Avantika Mohan: The Journey Behind the Success
In an interview, I was asked, “how would I like to be remembered” and I said -A kind Person!
Kindness is something that I would like to be defined as! But why? You may ask.
Because kind-heartedness or say helpfulness manifested my childhood dream of being an air hostess into reality.
Opened the doors for a middle-class Dehradun girl to travel across 80 countries including Brazil, Italy, Japan, France, U.S.A and made me who I am today.
Hi, guys! This is Avantika Mohan and this my life journey -from selling Oriflame beauty products door-to-door at the age of 14, battling depression and anxiety at 19, earning a monthly salary of five thousand rupees at AOL Wipro-
-to the first Miss Uttranchal, former Emirates Stewardess, lifestyle influencer, travel vlogger, TEDx Speaker, Vogue Magazine Coverstar and the founder of tripvert.com.
Chapter 1: I Believe I Can Fly…..
I remember it very vividly like it happened yesterday, I was in my 1st standard, when I first decided that I wanted to be an air hostess and can you guess what motivated me to be a flight attendant? A Tray Full of Toffees!
Yes, it was a funny story. You should hear that!
To give you the flashback, I have to take you back to the 80s-90s (yes, I am that old), when my father was in Bhutan and we used to travel via flight from Delhi to Guwahati. So, on one of my flights, a stewardess of Air India came towards me with a tray filled with delicious toffees and I was only supposed to take one.
I was thinking how lucky she is, she can gorge on all the sweet and tasty toffees by herself, and that day I decided that I will become like her and I became an Air Hostess!
Chapter 2: 17 Years of Navigating Turbulence Both in the Air and in the Heart
So, I started my career as a flight attendant at Indigo Airlines, relatives stereotyped, my mother responded with rationality.
I left gravity behind to chase purpose with a classic aviation romance of inviting strangers into the sky and returning them safely home.
In the year 2005, I joined Emirates airlines and within 2 years, I moved to Dubai.
As an air hostess for seventeen years, I got the life-changing opportunity to travel and explore over 79 countries such as Singapore, Portugal, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Maldives, Scotland, Germany, Tunisia, Belgium, Greece, Canada, Slovakia and more.
I was living that classic dialogue from the popular movie, Om Shanti Om that goes like -”Kehte hain, agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho, toh puri kayanat usse tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai” (They say if you want something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to help you achieve it).
However, the other side of the coin is not a walk of roses. People used to undermine my profession with a feeling of disdain, they used to record without consent, objectify, and tease, but still, I was happy.
You know, why?
Because, I loved seeing old couples boarding their first flights and cute honeymoon couples. I liked going to the airport to witness those long and warm hugs, tears, and goodbye waves.
In a nutshell, my job gave me dignity. It is my identity, my everything.
Chapter 3: The Ultimate Transition
I believe the universe has a secret way of fulfilling your dreams.
Don’t believe me? Here’s the proof that will make you rethink!
So, growing up, I always aspired to be Miss India. Quite a revelation, isn’t it? Being a flight attendant was my second love and there’s an obvious reason for it.
I used to be heavily invested in my mother’s boutique to meet the daily needs and that initially sparked my interest in fashion, I loved to layer up and experiment with style.
And in 2004, everything changed for me overnight when I was crowned with the title of First Miss Uttaranchal (now Uttrakhand) and then, I walked the ramp for the first time and trust me, it was magic. I instantly fell in love with it.
However, there’s a “but” in my story.
Back then, 2004-05 was a different world altogether, I needed a stable job and you can guess in which direction I stepped. I gave up my first love for my second love.
Although, I never put a full stop on my fashion and styling sense. Apart from video journaling my travels, I started to post about fashion and lifestyle.
In 2016, I started taking it more seriously by creating my own take on fashion on Instagram and post covid, the ultimate transition happened.
I farewelled my second love after seeing cities shrinking into constellations beneath my feet for 17 years and started a marketing firm in Dubai to become a full-time lifestyle influencer and travel vlogger.
Fast-forward to 2025, this middle class dehradun girl who just wanted to help her family has
travelled around 80 countries, garnered 460K followers on Instagram, married the love of her life and has become a mommy of two beautiful babies.
See, I told you, the universe works in mysterious ways. Lastly, I would like to sum up with the quote from my favourite book series, Harry Potter.
“It’s our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are more than our abilities.”
Chapter 4: Tripvert: Explore the World with a Different Approach
Have you ever travelled to an unfamiliar destination that felt like it could have been more refreshing and delightful if I would have researched more about it?
Or a place that made you go like “wish I had been there in winters, stayed in that hotel, took a train instead of flight, eaten that dish or carried type-C powerbank”?
If yes, let’s do a handshake because during my early days of travelling, I also have been a victim of this due to limited authentic destination guides.
Fortunately, you don’t have to take the same steps because I have decided to translate the travel experience of 80 countries into a dedicated platform that offers insightful travel blogs, destination guides, and handy travel tips.
Your trustworthy travel companion that is more than a travel guidebook, a place where travel enthusiasts like you can find rawest and most authentic versions of destinations, hotel stay, restaurant review travel essentials, and much more.
I just want to share valuable and my first hand travel experience with travel enthusiasts so that they can explore the world with a different approach.
So, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a solo traveller, or someone craving for thrill or just keen to explore diverse cultures, Tripvert will be your go-to sidekick that ensures that your journey will be meaningful and memorable.