Month: October 2018

Useful Tips For Improving Your Travel Photography

Published by Dev

Want to improve your travel photography? These useful travel photography tips will help you get some creative ideas and learn more! For the previous three years, since I quit my job to travel, I’ve been taking pictures around the world, trying different tips and self-teaching myself every day from what works and what doesn’t. And in the process, I’ve learned that photography — particularly travel photography — is a self-learning process. The more you click the more you learn. But what else I’ve learned is that a few good tips from others can help you learn faster. I mean I remember how since I’ve started waking up early (after getting the idea from another travel blog) my pictures have drastically improved in terms of lighting. Morning and evening sunlight, I’ve learned, is best the best time for photography, and photographers around the world would have been taking its advantage. Other than this, I’ve learned is that every destination has its own feel, its own story. Learning how to capture subjects and the feeling of a place helps capture …

Providing A Confirmed Return Flight Ticket For Visa

Published by Dev

As an international travel blogger, holding a weak Indian passport in hand, I often deal with providing a confirmed return flight ticket when applying for a visa — or worse, providing a proof of my onward journey while getting a visa-on-arrival or a visa-free entry. I remember the first time it happened to me I was crossing the border into Thailand wanting to continue backpacking into a few other countries in Southeast Asia. Though I was exiting  Thailand in just two weeks (as visa on arrival for Thailand for Indians only allows us to stay in the country for a maximum of 15 days) I didn’t have a flight ticket to my next destination Cambodia. I wanted to travel to Cambodia by land and for that, it was only natural to be entering Thailand and then book a bus/train ticket. However, due to my inexperience with international travel (it was my first ever trip outside of South Asia back in 2016) it never once crossed my mind that this would be a problem. I was asked …

From My Travel Photography Equipment To Photo Editing Software I Use

Published by Dev

Because I fund my travels as best I can while working from the road, I carry a big collection of photography equipment — from my camera to hard disks to tripods (yes, I often carry two tripods with me). My electronic travel-blogging and photography gear is, by far, the heaviest part of my setup which often even makes me consider carrying that extra t-shirt. But then again, my travel photography gear is the most important thing for me, particularly when I am away for long. It keeps content on my blog going. Here’s the overview of the photo editing tools and software I use and the hardware I rely on for producing to backing up my images while on the go. Here’s a quick overview of my photo-blogging equipment: Hardware Sony Alpha 6300 with a 50mm 1.4 and a 16-50 kit lens: I have recently (about 6 months ago!) shifted from my Nikon D5200 to a mirrorless sony.  And this happened because of two reasons: one because my previous camera was stolen in Bratislava forcing me …

Essential Holiday Packing Tips

Published by Dev

Packing for a holiday divides people into two schools. The first leaves everything to the last minute, throwing in as much as possible; the second packs early and systematically, but often has to unpack again because they need something already stowed away in the suitcase. Well, I happen to be the first case (as most backpackers do) but believe me, if you want to pack for a holiday better, you don’t want to do that. For most of my journeys, I end up leaving something or the other behind and later regretting it. But whichever side of the packing divide you fall on, don’t worry – there is a middle ground too. And this middle ground, my friends, will help you back better and more efficiently. Related Read: What I Pack For My Travels Essential Holiday Packing Tip 1: Make A List Without a packing list, you can so easily forget something, especially if it’s not something you use every day, such as suncream, sunglasses, or even a swimming costume. The essentials such as your passport, …

Manali Travel Guide

Published by Dev

Where the Beas River chuckles merrily down the gorges, and the snowy peaks of the mountains reach their fingers to meet the sky: that’s what Manali is, in one sentence. Though of course, many would argue that Manali has lost its charm due to no control over tourism inflow (including me) for me, it is still one of the highlights in the Indian Himalayans. Manali is a go-to vacation spot for not only adventure seekers but leisure seekers, honeymooners, as well as budget travelers. It has temples, hot springs, one of world’s highest mountain passes, a rich culture and adventure sports like paragliding, skiing, and river rafting — all under a 50km radius. So if you’re planning a vacation, Manali can — no matter what your travel needs are — be your next holiday destination. Plan your holiday in Manali with this ideal Manali Travel Guide: Weather In Manali Although Manali is packed year-round with tourists, it is wise to get an idea of what to expect from the weather there, because at 2050m above the …

The Excitement Of Revisiting Places

Published by Dev

Sitting at nearly 3000m above the sea level, looking at the same landscape I am most familiar with, I wondered if I am, indeed, wasting my time here. I mean for a travel blogger, whose profession makes him money only by visiting new places and talking about them on the internet, isn’t it necessary to keep moving, always? And yet, here I am, back to the same place I have been to, a dozen times before. Yes, I am talking about my second home, Sethan that I first traveled to back in 2016, and since then revisited at least a dozen times. Though of course now that I’ve started a hospitality venture here (my first real offline business ever: an adventure camping place with the name of FootlooseCamps) it has become even crucial for me to revisit the place to manage it — from checking on the staff to paying for bills. But the habit and the excitement of revisiting old places is not something new for me. How Did I Start Footloose Camps Just like …