A Conversation About Intentional Travel, Authentic Experiences, and Why Speed Kills the Journey
Akshay Mirchandani, known as @niftystretch on Instagram, has mastered something most travellers never quite grasp: the art of moving through the world with deliberate intention. While others chase Instagram moments and tourist checkboxes, he's built a travel philosophy rooted in slowness, authenticity, and refined taste. From Barcelona's hidden courtyards to Oaxaca's indigenous markets, his journeys reveal a deeper truth: real luxury isn't about five-star hotels or first-class flights. It's about proximity to authenticity and the patience to let a place reveal itself.
How Travel Philosophy Differs
"Most travellers are chasing. Chasing landmarks, chasing Instagram moments, feeling they must see everything before leaving. I flipped that years ago," Akshay explains. "Travel is about asking: what do I want to feel here? I'd rather spend two weeks in one city than sprint through five in ten days. Speed kills the real experience. There's a particular luxury in slowness that money can't buy."
Learning From Seven Continents
His recent travels reveal consistent patterns. Spain taught him that the real refinement happens in unmarked pinxos bars, not Michelin-starred establishments. Mexico showed him that Oaxaca and Merida reveal indigenous culture far better than resort destinations. Australia's scale resets perspective, while hidden beaches matter more than famous landmarks. Greece demonstrated that "good food, good company, good conversation" is enough. France revealed how quality consumed slowly surpasses elaborate feasts rushed through. Singapore proved luxury can refine modernity itself. Dubai fascinates through its audacious ambition and how dune safaris at sunrise reveal the desert's poetry before architecture consumed it.
Essential Travel Hacks
His approach boils down to practical wisdom:
Slow Down. Two weeks in one place beats one week across three. Patterns emerge when you stay, and you discover where locals actually eat. Skip Tourist Restaurants. Ask hotel concierges, street vendors, and shopkeepers where they eat. Markets and family-run spots reveal culture instantly. Stay in Curated Neighbourhoods. Boutique properties in real neighbourhood's offer authenticity that tourist hotels can't match. Get Lost Intentionally. Turn down random streets with purpose. Hidden cafés and conversations with shopkeepers make memories. Timing Beats Destination. Visit shoulder seasons (May-June, September-October). The same city transforms depending on when you arrive. Learn Basic Language. Even "good morning" in the local language opens doors and shows respect. Eat Like Locals. Breakfast with locals, lunch like business people, dinner with families. Travel with Purpose. Don't collect destinations; understand what you want to feel and experience.
Food as the Language of Place
"Food reveals what a culture values," Akshay emphasizes. "Spain's obsession with quality ingredients simply prepared tells a philosophy story. Mexico's layered complexity reflects indigenous traditions. France's belief in perfection through time and technique. Singapore's hawker centres contain refined culinary traditions. Greece's restraint makes olive oil, tomato, and oregano enough."
To truly know a place, eat where locals eat, visit markets, and take cooking classes with families. This is where authenticity emerges.
Photography and Presence
Rather than hunting photo moments, he photographs what genuinely captures attention: weathered doors, morning café light, locals in conversation, street markets. "Photography becomes meditation," he explains. "Instead of traveling to take photos, you take photos to understand place more deeply. The result is images that carry genuine feeling rather than forced aesthetics.
Planning Your First Intentional Trip
Duration matters: minimum two weeks per region. Travel shoulder seasons when peak season brings chaos and inflated prices. Move at one city per week with unscheduled days for wandering. Choose locally owned guesthouses over chains. Budget adequately for food experiences, which matter more than luxury hotels. Build flexible itineraries that allow spontaneity.
"Destinations matter less than the philosophy guiding your journey," Akshay notes. "Whether Portugal, India, or Japan, arrive curious, move slowly, eat thoughtfully, engage authentically, and allow the place to transform you."
The Real Luxury
Travel isn't about destinations. It's about becoming gradually more yourself through understanding how other people live. Real luxury in travel is this: the privilege of time, proximity to authenticity, and wisdom to recognize that the best moments can't be rushed.
To follow @niftystretch's travel content, cultural insights, and food discoveries, visit @niftystretch on Instagram.
The world reveals itself to those patient enough to listen.
