All posts filed under: Miscellaneous

My Cathay Pacific Economy Class Experience: India To Hong Kong

Published by Dev

Off late I’ve started noticing the little dissimilarities that different flight operators offer. And I’ve noticed that it may just be the same class (say economy or business) with pretty much the same fare but the way different flight carriers operate — right from the check-in counter to in-flight experience to baggage collection — vaguely vary. And I think this habit, that I’ve recently inherited, happened because I’ve taken just too many flights recently — speaking of the last three months itself, about 15 flights in total. So this time as I was contacted by Cathay Pacific to try their India-Hong Kong operations, I thought, why not! Though unlike my previous airline’s collaboration with Flysoot from India to The Gold Coast, in Australia, where I was particularly asked to write a blog post for them, this time there were no deliverables involved. It was a personal choice, totally, whether I wanted to write and promote them on my blog and Instagram Page and other social media channels. I think Cathay Pacific played it smart by playing …

Review Nissan Sunny: A Perfect Sedan For Family Road-Trips

Published by Dev

When you’ve been driving your own car for long it’s hard to instantly feel comfortable behind the wheel of an unfamiliar vehicle, and so was the case with me as I received the Nissan Sunny to test-drive and review it during a few days long family road trip in the Himalayas. I mean, I am one of those people who have to do a lot of finagling and manoeuvring of buttons, seats, not to mention adjusting a few things that are fairly critical, such as side rear-view mirrors and the programmed radio station selection. But with the kind of technology that Nissan Sunny offered (from its automatic CVT transmission to electrically adjustable mirrors), things become a lot easier right from the beginning. My First Impression Of Nissan Sunny A road trip really allows you to get to know a vehicle. You get to know about it drivability, the level of comfort it offers, and other things closely. Does it have plenty of cupholders? Are the seats comfortable? Do you have plenty of room to stretch your legs? …

Why I Suggest Flying From India To Gold Coast With FlyScoot Airlines

Published by Dev

Flying from India to the Gold Coast in Australia? I suggest you check for FlyScoot Airlines! You know what is that one thing that has always curbed me (and I think most people reading this article fall into the same category) from travelling abroad? It’s MONEY! The money that was required to invest in hefty airfares. I mean you plan a one-week holiday to Australia and you end up losing just as much cash in just flying from India to Australia, as in everything else put together. I remember how last year when I planned a one-month backpacking trip in and around Perth in Western Australia (and I planned Perth because flights to Perth were the cheapest from India) I couldn’t visit Sydney and Melbourne because flights to both the cities would have cost me a fortune. So, expensive airfares have curbed me much from travelling in life. And unlike with Europe, where you always find a cheap deal, with Australia it’s not so the reality, especially if you’re planning for the eastern coast of …

Travel Photography Tips: Learning Composition

Published by Dev

Though my Instagram account has always maintained a fairly good engagement, my photographs periodically appear in mainstream travel magazines in India, a couple of travel cafes in India have even framed my pictures on their walls, I still believe that I am still learning more of travel photography every day. Photography is a skill that can only be learned over time. And the more you practice it, the better you become. Its theory is unbelievably simple, however. Learn the basics of how four things — shutter speed, ISO, aperture and the focus work and you will technically accredit yourself as any other photographer out there. The only problem is, you will have to learn the composition, and that, my friend, is a skill that will come to you with time, and as you’ll practice. Composition And Travel Photography The key to impressive travel photography is ‘telling stories’. Your pictures, whether or not look professional, or give an impressive bokeh effect, must look aesthetically good. In other words, they must tell a story. An easier way to …

Nagaland roads

Driving In Nagaland: With Datsun redi-GO

Published by Dev

Those having even a little idea about how I like to travel may well know that I have never been a group traveller, and when my travels are complimented with the comfort of exploring places in a guided tour and in a private car, things become even more uninteresting. But ever since I had a motorbike ride in Jammu with 60 other riders, I’ve discovered a completely different part of me — a part that occasionally enjoys the company of fellow-travellers, a part that sometimes appreciates the comfort of having a private vehicle. Overpowered with ‘that other me’ when an invitation with Datsun India, for a few days of drive in an around Kohima, in Nagaland, landed in my inbox, I said ‘why not’. And the next thing I knew was I was flying from New Delhi to Dimapur, with three other bloggers to explore Kohima, and the popular Hornbill Festival. Driving In Nagaland As I discovered, Nagaland is a part of India, yet vastly different from the rest of India in many ways. And the biggest of …

Farewells: My Biggest Travel Enemy

Published by Dev

As I left the dinner table and entered my room — a normal daily routine I was consciously repeating for the past couple of weeks, I wondered why it was the toughest, to leave and wishing THE FAMILY, I was staying with, in Italy, for the last 2 weeks, a ‘pleasant sleep’ tonight. As I slammed my room’s door behind me and started typing a set of careful words, I realized that I may be feeling an overwhelming set of emotions, under the influence of some wine, but no, there’s nothing unusual in today’s circumstances; I always feel the same. Bidding farewells and saying final goodbyes have always been the toughest part of my travels. They make my life so much difficult, and a lot more unsettling. I always thought that after travelling for some time, living more experiences, and bidding adieu to all the people I’ll meet on the road, I would somehow, almost naturally, master the art of saying farewells, without being driven by the moment. But this time as I departed, I realised that I’m pathetically failing in what …

How To Do Southeast Asia In 1 Month

Published by Dev

Disclaimer: Before you make any opinions, please note that this post was written keeping two things in mind: one, travelling a maximum number of southeast Asian countries on a minimum budget. And two, doing it all quickly and still not hurrying too much between places. If Southeast Asia is world’s top backpacking location then there’s a reason for it. It is perfect for millennials, who neither have money, nor time. The kind of people falling in my category. Here, the visas are cheaper, or not required at all, travelling through one country and another is possible by land (even for the unfortunate Indians with their weak Indian passport), and flights to a few major airports cost as low as flying domestically in your country! And if you just happen to be someone who needs visas for Southeast Asia, please note that right now is even better to do so, because to increase the tourist inflow, Malaysia and Thailand have just cut slashed their visa costs, and they’re particularly focusing on the Indian market. [I’ve just grabbed …

5 Beautiful And Very Distinct Places In India Everyone Must Visit

Published by Dev

Ever thought of taking that much-deserved break and losing yourself in a place virtually free from all sorts of communication? If yes, then this is a perfect place to start from. The places mentioned below aren’t your standard honeymoon destination, these are those places which can take your breath away and leave you shell-shocked with the beauty that these places in India has to offer. These are the 5 Must Visit Places In India: Pangong Lake, Ladakh Restricting Ladakh tourism to just Pangong lake would be an extreme injustice, but if you ask me to pin point the most beautiful place in the region, then Pangong would definitely top my list. Pangong Lake doesn’t have a heavy traffic or inflow of tourists, so if you want to scream at the top your voices unabashedly, come here. The sight of the lake can instantly instil a sense of peacefulness in your mind. The lake located at a height of about 4350m is around 124km long and is also home to various migrating birds. Ladakh is definitely …

Backpacking in Europe Or Backpacking In Southeast Asia? Tips For Indian Backpackers!

Published by Dev

Europe and Southeast Asia can be completely different when it comes to travelling, and the many obvious dissimilarities like the differences in the cost of travelling, visa complications are no alien to us either. Southeast Asia offers easy visa possibilities, whereas Europe on the other hand, makes it tougher to get one. So if you’re planning a trip abroad, and are confused about what would be a better choice for you, personally — is it holidaying in Europe or holidaying in Thailand, or Bali — then these four but more peculiar differences will help you make your mind better. Visas If money is no foundation, and you’re planning to cover a few number of countries in one trip, it makes more sense to backpack in Europe, because you’re only required to apply for a Schengen Visa and you’re free to cross 28 borders in Europe, without having to worry about border security. Southeast Asia, on the other hand, requires visa formality for every country. Though most nations in Southeast Asia give Indians the option of Visa …

Back To From Where It All Started. Back to Basics

Published by Dev

By the time you’ll be reading this, I’ll be flying over the Black sea, inching my way towards Oman, before finally boarding the flight to New Delhi. If you already do not know, I am arriving home after a 2-month backpacking trip across Europe. But all this time, as I backpacked across Europe, a part of which seemed more like a business trip, and less like backpacking, I wondered if this was originally how I planned my travels would end up as I’ll progress as a travel writer. I mean after exploring 8 beautiful countries across the green European continent, why do I still miss a part of what I’d left behind. Why do I still crave to explore some empty rain-forests, or the colossal Himalayas, where I’ve already been a thousand other times before. Why do I find such vast spaces more charming than ever now, despite them being a place where Google hardly works, and cell phones lose their reception too — making the experience a bit too unfavourable for any web-blogger like me? And yet, I …