Most renowned TV anchor, Manish Paul has been traveling with Trip Tap Toe for years now and to celebrate this we decided to get his exclusive interview on travel. His love for traveling is a well known fact. With his Instagram account flooding with beautiful pictures from Spain, USA, Dubai, New Zealand and Istanbul, Manish surely deserves the hashtag ghumakkad.
The anchor and actor shares his travel tales, good, bad and crazy experiences and love for unplanned trips in a conversation with Trip Tap Toe editor Priya Pareek. Read on to know Manish’s bond with his travel buddy and wife Sanyukta Paul.
You have been traveling a lot lately, from that cruise picture in Spain to that broad smile at Niagara Falls with hashtag ghumakkad and traveleshwar. How has it been?
Been wonderful. I love traveling so whenever I am not shooting and I know I have some time I call my agent at Trip Tap Toe and book tickets. I love to unwind being in the kind of work I am because my brain is always working. There are times when I want to cut off so whenever I have time I travel.
When is the plan to see the Niagra Falls from Canadian side?
Very soon. Actually, it was last year; I had gone to the US for a month. You won’t imagine, me and my wife, we made a plan in three days. It was like let’s go to the US and she said for how long? I said I don’t know let’s see, so we went straight away to Los Angeles.
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We had no bookings so we would book another hotel wherever we went. We travelled all across the US for over a month but we didn’t have visa for Canada so, we couldn’t visit the Canadian side.
You just mentioned how wonderful your trip to the US was. So, what do you enjoy more unplanned trips or planned trips?
I think the fun is in unplanned trips. You should not know where you are going, that’s the fun because that is when you get to discover a lot. But once I land there I like to see what all is around, and obviously one has to take care in mind how much time one has in hand. Once you reach the destination, you have to plan a little bit but yea I like to have unplanned holidays.
And you will also agree that being a celebrity it comes as an added advantage that you get to travel a lot whether for IIFA or shoots.
(laughs) Yea. That is very true, so wherever I go I make sure that I stay for a couple of days to visit the nearby places.
And how was IIFA?
It was brilliant. Spain is beautiful, I went to Madrid, it has awesome architecture.
And we all missed your hosting!
Yes, I was not hosting that event but it is always nice to give other people a chance so that you know where you land and how much people love you. So, I got to know that.
What’s your favorite place to travel?
I love to travel everywhere but the destination we go to very often is Dubai. We have cousins there so that’s the place we chill out at more often. Otherwise, I loved my trip to New Zealand it was beautiful. Next we are planning a trip to Greece because me and my wife we both are ghumakkads so we love traveling.
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So, how is it to have a travel lover as your partner?
Oh it’s awesome, the good part is that we are a little different from each other. I am a panicky traveler because I panic, be it about my passport, bag or wallet. My wife on the other hand is very relaxed and she is the one who is more pro in looking for places and finding out places, I am not.
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I am the one who loves to say: we are here now you tell me what to do. So, she plans it all once we reach; that way it is a very good combination we have.
Is there any dream destination you would like to visit or haven’t been able to visit as yet?
There are a lot; I am planning to go to Greece as I said. I want to see those northern lights so we have been planning this trip. I am looking forward to it and I recently saw that there is a hotel with glass Igloos so you can check-in and while laying on the bed you can see the northern lights. That is my plan now so that I definitely want to do once. We hope I get time around that period when you see the northern lights.
You have been traveling to different places, what has been your best experience so far?
I think the best experience had been the US because it is a big country and we didn’t plan it at all. We had our daughter with us and she was five then so it was a challenge. Traveling with a child is not always easy and we did not have a plan so it was a different type of a trip for us and we had a great time.
We went to the Niagra falls by road from Cleveland, we went to the grand canyon, we traveled from Virginia to New York by road in a car; it was wow experience for us. We also visited Disneyland and Universal so it was one full fledged holiday.
And any worst experiences? Though we can’t even imagine that Manish Paul can have a bad experience because you are the kind of person who can have fun in any situation but still.
That’s true, but once we went to Dubai, I simply went to the immigration to ask where the business class line was and they told me that they did not have different lines there was just one queue for all. I had to wait for two and a half hours for my chance to come and the worst was that I had my daughter with me. So the three of us were waiting and it was around 2:30 in the morning and she was cranky.
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That was the time I felt like people could have been a little courteous and they could have just let my child and my wife go as I was willing to wait. However, they were not at all helpful, so I was not very happy with that but it’s okay, everybody is in a hurry. But, I tried to be at my jovial best to keep the situation light.
You mentioned your experience of traveling with your daughter. How challenging do you feel it is to travel with kids or do you love it?
I love traveling with my family because that is when I get exclusive time with them especially with my daughter. She loves yapping just like me, she loves to talk a lot, loves to ask a lot of questions and she loves to play with me.
It gets a little difficult when you are a celebrity. I know people love my work and they appreciate me, they want a picture with me whenever they see me but I had this experience in the US when we were in Disneyland and my daughter was a little cranky and she was crying a lot. I was trying to pacify her and suddenly this woman comes up to me, holds my hand and says I want a selfie with you. I said give me two minutes my daughter is crying, I will calm her down and then we will have a picture.
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The way she walked off and the next day on my Insta picture she had written abuses left, right and center. Things like who do you think you are, you think you are a star and stuff. I felt that I didn’t deserve that and she saw the situation, so at least she should be kind enough that a person is with the family, so let’s give him some time.
When I am alone I am a people’s person, I take pictures with anybody and everybody I never say no whether I am sleepy, cranky or tired. I just say I am your property but that was the only time I felt celebrity hone ka ye khamiyaza bhugatna pdta hai.
That’s true, sometime that space is denied to celebrities. I guess that’s also a way of expressing love maybe. Apart from that crazy incident what has been your funniest experience so far while traveling?
The Craziest incident so far was in New Zealand. I am an adventurous person, I enjoy bungee jumping and other sports but my wife is completely opposite she doesn’t even like to sit in a ride. So, while I was enjoying all that, she was visiting all the museums and historical places.
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She then lost her way and she called me on my number and said Manish, I don’t know how to get back. I asked where are you to which she answered, “I don’t know where I am” and even I didn’t know where I was. So, how we tracked each other down was funny. Otherwise, we both are shopaholics we love shopping.
For a man to love shopping, sounds amazing to me being a woman!
(giggles) When it comes to shopping, I become a woman and she plays the man part controlling me like we have done enough. But I love to shop a lot and she is very happy because I never say no to her for anything that she wants to buy.
You are making all the girls jealous out there. So, we know you love traveling with your wife but let’s say if there is one famous celebrity that you would like to travel with and I am already assuming you will say Ranveer Singh but who else?
Well, Ranveer obviously because we both are crazy and mad people. The moment we are together be it on red carpet, be it on stage or wherever, the energy goes sky rocketing high. We are mad. Apart from that I would like to travel with Mr. Bachhan once just to see and observe him. I am a huge fan and I have taken a flight with him from Mumbai to Raipur.
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I was the fan boy, I was sitting right next to him and just observing him. I apologized to him that sorry sir but I am just looking at you and he laughed it out. I was just looking and wondering Oh ye bhi window se bahar dekhte hai jab plane udta hai (O! he also looks down as the plane takes off), O ye bhi phone silent par krte hai (O! he also puts his phone on silent) and my friends were laughing at my madness.
That’s cute. Let’s have a quick rapid fire round, you will have to pick one which you like better. Are you ready?
Yea.
Adventure or relaxation
Adventure
Beach or mountains
Beach
Solo, couple or group
Couple
Land or sky
Sky
Offbeat places or glamorous cities
Offbeat places.
That was Manish Paul as jovial and lively as ever, giving major vacation goals to couples. So, where are you planning to go next?
