While she loves to travel across the world, Sara Ali Khan is passionate about exploring the beautiful locales in India and taking in all the unique experiences our country has to offer. Her Instagram posts show that her heart lies closer to home. “There’s an internal joke in the family that for me, the UK is not London (United Kingdom), but Uttarakhand,” she says.

On National Tourism Day today, Sara talks about the diverse experiences she has had during her journeys. Excerpts:

Sara is bowled over by the versatility India offers to its tourists. She says, “From Chennai to Manali, you get such diverse food and landscapes. The vibe of Goa versus the tranquillity of Kashmir is, again, so drastically different. All that, including the cultural and spiritual versatility of our country, attracts me. The experience at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Ajmer Sharif Dargah or Kedarnath Temple is so peaceful. Also, the people and the language they speak vary from place to place. I remember when I was trekking at Amarnath, I went to a dhaba there, and I was only observing people and the conversations they were having.”

She says one of the main reasons she enjoys exploring the country is because she is a complete desi at heart and loves staying in local accommodations and trying local delicacies. She says, “I eat with my hands; chokdi maarke khaana achcha lagta hai. Also, things changed for me after a trip I made with my friend. I graduated in 2016, and I had a lot of time on hand. My close friend and I hired a car and went on a road trip from Delhi to Jaipur and many other places. We explored the true beauty of India. Then, something happened to me when I was shooting Kedarnath (2018). It was my first film that was shot at such a high-energy centre (Kedarnath). I can’t imagine my life today without Kedarnath. I hadn’t experienced any of that till 2017. While I feel this way about Kedarnath, I don’t know what I will find in the south, Odisha or Meghalaya in the years to come.”

Sara believes that travelling opens up all your senses. Remembering one of her early memories of a trip with her father, Saif Ali Khan, she says, “My mother had told me that I had accompanied my father for a shoot where I saw snow for the first time. I asked them to stop the car, and I said, ‘Ek box mein snow bhar do I want to keep it with me forever’. I’m sure I wondered what that sparkling white thing was. I also like to spend time at my dad’s heritage home in Haryana, the Pataudi Palace. Sometimes, we have dadi and my aunt joining us, too. I love the greenery and weather there.”

Sara, who studied abroad, is still in touch with her college friends, and when they came to India, she got them to explore Kerala and Kashmir. She says, “Right from the tranquility of the ocean to the serenity of the mountains and bustling city life, we have everything you would want to experience as a traveller. I believe that when you go to the most remote parts of our country, you find your true self.”