Growing up in a small village in Bihar, Shubham Kumar imagined a future that looked familiar to many students around him. The plan was simple: finish school, move to Kota, and join coaching classes to prepare for competitive exams.

Travel was never part of that picture.

Today, at 24, Shubham has travelled to over 187 countries, becoming one of the youngest Indians to do so. What makes his journey even more unusual is the way he travels. Much of it happens on a budget of around Rs 500 a day, with hitchhiking, small shelters, and the generosity of strangers helping him move from one country to the next.

The turning point came when he was still in school.

When Shubham was 16, he watched a YouTube video about hitchhiking. Travellers in the video crossed countries by simply standing on highways and asking drivers for rides. The idea struck a chord with him.

Until then, the world outside India........

© The Better India