10-Day Italy Trip - Travel Smart with the Right Credit Cards

A trip to Italy is a dream for many, with its rich history, stunning architecture, and delicious food. Whether you’re strolling through the Colosseum, admiring the art in Florence, or taking a gondola ride in Venice, a well-planned itinerary and the right credit cards can make your journey smoother and more rewarding.

Jet-Setting on a Budget: How to Score Cheap Flights from India to Europe

Ah, the sweet smell of adventure! The thrill of exploring cobblestone streets, sipping wine in Parisian cafes, and pretending to be a sophisticated art connoisseur in Florence. Europe, my friends, is calling. But wait, before you pack your bags and channel your inner Indiana Jones, let's talk about the unsung hero of travel: cheap flights.

Planning for a tourist Schengen visa? Go DIY. It's not as hard as it looks

 Do you have upcoming plans for Europe? If you're like me, you must have watched tonnes of YouTube videos, Instagram reels, on how to apply for a Schengen visa, what documents are required, and what if my visa gets rejected? These videos and reels tend to scare you rather than help as most of the videos try fear-mongering to increase watchtime. I was in the same boat as I was planning for a trip to Austria in April 2024. I came across a lot of influencers on Instagram, Twitter, and even YouTube, who try to offer their help and assistance but for a fee. Otherwise, they won't answer your query and refer you to their videos and reels. It's not all bad in the influencer space. I came across some really helpful videos as well, which I'll share in this blog.  

A Drive from Jaisalmer to Longewala and Tanot Mata Mandir

Longewala Checkpost

There might be very few people in India who are not aware of Longewala. Longewala holds a special place in Indian history. This is where the battle of Longewala took place and was one of the first major engagement between India and Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. JP Dutta's movie Border was based on this battle.

A full day trip at Ramoji Film City

If you are planning to visit Hyderabad for a vacation, or you stay in Hyderabad and looking for a one-day outing place, then think no further and book your tickets for Ramoji Film City. It is recognized by the Guinness Records as the largest film studio complex in the world, spanning 2000 acres. The film city has natural as well as artificial attractions which cater to all age group, from kids to adults. We were on a three-day tour to Hyderabad and decided to visit the film city on our 2nd day of the tour. I had already booked the tickets online but the film city also has ticket counters at the parking area. The general day tour ticket is Rs 1250 for adults and Rs 1000 for kids. There's a premium ticket as well which was for Rs 2350. We were staying in Jubilee Hills and Ramoji film city was quite far from our hotel, so we tried leaving as early as possible. Google maps showed that it would take us around 1 hour 30 minutes. We went through Nehru outer ring road and took an exit as per the maps and finally reached the entry gate.

Creative ways to summarize your travel for social media

Chaukhamba mountains over Deoria Tal, Chopta

Everyone loves to travel once in a while and everyone loves to take photos throughout the trip. Same is the case with me. Even if I travel for a couple of days, I end up with tons of photos. It takes several days to go through each of them and then sort the best photos to be uploaded to various social media channels. Along with photos, there are times when you shoot lots of videos either with your cell phone or a camera. But most of these videos are really not useful other than revisiting the memories. In this post, I'll share a couple of methods where you can utilize the videos and photos in a creative manner and share it on your social media.

First day at Rann Utsav, The Great Rann of Kutch

The most anticipated leg of my sabbatical trip had finally arrived. We were arriving in kutch from Bhuj for a 3-day stay at Rann Utsav. Rann Utsav is a festival of celebrating the culture of Kutch. It is organised every year for 3 months, from November to February. The dates vary from year to year which can be checked from any official travel partner, like this one. The packages are diversified well enough to suit everyone. They have 1N/2D, 2N/3D and 3N/4D packages. The packages are further divided into different room types. All the rooms are tent style. The cheapest room is  "economy swiss cottage" and the most expensive is "Premium tents".

Posing near the main gate

The next two days at Rann Utsav, The Great Rann of Kutch

The first day at Rann Utsav was exciting and eventful. The second day also had packed schedule under its sleeves. The day started with morning tea at 5:30. The guests are then taken to the White Rann for watching the sunrise. There's no camel cart ride as the distance to the sunrise point is more than the distance it was to the sunset point. We took our seats on the bus. It was a short 10 min ride to the point from where we had to walk around 200 meters. One can take camel carts or individual camel ride from here till the vantage point. We decided to walk so that we could stop wherever we want and click photographs. It was cloudy over the horizon and looked like we would not be able to watch the sunrise. The sky showed vibrant colours though as the sun was rising behind it.

First rays of the sun over the horizon

A day well spent in Bhuj before proceeding to Rann Festival, Kutch

After spending a good time near Dwarka temple, we continued our journey to Bhuj. We had to stay there for 1 night and leave for kutch the next day as it's only 80 km from Bhuj. Google maps showed us a straight route to Bhuj via Jamnagar through NH 947 and then continue on NH 27 till Bhuj. The road was crowded with trucks and other commercial vehicles till we took a turn towards NH 947. I must have driven for around 15-20 minutes when we realized the road was absolutely deserted. We were probably the only ones on the road within at least a radius of 3 KM.  After about 15 km, the road condition had worsened and there was a point when I could not find out the straight path on the road as it was filled with huge pile of sand and the area was surrounded by water.

The alley leading to Dwarkadheesh temple

Vibrant Gujarat: Roadtrip to Diu and Devbhoomi Dwarka. (Gujarat Travelogue Part 2)

This post continues from where I left off in the previous post here. Our next stop was Diu. Although we call Daman and Diu as a single entity, there's a distance of 650 KM between the two towns. Together they are a Union Territory. Like Goa, Diu was also a Portuguese colony, until 1961 when Indian army successfully took command of Diu from them under Operation Vijay. Diu is a small town with a handful of attractions which can be covered in a single day. We reached Diu by 3 PM. I had blocked a home stay through booking.com based on reviews.

Posing at Naida Caves, Diu

Vibrant Gujarat: The Gujarat leg of my sabbatical trip (part 1)

This post is in continuation of series of posts on my sabbatical journey. Read about my sabbatical journey planning, hotel details and cost breakup here. Our official trip started on 9th March. Ahmedabad was our starting point of the trip. The road from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was the best I’ve ever driven on. It’s a six-lane highway throughout the route. It took me 10hrs to cover 526 KM which includes 1.5 hours of breaks and halts. I could have covered it in less time but there were a lot of trucks on the highway and they seldom follow lane driving. At many points, all the three lanes were taken by slow moving trucks and it used to get hard overtaking them.

My Alto K10, wandering in Gujarat.

Short weekend trip to a beautiful place called Chikmagalur

My travelogue for the trip to Chikmagalur was long pending. It was one of my first trips after I moved to Bangalore. My colleague was coming with his wife to Bangalore so we decided to take a trip on one of the weekends. There are millions of options to go for 1 day trip near Bangalore. We zeroed in on Chikmagalur as seeing its photo mesmerised us completely. Chikmagalur is a beautiful town nestled in hills and greenery.  It's a part of Mullayanagiri range in the western ghats. Best time to visit this town is during the monsoons as the entire hill range drapes the green blanket.

While coming back from Chikmagalur

Summary of my sabbatical trip

I still can't believe that my sabbatical trip is over and I'm home already. 30 days went so quickly. It feels as if I was in Kutch just yesterday. My car shows that I travelled 8936 KM total, which went way past my initial calculation of 6000 KM. I travelled across 5 states and numerous cities. I came across several well-known towns and some whose name I haven't ever heard of.

My Alto K10, en route to Rann festival.

My most awaited Roadtrip. 30 Days, 6000KM+, 3 States, 1 Car

Admit it. Road trips are the best way of travelling as it gives you time to enjoy the route throughout the journey, stop wherever you want, without any limitation on time to be spent there. Bangalore is blessed with hundreds of places around it which can be covered on a road trip.

The MNC which I work in gives its employees an amazing opportunity to take a month long sabbatical every 5 years. We have to take it within 2 years after we get eligible else it expires. My sabbatical is due and hence I planned my longest road trip for 1 whole month during this time.

My sabbatical plan with my partner in crime.

Top 3 places to visit near Bangalore for the upcoming long weekend

The year 2017 started with ruining a long weekend plan as 31st December and 1st January fell on a weekend. Had it fallen on weekdays would have doubled the fun and we could have stayed longer in Kodaikanal (where I went for spending New Year's). But let's not lose our hope as January has a long weekend to offer. Republic Day, 26th January is falling on Thursday so we just need to ask for 1-day leave and combine it with the weekend to get a long weekend.

I've made a list of top 3 places near Bangalore where you can visit with family and friends.

Serein: A luxury address in Malabar Hills of Thane

If you follow the real estate scenario, you must be aware of the poshest localities in India. If you have ever dreamed of buying a piece of land in Malabar Hill, one of the poshest localities in the world, your dream is about to come true. Pokhran Road has emerged as one of the most happening places in Thane. The area is surrounded by greenery and has several townships along the way which contains all kinds of entertainment and lifestyle stores as well as luxury societies.

One such upcoming luxury project is Tata Housing's Serein. Aptly named, Serein is one of its kind projects and boasts to be India's first wellness homes. Each home in Serein will have Vitamin C showers, dehumidifiers. The homes are made keeping in mind the wind articulation to maximize comfort, and daylight penetration so that one can enjoy the tranquil sunlight.The amenities include " a reviving nature trail", "jogging and bicycle track", "outdoor dining", "rejuvenating lotus pond", "butterfly garden", "pet park", "organic farming area", "tennis court", "viewing deck" and "skating rink", besides a clubhouse and swimming pool. 

Yeoor Hills, Photo Credits: Gautam Khetwal

Wellness homes at Serein is located just next to the greenery of Yeoor Hills and Sanjay Gandhi national park which
will give you a feeling of a world far from hustle bustle of the city but still well connected to all things human. Shopping complexes, malls, schools, hospitals are at a proximity of Serein. Numerous garden and parks are at a walking distance from Serein. The area is at a close proximity to Ulhas river and Upvan lake. The railway station is hardly 10 minutes from your home. Isn't Serein an address to take pride in? It certainly looks like a home that is bound to make a legacy.

Serein's location, Pokhran Road 2 is aptly being called as Malabar hill of Thane as it is surrounded by the greenery, has a beautiful hill view, which is similar to that of the Malabar Hills. Serein has the luxury and affluence of the Malabar Hills, thanks to uber premium amenities it has. Pokhran Road can technically be called the Malabar hills as well due to an interesting similarity between their pin codes. Malabar hill's pin code is 400006, while Pokhran road's is 400610. How about that? Interesting right. 

Where did you travel for spending New Year's Eve?

Spending New Year's Eve in a place far from hustle bustle of the city with family and friends is my idea of New Year's Eve. I consider myself fortunate enough to work in a company which has annual winter shut down from Christmas to the 1st day of new year. I don't have to take leaves and I can plan without thinking about how to ask my boss for it.

My beloved Alto en route to Ooty

Watching sunrise in Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is known for its spectacular view of sunrise and sunset. There are many places for the tourists to view this magic. Kanyakumari tourism dept has built up a number of sunrise and sunset view points. This way the crowd gets divided among these points and one can watch the phenomenon in peace. The hotel which I was staying in, Hotel Singaar International, had its own viewpoint. Luckily, we had our rooms on the same floor. I made sure I put up multiple alarms to wake up at least 15 minutes before sunrise, choose my spot and prepare my tripod.

First light of the day. 20 minutes before the sun came out of the horizon

A day at Vivekananda Memorial Rock, Kanyakumari

The time had come for us to start packing and leave for our trip to Kanyakumari and Rameswaram. I had created the itinerary based on several blogs and travel portals. A visit to Vivekananda memorial rock was on top of every list. Legend says that while Swami Vivekananda was in Kanyakumari, he saw this monolith rock and wanted to go there. He asked a fisherman to take him on his boat to the rock. The fisherman refused as the water was shark infested. Swami had decided to reach the rock anyhow. He dived into the waters and swam towards the rock. He meditated there for 3 days before departing for Chicago for a conference.

Zoomcar or Carzonrent Myles? My experience with car rental services.

Bangalore has always been a city where innovative startups took a small step and went on to become one of the most successful ventures in India. Zoomcar is one such startup. Self drive rental services was not popular in India unlike our western counterparts. Thanks to zoomcar, who brought this concept in India and started with Bangalore.

I have rented car from Zoomcar on many occasions over the last couple of years. I've found the price quite reasonable (Expensive on weekends and public holidays though). The website mentions every detail you need to know before booking a car. If you call the staff, they are courteous enough to answer your queries.