Travelers’ Good Over Evil: Dussera Special Part II

Hello travel bugs, here is the list continuing to ten evils that travelers need to win over. This festive season, make a difference in this world while spreading & receiving happiness.

6. Follow the tour guides: we understand the urge to just go & explore the world on your own; however, there may be things you need to know before stepping out. Hence, follow your tour guide, unless you have been to the same place many times before & are sure of your whereabouts.
7. Don’t ignore the warning signs: if the locals wished to decorate the area, we assure you warning signs will not be the choice. Warning signs are there for a reason, please follow them to avoid making your or someone else’s holidays unpleasant.
8. Don’t feed animals: animals just like humans are susceptible to everything they eat. You may never know what you treat them may have an adverse effect on them. Besides, there are always chances they might harm you in order to retrieve edibles. Maintain your distance & just enjoy the view.
9. Don’t damage property: be it a monument or a resort, scribbling, or damaging properties in any other sense is never an ideal holiday gesture. The services are for your benefits solely & make use of it to the best of your & others need and requisites.
10. Frank display of personal opinions should be strictly kept in your mind. You never know how your words may unintentionally upset the locals or your host.

Holidays are fun days which everyone wants to be memorable in most pleasant ways. Tourist destinations belongs to locals & tourists in similar manner, however, it is usually the locals who stay there for longer time. Hence, how tourists & travelers treat the place is what locals deal with. Everyone likes to walk in a haven, but maintaining a place with its original charm takes effort, which is incomplete without the efforts of tourists & travelers. So next time you venture to another wonderful destination, make sure you contribute in maintaining the charisma of the place.

Travel safe. Happy travelling!

Travelers’ Good Over Evil: Dussera Special Part I

Festivals all around, make traveling all the more fun & interesting. The amazing Navratri & all its garba celebrations have come to a final grand closure with the celebration of Dussera or usually also called as VijayDashmi. Everyone is well aware of evils of Ravana, but in the twenty-first century, there are many evils, which a traveler most of the time without knowledge and sometimes even deliberately perform which are harming not only the beautiful holiday destinations, but the environment as a whole as well.

Here is a list of ten evils which a traveler should avoid during journey:

1. Strewn plastic bags, packets: just because no one is watching that doesn’t mean you should dispose of your useless empty packet of chips in the garden, under the tree or behind your seat. Use dustbins where you find them, or keep it in an empty packet and dispose it off when you come across one.
2. Clicking images at forbidden places: some places are known for their exclusivity and a charm which only the tourists experiencing the place realize. Many times, due to photosensitivity or some other genuine reason as well the photography is forbidden. Kindly respect & honor the fact that conserving a heritage site is more important than uploading an image on social network.
3. Dress code: different places have different cultural beliefs. The dress up code is very closely related to local beliefs & cultures. Hence, following that as an understanding for the place, try & pursue the dress regulations as per the locals.
4. Don’t waste water & other resources: switching off the lights & fans of rooms you are not in. Indeed you are not paying for electricity, but conserving energy & drinkable water was never a bad idea.
5. Demanding for special attention: patience and relaxation are the keys for enjoying your holidays. We understand you are excited about everything & you want it perfect, but slight delay while serving your order or addressing your query should not be taken as a personal offense. Often at peak of holiday seasons, the resort may be trying their best to provide you with the best of services. Keeping your problems in subtle manner is always a better option than depending on rising temperature & volumes.

Well let’s take a break right now and in our next blog we shall continue with the remaining of 10 evils which travelers should definitely win over. No one likes a tourist who cribs, or makes the holiday of his fellow travelers any less pleasant. Spread happiness & make your and other’s holiday cherished for all the right reasons.

Travel safe. Happy travelling.  

Pack Smart, Travel Happy!

While packing, no matter how sorted you are, how less or more you are planning to pack, some things are forever troublesome when it comes to packing for traveling. Laptops, delicate gifts or souvenirs, lotions or liquids (medicine), etc. are some of the things which if not packed properly may end up being really inconvenient. So here is a list of such articles and how can you manage them while packing:

• Foot wears: these are heavy, maybe even artistically delicate or just plain big. Every occasion needs a different foot wear. So one thing which can be done is, carry foot wear which can be used at multiple occasions. Wear your heaviest pair while traveling, or pack them at the bottom of your backpack.
• Laptop: getting slim sleeves for your laptop provides a safe and comparatively more convenient traveling experience. But you must always make sure to pack it amongst upper layers so that you can easily get it out during security search at airports.
• Delicate gifts or souvenirs: nothing is more frustrating than finding a broken souvenir in your luggage after returning home. While making purchases of gift material, always make sure to plan how will you carry it back – wrap the delicate articles in newspaper and keep them within layers of clothes instead of below or above or rather at sides. If carrying it separately, you can always stick the label of ‘Fragile’ and ‘Handle with care’ or ‘This side up’ to specify the fragility of the content.
• Warm clothes – If you are traveling from a warm place to a colder region or vice versa, one way or the other you will have to store warm clothes along with your casuals. Since warm clothes are thicker, they occupy more space. One solution is to wear multiple layers of clothes and you can also use your bulkiest jacket as a blanket. Tying sweaters on waist or carrying jackets on arms – not only makes it convenient for you to carry stuff, but it also pass off as your keen fashion sense.
• Jewelry – you have to be very cautious when it comes to these little but significant articles. Most preferable is to carry travel friendly jewelry – which does not get effected by moisture content or direct sun, dust, etc. Keep studded trinkets in soft wraps and use inner zips to slip in these articles.

While these are few of the most troublesome articles, please let us know more problem areas you face during traveling, so that we may try to find solutions to them to the best of our abilities in our next blog.

Travel safe. Happy traveling!

The Travel Foodie!

We totally think that food is a very good motivator – be it for work or travel! People travel all over the globe to taste different and new cuisines all the time. Only a person, who really acknowledges his love for food, would appreciate the fact that - same recipe cooked at two different places can never taste same, and it does not matter if the difference is several miles or several hundred miles. The reasons may be quite a few – different hands making the dish, the local spices & customs, variety of ingredients available, etc. But, no matter how alluring this travel motive may be, there is more to it than stuffed tummies and satisfied taste buds. There are upset stomachs, food poisoning, vomiting, nausea and most long term effect – obesity.

So the question is: How to enjoy the holidays while not compromising the foodie in you?

Here are few tips which could help you out of this dilemma:

• Always carry with you some emergency food – nutrition bars, instant soups & noodles, healthy snacks and biscuits, etc.
• Whenever visiting the market, do not forget to purchase fresh & seasonal fruits – easily available everywhere & healthy as well as, well within your budget.
• Keep hydrated all the time – drink lots of water while traveling. You tend to perform more activities than in your normal routine. Also, drinking water helps remove toxins from your body.
• Always carry a first aid-kit, fully equipped with anti-vomit medicines, ‘pudin hara’ or another medicine for upset stomach, anti- allergy as you may never know what new ingredient your body might be allergic to.
• Besides all these medicines, you may consult your doctor if you are on any medication; learn about food you must avoid at the destined place & food you must have.
• Also, while at any diner or street food stall, do not hesitate in asking for the specific food or specific preparation you wish to have. Let the waiters know your specifics – in case you are vegetarian, vegan or on special diet.

Another nice idea is always to do your homework before leaving – research about the place you are going. Checkout for the information about closest local markets, diners or street food stalls, specialties of the place as well as things to look out for. A little smartness on your part can not only help you plan a fine holiday, you may find it easily manageable as well!

Travel safe. Happy traveling!