march to the beat of my own drum.  If I want to do something, I will find a way to do it, no matter what.

So what about you? Do you refuse to conform? Do you question and doubt everything you have ever been taught? Do you want to find things out for yourself instead of coming from a place of fear? Love learning about different people and cultures all over the world? Want to learn about the best superfoods, supplements and green beauty products to put in and on your body to feel and look amazing from the inside out while you bust through societal norms and explore every inch that this world has to offer? Then this blog is for you.

 

feather