Billiards ace Pankaj Advani is waiting for Elon Musk to offer him a ticket to Mars
On earth, Advani wants to visit Bora Bora, French Polynesia for the idyllic beaches.
By Maleeva Rebello, ET Bureau | Updated:
Agencies
Billiards champion Pankaj Advani wants to tick space travel off his bucket list.
Out of my comfort zone
“Between 2012 and 2014, I was playing on the European Tour and had gone to this quaint little German town, Fuerth, for an event. The tournament organisers had fixed up our accommodation in a bungalow. The moment I walked into the bungalow, I saw the place was crawling with spiders. I immediately picked up my bag and cue sticks, walked down the road and tried to find another place. Luckily, a friend of mine had found a hotel. When I entered the new room, the first thing I checked for was spiders. Better safe than sorry.
Travelling solo
“My first ever trip alone was back in 1999, when I travelled to London for a tournament. I was 14. The first time can be extremely daunting, but once you ease in with your surroundings and the people you meet, doing it a second time isn’t that difficult. You learn how to embrace other cultures, people and lifestyles. Travelling solo has to be the most terrifying, liberating and life-changing experience.”
From using apps to prepare their itinerary, to packing light and staying hydrated — here is how these achievers make their long-distance travels comfortable.
Friends on a journey
“While travelling during the European Tour, I hit it off with Ahmed Saif, Qatar’s top player. We even began training together and catching up for a meal. He is extremely funny and quirky. We meet up and exchange gifts whenever we happen to play at the same tournaments.”
A journey cut short
“In 2005, I was playing a tournament in San Jose, California. That was the last leg of what had been a couple of weeks of back-to-back events. So once the tournament ended, I had plans of driving around Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego. Then I got the most unexpected call from India and was informed that I was being conferred with the Khel Ratna Award. It was completely out of the blue. I cancelled all my plans and took the next f light to India to receive the award from then President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
On my bucket list …
“With so much talk of space tourism, it has to be Mars. I am still waiting for Elon Musk to offer me that ticket. And on earth, it would be Bora Bora, French Polynesia for the idyllic beaches.”
Out of my comfort zone
“Between 2012 and 2014, I was playing on the European Tour and had gone to this quaint little German town, Fuerth, for an event. The tournament organisers had fixed up our accommodation in a bungalow. The moment I walked into the bungalow, I saw the place was crawling with spiders. I immediately picked up my bag and cue sticks, walked down the road and tried to find another place. Luckily, a friend of mine had found a hotel. When I entered the new room, the first thing I checked for was spiders. Better safe than sorry.
Travelling solo
“My first ever trip alone was back in 1999, when I travelled to London for a tournament. I was 14. The first time can be extremely daunting, but once you ease in with your surroundings and the people you meet, doing it a second time isn’t that difficult. You learn how to embrace other cultures, people and lifestyles. Travelling solo has to be the most terrifying, liberating and life-changing experience.”
Friends on a journey
“While travelling during the European Tour, I hit it off with Ahmed Saif, Qatar’s top player. We even began training together and catching up for a meal. He is extremely funny and quirky. We meet up and exchange gifts whenever we happen to play at the same tournaments.”
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A journey cut short
“In 2005, I was playing a tournament in San Jose, California. That was the last leg of what had been a couple of weeks of back-to-back events. So once the tournament ended, I had plans of driving around Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego. Then I got the most unexpected call from India and was informed that I was being conferred with the Khel Ratna Award. It was completely out of the blue. I cancelled all my plans and took the next f light to India to receive the award from then President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
On my bucket list …
“With so much talk of space tourism, it has to be Mars. I am still waiting for Elon Musk to offer me that ticket. And on earth, it would be Bora Bora, French Polynesia for the idyllic beaches.”
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