For this city couple, weekends are all about hitting the road and watching sunsets together

Bengaluru is home to many young IT couples, and while some chose to spend their free time catching up on their favourite shows, there are few, like business analysts Prateek Chaturvedi and developer Shikha Munjal, who choose to satiate the travel junkie in them. The couple hits the road almost every weekend, and has travelled to over 15 states, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.They have, so far, covered over 50,000 kms, sharing thousands of experiences together. Having recently returned from their K2K ride — from Leh to Kanyakumari in six-and-a-half days — they let us in on their adventurous life together.
GROWING TOGETHER AS A COUPLE
The first ride that Prateek (28) and Shikha (28) went on together was three years ago, to Kerala. “Shikha was up for the ride, but I was unsure if she would be able to handle the ride. But, to my surprise, she enjoyed it and the experience just got better with her. I knew that I had found my pillion rider for life,” says Prateek. Shikha, who is also a passionate photographer, says that she always wanted to travel. “Finding a partner who would do it with me was perfect. Each trip is a learning experience. For instance, initially, we used to pack a lot of unnecessary things, but ride after ride, we realised the need to pack light. We have grown immensely during our endeavours as a couple. We enjoy each other’s company as explorers, going to places that aren’t frequented by others. It is always fun traveling with Prateek,” she says.
MAKING MEMORIES
A ride that Prateek says is close to his heart is the one he and Shikha took to Chopta Tungnath (Uttarakhand). “There was extensive planning involved, so that Shikha could experience her first snowfall. But when we reached Tungnath, it wasn’t snowing at all. We were dejected, but soon that turned to joy as it started snowing. That was an amazing experience. For nearly an entire day we didn’t have mobile connectivity. We knew our family would be worried, so we had to find some way to get in touch with them. That is when we found the army center at Pang in Ladakh, and we made our first satellite phone call,” says Prateek. Riding to Khardung La, among the world’s highest motorable passes, is also among the couple’s most memorable adventures together.
SECURITY, A CONCERN
One concern that Prateek has each time he and Shikha set off on their bikes is his wife’s security. “We plan the rides in such a way that we can be as safe as possible. One of the measures we take is to ride post 4 am and only till late evening,” he says.
BUDGETING IN EXPERIENCES
Travelling so often is bound to weigh heavily on the couple’s expenses. So, how do they budget their trips? “We don’t spend unnecessarily and manage our home expenses well enough to be able to travel. Also, we don’t visit fancy restaurants and eat at dhabas instead,” says Shikha. Prateek sums up their love for adventure saying, “We don’t enjoy spending time at pubs or doing chores on the weekends. To us, weekends are all about long rides, sipping chai at dhabas and watching sunsets together. Travelling has helped shape our relationship; we don’t fight about petty issues and understand each other better.”