My Earth Expedition Journey: Where “Change Is the Only Constant”

Sometimes when I look back at my journey with Earth Expeditions India, it feels less like an event I attended and more like chapters of a personal diary written across different years. My first expedition was in 2017, and this year, in 2025, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Earth Expeditions —a milestone that made me pause and truly reflect on everything these years have meant to me.

I still remember that first expedition in 2017. I was nervous, unsure of how I would fit in, and at the same time thrilled to be part of something that sounded so grand. The mornings were crisp, the walks long, and the group discussions stretched into evenings filled with laughter. Slowly, I began to realize that EE was not just about learning in nature—it was about people, about connections, about finding a family in a group of strangers.

When I returned in 2018, it felt like walking into the same landscape with a different lens. The rivers, the forests, the coasts—they welcomed me back as if they had been waiting. But the faces around me were different. New voices, new laughter, new stories. That was when it first struck me: the places remain, but the people keep changing. And maybe that’s the beauty of it.

After a few years away, I came back in 2023. It was like meeting an old friend after a long time—the landscapes unchanged, still carrying the same magic, but the expedition itself felt brand new again. None of the old faces from my earlier journeys were there. For a moment, I missed them. But soon I realized that this constant flow of people, each leaving behind their own stories, is what gives EE its life.

By 2024, I was no longer just an eager participant. I carried with me the weight of memories, the echoes of past laughter, and the lessons of many expeditions. I found myself reflecting more—watching not just the landscapes, but how every group shaped the expedition in its own way. The spirit of EE remained the same, no matter who came and went.

And then came 2025. My fifth expedition. The 10th anniversary. A moment of celebration, but also of nostalgia. As I looked around at the excited faces of this year’s group, I couldn’t help but think of my first time in 2017. So many people I had walked with, talked with, laughed with—they are now only memories captured in photos and videos. Some are still friends, others just names in old journals. Yet the landscapes were still the same, holding all our stories quietly in their folds.

A collage of some candid moments during EE 2025 compiled by my colleague Lingeshwaran

Earth Expedition has taught me something very simple, yet very profound: “Change Is The Only Constant”. People will always come and go. Teams will shift, participants will move on, staff will change. But the essence of EE—the landscapes, the mission, and the bond between people and nature—remains.

For me, every expedition has been like reading the same book with different companions. The story doesn’t change, but the voices, the emotions, and the memories do. And that’s what makes it so magical. As I look back at these five expeditions, I see more than just events. I see a journey that has shaped me, a reminder that even as faces change, the spirit stays. And that is why Earth Expedition will always be more than an experience—it will be a part of who I am.

-Akshay