5 Life lessons that solo traveling has re-taught me in all these years

I have had the opportunity to travel solo to about 10 countries now. And I still remember the first day of my South America trip – I had heard all about how unsafe South America was and I felt that I had to be on my guard at all times no matter what, or I ‘d be kidnapped and God knows what would happen to me.

7 foods in Thailand that you can’t miss

Thailand – floating markets, street bazaars, super-markets – all buzzing with mouth watering foods. One thing I will never understand about the Thais, is that despite having the most mind blowing and high calorie food in the whole wide world, how are these people so fit.

5 offbeat things to do in Thailand

Thailand is among the top 10 tourist countries in the world. Beautiful beaches, limestone rocks, amazing street food, beautiful temples AND all of this for so damn cheap. I was in Thailand for about 5 days in the summer of 2018 and I was literally running around like a headless chicken, because there was so much that I wanted to see and so little time.

5 Malaysian foods to feed your soul

I have been meaning to share a whole lot with you all. But work keeps me on my toes these days and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Huh! I may be in love with my job – that can’t be bad, right?

So, in addition to work, we did end up traveling quite a bit last year: we did a 10 day trip to Eastern Europe, a short weekend (plus plus) getaway to Malaysia. And also a birthday trip to Hampi, north of Bangalore in India. Therefore, there is a ton to write about.

How expensive is Zurich?

Switzerland is one of those expensive countries where you are forced to think HARD before spending. I mean 14 Francs for a mc donalds burger without sauce and coke – na..haaa. not happening. We were in Zurich for just a day to take our flight back home and this one day was more expensive than 3 days in Prague. Here’s how:

5 of my all time favourite beach reads

A perfect beach day for me is when I am basking in the sun on a beach chair with a book, gorging on nachos, fries and beer, toning down crazy cheers from volleyball teams, waves crashing and a slight wind that threatens to fly away the food menu.

Why you should visit Brno, Czech Republic

Brno is the second largest town in Czech republic. There are 2 reasons for which you should visit Brno:

8 must-do things in Prague

Prague – the most beautiful of European towns. And inexpensive too – Gosh I love that word. Before I came here, Prague to me was all about that one photo that everyone puts on their facebook pages – of the busy Charles Bridge bustling with people, the silent Vltava river and the green spires of the Prague Castle – all in the background of smiling faces.

6 places in Bangalore to visit with your parents

Aah – that time of the year when your parents tell you that they are coming over. I am not going to lie, I was pretty kicked about my parents in law coming over. Apart from the huge inconvenience of cleaning my house spic and span, I was excited about the home made cake that my mother in law was going to bring, the amazing kheer (rice pudding) that she’d make for us , ofcourse not to forget the awesome evening chatter with them and ping pong matches with my father in law.

Five things people will not tell you about the Chembra Peak, Wayanad, Kerela

At the outset, I would like to tell you that we never got to summit the Chembra peak because when we visited in January 2016, the summit was closed to the public. But I have read a lot about the peak and it is one of the most beautiful treks in Wayanad. We did half the trek upto the Chembra lake (more popularly known as the heart lake because of its shape) which is just about 4 kms from the base. The distance is not too much, and the trek is moderately steep.

6 things I learnt at my first ever homestay experience

As a solo female traveler, I am always wary of home-stays – living at someone’s house without knowing them, just never sounded safe to me. But I did try it out when I was traveling with a group of friends to Kerela, India. We lived with an elderly family in their beautiful ancestral farmhouse. It is called the Aditi home-stay at Wayanad. They had extended their house with some new rooms to accommodate more families and even had a dorm for backpackers. The rooms were great as they ensured privacy and were pretty comfy.

Pretty little things in Goa!

Relive the beautiful things in Goa that don’t deserve to be missed!

Best places to stay, while backpacking in Peru

Peru is set up well for tourism when it comes to accommodation and transport. With a decent accommodation (that includes wifi, hot showers and breakfast) and good food and traveling around in local buses you can easily survive at 30$/day. Although I will tell you where to find cheaper accommodation too, and what all you you will have to trade for low costs.

Choosing the perfect Goan beach for your vacation

Wake up early, rush to work, crawl from one meeting to another, follow up on tasks, get stuck in traffic for 2 hours, come home, get tired and doze off: if this sounds like your daily routine, it’s time to take some time off and head straight to GOA!

Weekend getaways from Bangalore: Anthargange

Its been 6 months since we moved to Bangalore, but we haven’t been able to explore Bangalore all that much. It is unexpected of us as Mayank (my beloved husband) and I hate to sit at home doing nothing. Now that I work for a startup, most Saturdays are spent working and complaining about work ;).

Weekend travel guide to the Big Apple: New York City

If you stand here long enough, you will meet just about everyone you know – about Times Square, NYC

Weekend travel guide to Vancouver

We were in Vancouver for 3 days in October for Mayank’s (the Mr of the family) birthday.

Trolls or Art: hilarious portraits of famous people

Botero is one of the most popular artist in Colombia. Located right in downtown and free to visit, his museum is a must go-to if you are in Bogota! He is known for his depiction and “obsession” for exaggeratedly overweight people. So, if you are fit, you can forget about featuring in his art!! haha, anyway I just found his art exceptionally cute, so here is a photo-blog post of pictures from his museum.

The truth about Bogota and why I fell in love with it

What comes to mind with the first mention of Colombia: Druglords and crime, murders, kidnappings, hypnotics, thefts on gunpoints…. Colombia scared me the most out of all the other countries I visited in South America. But believe me! Colombia is as safe as any other country. Nothing like you’d have thought. I have put down a list of things to do in Bogota and hopefully the next time you hear of Colombia, all that comes to your mind is beautiful women, beautiful architecture, tasty coffee, cool cathedrals and out of the world landscapes! Check it out.

How I trekked Macchu Pichu in less than 15$

Previously, I wrote about the top 6 routes to Macchu Pichu, the Incan ruins in Peru. The most popular trek, the Inca Trail, is a guided trek and costs a massive 600 USD. And in this post, I am going to tell you how you can save all that money, take the off-beaten path and explore Macchu Pichu in less than 15$.

Checking into this hostel, taught me one of the most overlooked lessons in solo female traveling

I was not the kind of person who would read reviews on hostels/hotels/hospidajes before booking them. “Its only for a nightttt, who cares” I  say to my husband while he carefully reads through hundreds of reviews on Expedia and Hostelworld.com. But sometimes, you learn things the hard way. And this is what happened to me.

For Indian citizens: How to apply for Colombian visa

When I applied for my Colombian visa in Canada, it took me 1 painful week – because everything had to be done by personally visiting the embassy. But things have changed now and for good. Today if you have a multiple entry schengen visa or any kind of US visa (tourist/business/student), you can get a visa on arrival in Colombia too.

For Indian citizens: How to apply for Peruvian visa

So, you are going to Peru!! First things first, do you have a plan? Or are you going to take one step at a time. Regardless, do go through my cheatsheet of things to do in Peru.

For Indian citizens: How to apply for Bolivian visa

Do Indians need a visa to travel to Bolivia? Contrary to what the Wikipedia post (Visa requirements for Indian citizens) suggests, Indians do need a visa for Bolivia in advance if they are doing a land crossing.

Top 10 things to do in Bolivia

Bolivia’s share of attention is often snatched away by its beautiful neighbors. After all, if all you have just 1 month in South America, you’d rather spend it in the beautiful Machu Pichu in Peru or the wineries in Mendoza, Argentina or taking some time off in Cartagena, Colombia. And rightly so, Bolivia just doesn’t have the tourist appeal that its beautiful neighboring countries do! But hey, for me visiting this country was an absolute must. Why, you may ask? Bolivia is one of those super nice countries that do not require a tourist visa for Indians (oh! while Americans pay 300$ at the immigration, Indians just breeze past them for FREE, Wohoooo! Take that, ‘Merica)

Bolivia’s coolness coefficient: Does it live up?

Known for the largest salt flats in the world, Bolivia is fast emerging as a travel destination. Right from visiting the wild life in Amazon jungle, dinosaur footprints on a vertical wall to the largest salt flats in the world, one thing is crystal clear: Bolivia is not “conventional”, if you know what I mean. Like I said in my previous blogpost, it is not the most beautiful country in the world. But it is different. How different? Let’s calculate Bolivia’s coolness factor:

Salar de Uyuni: best time to visit and your ultimate planning guide

I am not going to lie, Bolivia is not the amongst the most beautiful countries in the world. But there is one thing that makes it worthwhile to visit – the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats in the world.

Weigh less, eat more – and 9 other things to do in Quito

Quito is one place in the world where you can eat more and weigh less! Surprised, I was too! Quito lies on the equator, where the effect of earth’s gravity is lesser than the poles, leading to reduced weight! Wohooo! Forget dieting, and plan a trip to Ecuador as soon as you can! And while you are there, check out what all you can do!

Ecuador’s coolness coefficient: Does it live up?

Sandwiched between Peru and Colombia, Ecuador is a small country in the north west of South America. I discovered a lot about this beautiful country when I visited the capital city this year (2015). Let’s calculate Ecuador’s coolness factor:

Backpacker’s secret: How to not get robbed in South America

There are two things, in my opinion, that keeps people from traveling – safety and expenses. Lets talk about the former!