Travel's the kind of activity you can always embrace on your own. There are fewer worries, fewer arguments, and more moments of peace and quiet.
But then there are those times when you'd rather travel with a loved one -- and if you can't, it's kind of a bummer.
Not convinced? Then talk to Vipurva Parikh.
The Mumbai-based photographer wanted to embark on a one-month backpacking journey with his girlfriend last November, but found out she couldn't make the trip because of her job.
"My girlfriend works at an advertising agency. She had a trip to the U.S. and the U.K. next month already planned out way in advance, hence there was no way she could take any time off in November. Definitely not a month," Parikh told the Huffington Post Canada in an email.
Parikh eventually made the trip with two other close friends, but packed a few extra items: a chalkboard and "plenty of chalk," according to the photographer's Vimeo page. What he made next was a tribute to his girlfriend with one simple message: "I wish you were here."
Wish You Were Here from Vipurva Parikh on Vimeo.
On his journey through West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Bhutan, Parikh stopped to take photos of fellow travellers and locals, according to his Facebook page. Each person helped him deliver a heartfelt message to his lady love back home.
As the subjects posed, Parikh would scrawl lyrics from Ryan Adams' "Wish You Were Here."Mobile readers can watch here.
Parikh said the song has always had a special place in his relationship.
"She lives in a different city right now, so Ryan Adams' "Wish You Were Here" is kind of 'our song'. And I knew it would hold true on this trip more than ever," said Parikh.
After 10 days of sorting through photos, short-listing, editing, sequencing pictures and another few more days of impromptu video editing tutorials, Parikh sent the tribute to his girlfriend.
"She was a mix of shocked, flattered, elated, and unbelieving of what I had just done. She absolutely loves it. The video is entirely hers, but she was kind enough to allow me to share it on social media.
The couple plans on travelling together eventually, but Parikh says they'll most likely trade backpacks for some motorcycles instead.
"We’ll definitely be doing a trip together soon. I’d love to go back and do a motorcycle tour of [India's] north east and Bhutan with her. Although she’s more of a beach person and I’m a mountains kind of guy, I’m sure she’d love these places as much as I did."
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