Earlier this year I decided to travel on Thailand Visa on Arrival. It appeared like a good deal.. You land in the country whenever you want, avoiding embassy visits and visa waiting time. Just pay 1000 Baht (INR 2000) at the airport (as the fee) and be done with it. You’re free to wander across the country for a period of 15 days. Sounds lucrative, no? Well, not so! Thailand Visa on Arrival is not as great as it may seem, and I realised it as soon as I landed at Bangkok airport. After ha

During my solo bike trip to Spiti Valley, I visited Chitkul — ‘the last Indian town’ with a prominent Buddhist settlement. It was more than 40 kilometres off my Shimla-Kaza route, yet I bifurcated. It was, after all, “a must-see” as many people recommended to me. “Don’t forget to visit Chitkul man, Sangla Valley is so beautiful that you won’t believe your eyes. And since you are a blogger, you will love clicking Chitkul pictures” said a guy whom I met while trave

Visiting Delhi to Auli? In this travel blog, I will be sharing all the useful information you need to know – from how to travel there to where to stay to what is the best time to travel. But before we get into the details, let’s talk about my personal travel experience highlight a different side of Auli that is not known to many. Unlike most people (who visit during winter to try snowboarding in India) I travelled during summertime and had a very different experience altogeth

When planning my first backpacking trip I Googled for tourist places to visit in Meghalaya to get an idea from other travel guides out there. People suggested that backpacking in Meghalaya, won’t be a good idea because of the lack of public transport. But it wasn’t the transport that I was worried about. Limited travel information available online and the availability of very few Meghalaya travel guide(s) was the biggest challenge. But to hell with it, I still decided to go, and the basi

Karnataka is one of those rare Indian states where you will find something for everyone – from historical palaces to wildlife centuries to ancient ruins. At its nerve centre, lies the city of Bangalore that is India’s IT hub, and my favorite metro town in India. In its south, lies the much beautiful coastal line and hill districts. In its east, lies the gorgeous Western Ghats – home to world’s finest coffee and spices. Karnataka Travel Guide Throughout all my south India tra

I remember during my first scuba diving experience I was half scared. The idea of leaving the world I knew and entering into something far mysterious and oblivious was undoubtedly scary. And the fact that every cry, every yell, was only going to be left unheard underwater, was, moreover, alarmingly daunting. For the first 5 minutes of my scuba experience, I did not take my eyes off my instructor and the other two fellow divers. They seemed to be my only hope. But as I slowly sank down,

After groggily waking up at 5:15 in the morning – before even the birds woke up – I was ready for my Goa hot air balloon experience. I could barely sleep the night before because of the excitement. The idea of flying in a basket, led by a 10-meter giant balloon, the first-ever method of flight created by man, was quite a celebration. Flustered and windswept, I reached the Goa hot air balloon take-off location (after a 45 min scooter ride from my hotel at Agonda Beach, in South Goa). It

I avoided Goa for a long time, travelling the length and breadth of India on several trips but never making it to the vacation hot-spot known for beaches, sunsets, and parties. I always thought that it must have lost its charm, due to waves upon waves of Indian and western European tourists that travel there. But I was wrong! Goa Travel Guide I travelled there for the first time in Nov 2016, with most of the time spent on some of the quiet beaches in South Goa. And I loved it for its la

I remember when I first spoke to Sharath, asking if I can visit them, and explore the coffee plantation and the nature around their homestay, in Kabbinakad, Coorg, he replied in the most candid manner. A part of his response also sounded a little flaunting, following the usual banalities of any hospitality business. He wrote, sounding ostentatious, that they would be happy to show me the best of nature and Coorgi hospitality. “What a polished statement,” I thought — only until I actually

What’s keeping you out of the ocean? Is it the fear of drowning or getting stung by a lionfish? Some of you might also be thinking that diving is expensive. Before my first experience, I had my own doubts (or better put, scuba diving myths!) too. But my biggest fear was running out of air while I was still underwater. “Has any of the trainees have ever run out of the air, in their cylinder, while diving with you,” I remember asking my instructor, Jason, moments before our first dive. Th

Before I start my Varanasi travel guide. I want to impart knowledge of some facts, state and affairs. Varanasi can feel wild, particularly to those who are new to Indian culture. Watching dead bodies lit on fire, and naked sadhus whitewashed in ash, can scary you to a degree that you would not want to leave your hotel room. Despite everything, Varanasi remains one of the top holiday destinations in India. So before you come here, watch some Google photos and see if you really want to co

Varanasi, also known as Benares, is considered as the holiest of all Hindu towns. It is believed that death in Varanasi brings salvation. By getting a cremation on one of its ghats, a Hindu can get a direct ticket to heaven. Throughout India’s long history, it is in Varanasi, that many prominent figures – including Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi – have spent time on the Ganges River, meditating and practising spirituality. Streets In Varanasi Are Wild If you think that the street scene in I

Varanasi turned out to be so impressive that I had to write at least 3 posts about it. I recently shared an introduction to Varanasi including tips like where to stay and how to best experience the town. I also told you what to expect from the Ghats of Varanasi. But then I realised that none of them addresses the basic etiquette you must follow while you’re here. Being the spiritual capital of India, Varanasi can be confusing. Right from “can we click pictures of burning pyres” to “how t

Since I have quit my job to travel and became a blogger, where to travel in India has remained a frequent question I ask myself. It’s not because I am choosy but that there is so much to see and do in India. Another reason why I often find myself struggling with the thought of where to travel in India next is that I tend to stay away from top places to visit in India. Thankfully, my journeys have been favorable and helped me explore quit a few travel destinations in India. Eg, if I

Over the past few years, my mode of transport has fluctuated between flights, buses, overnight train, motorbikes, walking, you name it. And this has forced me to change my travel backpack quite a few times – sometimes because I was unsatisfied with the product, and sometimes because it no longer served my needs well. When it comes to travelling I’m totally okay to adjust to the situation. I can sleep at an airport, travel on a rickety bus, stay at the cheap hotel accommodation in India.

Looking for a travel sponsorship? Wondering how bloggers travel the world so much? Want to know how I have travelled over 25 countries without any permanent source of income? If yes, then this blog is for you! But first things first… if you are new on this blog let me introduce myself. I am Dev, a full-time travel blogger from New Delhi, India. In 2016, I quit my corporate career in England, moved to India and became a nomad. I’ve been travelling and writing on this blog ever

Located in the Gaya district, in the Indian state of Bihar, Bodhgaya is a tiny little town where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment beneath a Pipal tree, some 2500 years ago. In terms of blessedness, consider Bodhgaya for Buddhists what Mecca is to Muslims, or Varanasi to Hindus. Unsurprisingly, the town attracts thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from around the world, who come to prayer, study and meditate – with some in their flaming red robes, and other, in Turmeric and Saffron on

From Baroda, in the south, to Patan, in the north, Stepwells (or vavs, as locally known) can be found almost across Gujarat. For hundreds of years, their efficiency in storing water, in response to the semi-arid climate and seasonal fluctuations, helped the local population strive and survive. Today vavs represent the rich history and act as prominent historical sites for architecture students and tourists. It is believed that some of these vavs were originally built during the Indus-Va

I happened to visit and write this Ahmedabad travel guide out of my nearly 1-week stay there. I explored some of the popular stepwells in Ahmedabad, including the most famous Adalaj stepwell, among others.  Other than that, I also luckily ended up there during Uttarayan that is considered to be the best time to visit Ahmedabad. So out of my 1-week stay – while enjoying the 150-year-old French Haveli – this is all you need to know. From where to stay in Ahmedabad to how to be

If there’s one thing that makes travelling difficult – especially for budget travellers like me – it is the expensive flight tickets. I mean look at it this way: you plan a one week trip to Australia from New Delhi, and you end up spending more money on flights than on everything else put together.It’s, therefore, more important to find a cheap flight ticket than finding the favorite destination to travel to. Because if flights to that destination are too expensive for us to afford, we a