You might have seen people traveling across the world to see monuments, artifacts, to enjoy scenic views of beaches, lakes, mountains, to explore nature’s beauty, and to do many other things. Ever heard someone traveling the world only to collect stories to tell the world through Instagram and Youtube channel – Steering Story. It’s a very different experience and more like discovering new lives daily.
On 8 April 2019, Praveen Mehta packed his luggage to go on a road trip. It took him 11 months to travel to 60 countries through his car. After covering 74,000 km, he returned to his home in 2020, only two days before the lockdown. He has covered numerous stories throughout the journey, and he documented all of them on his Instagram page steering_story, Youtube channel Steeringstory.
However, we found his journey more fascinating than any other story. We wanted to know more about his experience. So here is Praveen Mehta, answering the most asked questions and sharing his experience with all of us.
Aashna- Please tell us more about yourself, Praveen Mehta.
Praveen Mehta- I’m Praveen Mehta. I was born in Jodhpur but brought up in Mumbai. I dropped out from engineering as on the exam day I went to watch a movie, Dil Hain Ke Manta Nahi, with my GF then and wife now. You can relate to me with the title as I always follow my heart that tells me to be eternally romantic.
Then I got into the textile business. I trade with several countries with raw materials, but trekking and traveling have been my passion for a long time. In the last ten years, I have done several treks that include about 4 to 5 summits, motorbike trips, long-distance bicycling, and half marathons. Currently, I’m planning to summit Mt Everest and plant 100k trees annually.
Aashna- What is the starting point of your journey? When did you decide to take this trip?
Praveen Mehta – As I told you before, I was always interested in adventures. It’s my passion. The idea of exploring the world was on my mind for a decade or so. This trip was an extension of all the trips and adventures I had done in the past. The motive behind the journey was to celebrate life and see it from a different perspective. When I announced it to my family and friends a few months ago, I got their typical responses.
My wife said, ‘Have you lost it?‘ Other family members and friends asked, ‘Why would you do something as crazy as this?’ Someone said, ‘Boss! Have an extra-marital affair! It’s less complicated and the perfect one ‘Drive to Lonavala, eat, breath in the fresh air. Why driving so much?’ Despite all the opposition and criticism, I went ahead with the journey because I wanted to do it anyhow. So it all began with a crazy idea, and the rest is history.
Aashna – You have traveled to 60 countries in 330 days. How was the experience from the safety aspect? Is it safe to travel alone by car?
Praveen Mehta – My journey was about meeting new people as I chose this drive to be people-centric. I preferred to meet people of different types and discover their life stories to learn something from their experiences. One of the most critical aspects of the journey was that I never once felt intimidated, threatened, or even uninvited in my entire journey.
There was no place for fear. It’s all safe unless you do something unacceptable that may put you in trouble. For example, I had lost my wallet in Honduras, and when I was looking for it, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I got scared, but I saw a young person, all of 25, who’d found my wallet when I turned. He was looking for me to return it.
Once I left my car door open, and a couple spotted my open car. They waited half an hour only to safeguard my laptop, camera, and other expensive things. People say that it’s not safe to be out, but the locals made me feel like I belonged to them. The outer world is very much safe. You don’t have to worry about it.
Aashna- Throughout the journey, you have discovered so many stories. Which one is your favorite steering story?
Praveen Mehta – To start with, there was one person in Myanmar his name was Kyaw Thu. He was a famous actor and a legendary hero of Myanmar. More like Amitabh Bachchan of India. I wanted to interview him, but his security team wouldn’t let me reach him. So I gatecrashed his house, and I revealed everything about my journey. Then I said I wish to interview you. He said, ‘Okay, then do it now.’ I replied, ‘I can’t do it now. I already have an interview scheduled, and I need to research more about your life.’ He allowed me to leave and come back the next day at 6:30 am.
The next day, while interviewing him, I discovered that the government of Myanmar banned his work on both Television and OTT platforms because he had conducted some pro-democracy movements. Rather than giving up, he began to serve as a social worker.
He started free funerals for the general public. He did many other things, such as helping the flood victims, supporting struggling artists, providing medical help, and free education to refugees. After doing these works, he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award, and he is still one of the most famous persons in Myanmar.
The second interview I have taken of a lady in Thailand is a refugee in Thailand, and she didn’t receive much help when she migrated to the country. After working a lot, she set up an organization that helps homeless pregnant women, especially those women who are not supported by their families or have no one to take care of them.
She helps them in delivering the child. You won’t believe that she conducts almost ten deliveries per day and 4000 deliveries in a year. There were so many other stories that inspired me a lot. I realized that eminent people are accessible, ready to give the audience whatever it wants.
Like, I met one rockstar from Lithuania who had done phenomenal work in music. His music greatly impacted the mindset of society. A German who incubated 5000 startups. A Bolivian who created opportunities for women entrepreneurs. There was a lot to discover, and I dug as much as I could. It was an exceptional experience.
Aashna – What were the challenges you had to face during the journey?
Praveen Mehta – I set my drive across four continents Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. It was more like a job because I had to drive 7 to 8 hours per day and then interview different people who had done phenomenal work in their lives. So before taking the interview, I had to research to learn more about their work and life.
I had to take care of my business. It was affected negatively as my clients were not interested in dealing with my staff. They wanted me in the position. I had to manage my budget wisely. These things seem meager from the front, but they created a lot of problems in my way. I had to deal with all of them. It was a 16-hour working day for me.
Aashna – While traveling to different countries, how did you overcome language barriers?
Praveen Mehta – Honestly, technology has made it very simple. I used a translator to communicate with locals. Most eminent people who I interviewed knew how to speak English. Apart from it, your expressions speak a lot about yourself.
For instance, three things are visible on our faces, first hunger, second, if you’ve lost your way, or the third thing is going to loo. People will understand it very easily just by looking at your face. I encountered no problems, and locals were more than ready and happy to help. They didn’t judge me based on the language I spoke.
Aashna – What is your fitness mantra because you plan to summit Mount Everest at the age of 50? How do you keep yourself fit?
Praveen Mehta – Frankly speaking, fitness is something that you need to work on daily. It’s not a one-time solution, but you have to work daily to maintain it. If you give one hour of your life to your body, it will give you 100 years of healthy life. It depends on four factors: healthy food, sleeping well, working out, and feeling happy. You need to take care of these elements to achieve optimum fitness in your life.
There are no set patterns. You can do anything like gym, running, swimming, yoga, or anything else that you love doing. I mostly do running and swimming. I usually do cycling or running to keep my body fit.
Aashna- What are your future goals?
Praveen Mehta – I aim to summit Mt. Everest, and I want to plant 100k trees in a year. Both of them are on my to-do list.
What is that one thought that motivates you daily?
Praveen Mehta – I firmly believe in this mindset. Today will be better than yesterday, and tomorrow might be better than today. But the best time is now. If you desire something, then there is no perfect time for that except now. Work now. Live in the moment. Leave the past behind, and don’t worry about the future. Keep doing what you are doing!
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