On 1 April, 2021, Pala, Kottayam native Jibin Madhu packed a bag with a few clothes and other necessities and left his home in search of a job.

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While his Yamaha FZ had a full tank of petrol, his wallet had just Rs 5,000. But he was certain that a steady, full-time job would never work for him as he wanted to explore new things.

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So, he decided to spend many days at different destinations, work somewhere for not more than a month, earn money, and travel to another place.

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However, his ‘short’ trip was extended to one year, three months, and 17 days!

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During this time, the 26-year-old visited Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, and even crossed Nepal and Myanmar, turning it into an “international, all-India” trip.

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But what is interesting to note is how he funded the trip. When finding jobs at different locations became a task and his wallet felt lighter, Jibin decided to make use of the available resources to start a food stall on his bike.

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He had a kerosene stove and a few utensils along with some Kerala matta rice. He purchased some more items to serve noodles, bread omelettes, and tea to travellers on his route.

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The kitchen was set up on the bike’s top box where water and fuel were stored. Everything felt simple as he had prior experience in a kitchen.

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“In the high altitude areas of the Eastern part, there are barely any food stalls. I began my business here and it was an instant success,” he shares.

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“I bought the ingredients from the valleys. When Keralites visited, I served them boiled rice too and earned Rs 500 to Rs 600 per day from my two-wheeler food stall,” says Jibin.

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He also adds that it was during the ride that he saw many people running such stalls on their vehicles. This is how the idea struck him.

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Jibin bought a few more utensils and paper plates after earning a decent amount. The rest was spent on fuel and other requirements for the trip. Despite all these hiccups, the trip wasn’t easy at all. His bike broke down several times and Jibin had to spend around Rs 10,000 on its repairs.

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“But what kept me going all along is the fondness of strangers, help from fellow riders, and support of my followers on social media,” says the YouTuber, who has 21,200 subscribers on his channel ‘Kumbu Travel’.

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“I never imagined a random journey would turn into an all-India trip. There’s something about travelling which makes me keep going no matter the obstacles,” says Jibin.

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