Varun Vagish is an Indian solo traveler known for his travel vlogs. He is known for popularizing the concepts of hitchhiking and couchsurfing through his travel vlogs.
Wiki/Bio
Varun Vagish aka MountainTrekker was born on Tuesday, March 29, 1983 (age 39 years; in 2022) in Delhi, India. His zodiac sign is Aries. As his parents were government employees, he spent his childhood across several cities including Narora, Tarapur, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Rawatbhata, and Asansol. He went to school at the Atomic Energy Center School, Tarapur. He pursued a bachelor’s degree program in Communication and Journalism at the University of Delhi from 2000 to 2003. From 2003 to 2004, he pursued a PG Diploma in Mass Communication/Media Studies at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. In 2012, he obtained his PhD in Mass Communication from MD University, Rohtak, Haryana. He has also worked as a journalist and newsreader at All India Radio (AIR), academician and PR professional. In an interview, he talked about his love for travel and said,
Most of my childhood was spent in Maharashtra. It’s funny that as a kid, I used to hate math. So, my mother, who is a teacher, asked one of her colleagues to give me tuition, so that I could study better. I used to make excuses that you are not well today, double tuition and wandering. At that time I was in Maharashtra at a place called Tarapur (India’s first Atomic Power station) and Sahyadris (Western Ghats) nearby. So with my bike, I went to the hills alone, for 2-3 hours. That was an unforgettable experience of my childhood. And the love for mountains is something that I developed from a very young age.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 8″
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
He belongs to OBC Hindu family.
Parents & Siblings
His father is a government employee, and his mother is a teacher.
Wife
He is not married.
Travel Vlogger
He has traveled to more than 25 countries and has received more than 200 million views on his travel videos on his YouTube channel, Mountain Trekker. He has traveled and popularized the concepts of Hitchhiking and Couchsurfing among the Indian community while traveling. In an interview, Varun talked about his journey and said that it was a trip to Shimla on a motorcycle when his boss gave him a day off while he was working as a journalist; he stayed for a few hours at the gurdwara in Shimla, and then, he returned to his home. According to Varun, he was so excited about this trip that he decided to become a travel vlogger. In an interview, when he was asked if his parents gave their approval to his decision to become a travel vlogger, Varun replied,
No, both me and my parents were convinced that it was a good choice and that I would do well. I got the opportunity to pursue my dreams and my parents supported me in this. They had seen how difficult it was for me to juggle a job with traveling and blogging and felt I should devote all my time and energy to something I love to do. Also, I have already started getting good response to my work, including the Government of India award for Tourism promotion, and they feel I am on the right track.”
Following his parents’ approval to become a travel vlogger, Varun created a YouTube channel where he started posting videos related to his travels. In an interview, he mentioned his Himalayan adventure in 2007, which was very close to his heart. He said,
I can’t forget the bus ride, which was my first chance to ride on the roof of a bus on my way back from Hemis Gompa. Don’t forget the first sip of local salted butter tea with a piece of traditional local bread made from yeast and grains. The vast plains near the Indus River, the Khardung la climb and the best part – my two-day return journey by HRTC bus from Leh to Manali, which passed through the most stunning landscapes in the world. This was Ladakh to me in June 2001. It was almost a virgin. Unlike today, there were few shops in the main market of Leh and very few vehicles. That was my first trip to Ladakh and will always be close to my heart.”
Soon, his videos became popular, making him one of the most popular travel vloggers in India. Reportedly, the reason behind the popularity of his travel videos is that through his videos, he explains strategies for managing funds while traveling. In an interview, he talked about this strategy and said,
The basic thing I always believe and tell people is that, when you travel, it’s not about the money, it’s about the risks you take, about the courage. Another key thing is trust. You have to learn to trust people if you want to enjoy your journey. If you want to hitchhike, you have to trust people when you ask for a lift or want to stay at a stranger’s place. Although I had problems at first, but when I started to believe in people, I could tell how wonderful it felt. The world is not as bad as we think, after watching negative news channels and shows.”
According to Varun, the idea of budget travel came to him through an Australian traveler whom Varun hosted in Delhi in 2004-05. In an interview, he talked about this and said,
I once hosted someone from Australia, whom I hosted 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 good advice I got from him is that, when you want to travel with less funds, you need to make sure that your needs and wants are also limited. You have to be prepared to use public transport, you have to curb luxury and live a simple life if you want to get the most out of your trip. Second, you can use the internet to get your expenses, you can choose freelance work and whatever skills you have, you can use them. There are many opportunities to earn money online; all you need is an internet connection and a laptop. You can run a blog, create a YouTube channel or create a website and monetize it to earn money.”
Later, through his travel vlogs, he introduced people to a new and exciting aspect of travel with limited funds, known as Volunteering. In an interview, he talked about this and said,
Another great option is volunteering, which is not yet very popular in India. It is a concept, where you offer your services voluntarily 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, and she shared her experience of how she traveled around the world without spending money, while volunteering her services in return for basic needs.”
Varun Vagish in Oman
Facts
- Varun has received a National Award in 2006 from the Government of India for Tourism promotion.
- He has more than 1 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
Varun Vagish with YouTube Gold Play Button for crossing 1 million subscribers
- Before becoming a travel vlogger, Varun worked as Deputy Manager – PR of Eastern Coalfields Ltd.
Dr. Varun Vagish, Dy. Manager – PR Eastern Coalfields Ltd making waves on YouTube. An avid trekker, he runs the YouTube channel ‘Mountain Trekker’ in Hindi & has over 3 lakh subscribers with 28 million views. Doordarshan rated him as one of the best YouTubers in India pic.twitter.com/BUZedl3Tmt
— Coal India Limited (@CoalIndiaHQ) July 26, 2018
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
