Hello, I am Soumya, and welcome to my travel blog, Stories by Soumya — a little space on the vast World Wide Web that I call my digital home.
I am an independent journalist with a keen interest in everything history, culture, and food. My writings have been published in the BBC, Architectural Digest, Conde Nast, Travel & Leisure, The Deccan Herald, in-flight magazines, and numerous other publications.
Originally from the beautiful city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, a state on India’s eastern coast, I currently live in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with my husband and 12-year-old son. I have traveled to 42 countries and lived in 10 to satisfy my quest for history and culture.
Background
In my previous life, I was a marketing strategy consultant with a Master’s Degree from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in the USA.
After a brief stint at a Big Four company, I decided to quit my corporate career and travel through Asia, Europe, and the Americas in search of stories about lost traditions, disappearing culinary practices, and the architectural ingenuity of past civilisations.
On Stories by Soumya and Middle East Journeys (my Middle East travel blog), as well as my reported articles for other publications, I strive to bring these stories to life.
Learning from my travels
From scaling the Great Wall of China and exploring the underground chambers of the Roman Colosseum to climbing lesser-known pyramids in the jungles of Yucatan and discovering all about the shadow puppets of Indonesia, I have come a long way in the world of historical and cultural travel.
When I am not visiting ruins and heritage sites, I am usually poring over an academic paper on why the Teotihuacanos disappeared or how Berlin’s underground bunkers functioned during World War II.
Or dreaming about my plate of chicken mole from Puebla and a hearty bowl of mercimek shorba from Istanbul.
I have zero interest in adventure tourism or Disneyland.
But ask me how the ancient floating gardens of Xochimilco in Mexico still produce food after 800 years.
Or how do the Ottoman houses of Safranbolu in Turkey still protect their residents from the harsh climatic conditions?
Or why did the prosperous merchants of Chettinad in India leave their sprawling mansions to ruin?
And, I will have detailed answers for you! In fact, I have articles published on BBC Travel about all of them.
Stories by Soumya is my passion project through which I help my readers plan immersive trips to cultural destinations around the world. My travel tips go much beyond the surface, into the heart and soul of the place that you plan to visit.
What do I love?
Writing about history and culture gives me immense joy. And, supplementing my articles with scientific evidence and academic research gives me a great sense of satisfaction.
Currently, I am hyper-fixated on pre-Hispanic history in Latin America and have written tons about the Aztecs, Mayans, Toltecs, and Olmecs. Mexico is one of my favorite countries to visit and Mexico City is my favorite city.
I have also fallen in love with the beautiful cities of Germany (Berlin being my favourite) and love digging deeper into the layered history of the country.
I totally love my family, my friends, my plants, and ah, well, polka dots (which may be obvious from the pictures here)!
If you would like to follow my work on social media, you can find me at the following links.
- Pinterest: Stories by Soumya | Middle East Journeys
Are you someone who loves history and culture as much as I do? Be sure to jump on the bandwagon. Let’s delve into the past together. I am sure it’ll be a fun ride.