Meet Ronnie & Barty, The T+L Champions Of Slow Travel

Travel+Leisure India & South Asia revealed its second set of T+L Champions at India’s Best Awards 2023. From travel content creators and entrepreneurs to hoteliers and interior designers, these 12 individuals are making waves in their fields. One such trailblazer who is redefining travel are the T+L Champions of Slow Travel. Meet content creators Ronnie & Barty.

Excerpts from the interview with Ronnie & Barty:

T+L India: What motivated you to embrace slow living in the mountains?

Barty: I spent a lot of time in the mountains, especially for my summer vacations. Somewhere, I always knew this was where I wanted to be. When Ronnie and I got together, we discussed that we’d like to be in the mountains. Ronnie: We thought it would be more of a retirement plan though. B: But life always throws you curveballs, and we had a major one! The simplest solution, then, was to get out of the state of mind we were in, move out of the city, and shift base. That is probably one of the best decisions we’ve taken in life.

Ronnie: I’m from Manali. Like every Himachali, I went to a city to study and get a job. But there comes a point in every Himachali boy’s life when they have a home calling of sorts.

T+L India: Barty, you’re a city girl. Was it challenging for you to embrace life in the mountains?

Barty: I was accustomed to Mumbai’s fast pace. I struggled in the first few months [after shifting]. It took time and conscious efforts for me to get in sync with this new pace of life. But you’ve got to mould yourself to how the place and world function, and not try to impose your way of functioning in that world.

T+L India: In the last few years, over tourism is said to have killed the mountains. What’s your take on this?

Ronnie: Where are these tourists? We haven’t had tourists in long! [laughs] It’s not over tourism that’s killing the mountains; it is the lack of good infrastructure.

Barty: There’s so much to explore, but tour operators are just taking you to five [places]. We don’t have good roads, sewage, proper water, and electricity. That is the problem! Having said that, we may not be the right people as we’re not the government and we don’t know the challenges they might be facing. It’s a complex issue.

Ronnie: I don’t think it’s fair to blame over tourism because there are towns smaller than Manali—like Whistler— where lakhs of tourists visit annually, and they are managing. It’s not over tourism; it’s lack of tourism planning and irresponsible tourism.

T+L India: What are the first steps to slow living?

Ronnie: Awareness. Acknowledge the existence of other living beings and objects.

Barty: Be present in the now and cherish the moment. Slow living is about taking a step back; don’t treat your life like a to-do list.

Champion’s Choice:

Favourite Himalayan dish

Ronnie: Siddu
Barty: Patrodu

Travel essentials

Ronnie: Earphones
Barty: Sunglasses

Related: Meet Shantanu Garg, The T+L Champion Of Luxury Design

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