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This Guy Quit His Job For A Real Life ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ Style Trip Of A Lifetime

How often is it that we’ve watched Lonely Planet and told ourselves "I have to go to this place." And how often is that one actually quits his job to do that?

If you just said "never" in your head, meet Sachin Bhandary, an ordinary PR professional from Bombay.
Sachin Bhandary, who is 32 years old is on a very unique project called ’The 12 Project’. Through this project he will travel 12 countries in 12 months and 12 things he thought that he could never do in his life.
He has already started the project and reached Udupi as a part of this. He will be adressing the media on his venture at - Press Club @ 10.30am Tomorrow ( 9 Feb 2014)

The 12 Project

"The idea came knocking some time last year after I went backpacking across Europe with my mother. Something told me if I don’t do this now, I will never do it. And like everyone else, regret is the one thing I cannot deal with," he told us when we spoke to him.

When he first told people about this project, they thought he had lost it. Because this is what he wanted to do. No, this is what he is doing:

January: Traveling on tough Indian trains for 24 days out of a month

Source: ibtimes

February: Searching for stories of Tamil-Sinhala friendship in Sri Lanka

Source: Visafreetopspots

March: Discovering the thrill of rock climbing for 30 days in Railay, Thailand

Source: Amyrollo

April: Learning the Batucada drums in Bahia, Brazil

Source: Joaojorgeolodum

May: Overcome fear of the sea and learn surfing in a month in Arica, Chile

Source: Emeraldsurfshop

June: Exploring the ancient path from Arica to Machu Pichu for a month in Peru

Source: Beautifulplacestovisit

July: Investigating Columbia’s infamous drug trade

Source: Survivorsucks

August:  Take a further step into overcoming fears and go scuba diving in Costa Rica

Source: Tocostarica

September: Discover the nuances of cooking in a Mexican village in 30 days

Source: Agringoinmexico

October: Born with two left feet but will become a pro at Salsa in Puerto Rico

Source: Roughguides

November: Cycling from New Orleans to New York. Phew!

Source: Cyclelove

December: Failed stand up comic, but will be on the New York stand-up stage, every night for 30 nights! 

Source: Infinitelegroom

"This isn’t a sabbatical or a vacation," Sachin stresses, "It’s something I want to do to promote the idea of odd travels. There is a lot more to travel than recreation. Many more of us should pursue odd, interesting and immersive travel projects. It’s a challenge, a learning and a life-changer."

Bhandary admits that he was always passionate about travel books and odd travel projects. Even at 24, he reminisces, he had promised to himself that he would pursue such a trip some day.

“In 2010, I backpacked across Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia for 45 days. Last year, I suggested to my mother that we backpack through Europe and to my shock, she agreed! It was the best time of our lives; we discovered many things about each other and stayed with locals,” he shares.

Travel matters
Bhandary, who calls himself as The Odd Traveller, on his website and social networking accounts, emphasises that his mission is to popularise the concept of ‘odd travels’ and build a community around it: “Odd travels are nothing but interesting travel projects, which result in learning. Travel is, after all, the best teacher.”

During his trip to Europe he came up with a concept called ‘Things That Will Disappear’ which aimed to combine travelling the world and documenting people and languages that could disappear in a fast-paced world.

“But I realised that I did not have the resources and the time to research that project. That is when The 12 Project struck me,” he observes, adding, “In the future, with the help of adventure brands, we could look at funding creative projects by other Odd Travellers.”

Some of the items on the itinerary are about conquering phobias, while others are about discovering new places. Bhandary will be documenting his journeys via his blog and social networking sites. “To me, this is like storytelling while using yourself as the subject,” he observes.

Through crowdfunding, Bhandary is hoping to raise ’15 lakh; so far, he has collected ’65,000. “Even if I fall short, I will start the project with my savings and depend on the kindness of people to see me through. That is exactly what I have done till now,” he concludes.

Sachin is also planning a web series and a book based on his travels. This is one journey where everyone’s invited! Follow the odd traveller on Facebook or on Twitter to become a part of this epic journey!