Varun Vagish is an Indian solo traveler best known for his travel vlogs. He is known to have popularized the concepts of hitchhiking and couchsurfing through his travel vlogs.
wiki/bio
Varun Vagish aka MountainTrekker was born on Tuesday, March 29, 1983 in Delhi, India (age 39; as of 2022). His zodiac sign is Aries. As both his parents were government employees, his childhood was spent in several cities, including Narola, Tarapur, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Rawat Patta and Asansol. He attended Atomic Energy Center School, Tarapur. From 2000 to 2003, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in communication and journalism-related courses from Delhi University. From 2003 to 2004, he pursued a PG Diploma in Mass Communication/Media Studies from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. In 2012, he received his PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Maryland, Rohtak, Haryana. He has also worked as a journalist and newscaster for All India Radio (AIR), academician and public relations professional. In an interview, he talked about his love for traveling, saying:
I spent most of my childhood in Maharashtra. Funny thing is, I used to hate math as a kid. So, my mother, a teacher, asked one of her colleagues to tutor me so that I could learn better. I once used the excuse that my wife was not feeling well today, so I paid the tuition and ran away. That time I was in a place called Tarapur (India’s first atomic power station) in Maharashtra, and the Sayadris (Western Ghats) were nearby. Therefore, I often ride my bicycle to the mountains alone and stay there for 2-3 hours. This was a very unforgettable experience in my childhood. My love for mountains started at a young age. ”
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
He belongs to OBC Hindu family.
Parents and siblings
His father is a government employee and his mother is a teacher.
wife
He is unmarried.
travel vlogger
He has traveled to over 25 countries and his travel videos on his YouTube channel Mountain Trekker have been viewed over 200 million times. He traveled frequently and popularized the concepts of hitchhiking and couchsurfing among the people of India while traveling. Varun spoke about his trip in an interview and stated that it was a trip on a motorcycle to Shimla, where he was working as a journalist and his boss gave him a day off; his ashram in Shimla Stayed for a few hours and then returned home. According to Varun, he was so excited about the trip that he decided to become a travel vlogger. In an interview, when he was asked if his parents approved of his decision to become a travel vlogger, Varun replied:
No, both myself and my parents believed it was a good choice and that I would do well. I had the opportunity to pursue my dreams and my parents supported me. They saw how hard it was for me to manage work through traveling and blogging, and thought I should devote all my time and energy to the things I love doing. Moreover, I have started getting good response for my work, including a Tourism Promotion Award from the Government of India, and they feel that I am on the right path. “
After his parents agreed to become a travel vlogger, Varun created a YouTube channel and started posting travel-related videos. In an interview, he mentioned his 2007 Himalayan expedition experience, which moved him very much. He said,
I cannot forget the experience of riding a bus, it was my first opportunity to travel on the roof of a bus when I came back from Hemis Gompa. Not to be forgotten is the first bite of local salty butter tea and a slice of traditional local bread made from yeast and grains. The vast plains near the Indus river, the climb of Khardung la and the best part – my long two-day return trip from Leh to Manali on an HRTC bus passing through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. This was Ladakh in June 2001 for me. It’s still almost virgin territory. Unlike today, Leh’s main market had only a few shops and very few vehicles. This was my first trip to Ladakh and will always be in my mind. “
Soon, his videos started to go viral, making him one of the most popular travel vloggers in India. It is understood that the reason why his travel videos are popular is that he explains money management strategies during travel through the videos. In an interview, he discussed these strategies and said:
The basic thing I always believe and say to people is that when you travel, it’s not the money that matters, it’s the risk and courage you take. Another important thing is trust. If you want to enjoy traveling, you must learn to trust others. If you want a ride, you have to trust strangers when you ask for a ride or want to spend the night at their house. Even though I had my problems at first, once I started trusting others, I learned how good it felt. The world is not as bad as we think after watching news channels and programs that portray negativity. “
According to Varun, the idea for budget travel came to him through an Australian traveler whom Varun hosted in Delhi in 2004-05. In an interview, he spoke about this and said:
I hosted a guy from Australia in Delhi in 2004 or 2005. We became good friends and I learned a lot from him. I asked him how he managed to travel so much with limited funds. A great tip I got from him is that when you want to travel with less money, you need to keep your essentials and want things limited. You should be prepared to use public transportation, and if you want to make the most of your trip, you’ll have to curb luxuries and live a simple life. Secondly, you can use the Internet to earn expenses, you can choose freelancing, no matter what skills you are good at, you can take advantage of it. There are many opportunities to make money online; all you need is an internet connection and a laptop. You can run a blog, create a YouTube channel, or even make a website and make money from them. “
Later, through his travel vlogs, he introduced people to an exciting new aspect of traveling with limited funds, volunteering. In an interview, he spoke about this and said:
Another good option is volunteering, but this is not very popular in India yet. It is a concept where you volunteer your services and in return you get free accommodation and food instead of being paid for your services. I recently uploaded a video of a girl I met in Turkey who shared how she traveled the world without spending money, volunteering her services in exchange for basic needs. “
Varun Wagesh in Oman
fact
- In 2006, Varun received a National Award from the Government of India for promoting tourism.
- His YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers.
Varun Vagish crosses 1 million subscribers with YouTube gold play button
- Before becoming a travel vlogger, Varun worked as the Deputy PR Manager at Eastern Coalfields Ltd.
Dr. Varun Vajesh, Dy. Eastern Coalfields Ltd’s PR manager has become a YouTube sensation. An avid traveler, he runs a Hindi YouTube channel “Mountain Trekker” with over 300,000 subscribers and 28 million views. Doordarshan rates him as one of the best YouTubers in India pic.twitter.com/BUZedl3Tmt
— Coal India Limited (@CoalIndiaHQ) July 26, 2018
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education