Sariska National Park Travel Guide: Best Time, Safari Tips & What We Saw

Not a very long time ago, I was pretty stubborn to view the tiger in its full glory, where it roams wild and free, where it doesn't have to rely on human to be fed, where just his one roar is enough to make every living being turn their heads. With an unsuccessful track record of not spotting a tiger in any of my previous endeavors, to Jim Corbett National Park and Ranthambore National Park, I was pretty keen to give it another try.

Sariska Tiger Reserve, situated in Alwar district of Rajasthan is well connected via road to Delhi and is just 3 hours drive away, approximately 200 kms. Stretched over an area of 881 sq km, this area was a hunting preserve of Alwar until it was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1955 and as of Oct 2018, it hosts 18 tigers including 5 cubs.

McLeod Ganj Travel Guide: Monasteries, Momos & Our Family Adventure in the Himalayas

I’m usually a “beach bum” kind of traveler. Give me sun-soaked sand, a hammock, and a fruity drink with a straw—and I’m happy. But this time, I swapped flip-flops for trekking shoes and headed to the hills. Destination? McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala—famously called Little Lhasa thanks to its Tibetan charm, fluttering prayer flags, Bhagsu Nag Waterfall, Triund Trek, and monks who (spoiler alert) might just have fancier smartphones than you.

This was a family trip—my wife, my kid, and me—and I was determined to make it a memorable one (read: not get yelled at for bad planning).

The Journey: Bollywood, Blankets & Bhai

We hopped on the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Volvo from Delhi—arguably the safest, comfiest way to reach McLeod Ganj. The bus was filled with young backpackers radiating “Mountains Calling” vibes.

Within 30 minutes, my son was snuggled under his blanket, fast asleep. My wife, as usual, had done all the packing (because if it were left to me, we’d just have three T-shirts and zero toothbrushes).

The bus staff put on a Bhai's (Salman Khan) Bollywood blockbuster. We watched it half-heartedly until our dinner halt at Haveli, Karnal—paranthas, chai, and a chance to stretch our legs. Then it was lights out… or at least, attempts to sleep in a moving bus while trying to ignore every honk.

After a long, bumpy night, we rolled into McLeod Ganj at 5 a.m. sharp. It was drizzling, jackets were out, and so were the taxi-walas shouting, “Sir, taxi? Kahan jaoge sir?”

Top Things to Do in Pondicherry (Besides Eating All the Croissants)

My mind keeps telling me to be a modern-day explorer, to seek out new frontiers and exotic cuisines. But my heart? My heart just whispers one word, over and over: "Goa." It’s a conflict I’ve had for years—a dramatic, internal struggle between my wanderlust and my deep-seated love for comfort. This time, we settled on a truce: a new destination that promised the charm of old favorites. Our pick? Pondicherry (Puducherry), a place where the French legacy isn’t just a historical footnote—it’s a lifestyle, complete with mustard villas, bougainvillea, and the soul-soothing promise of a good croissant. I was ready to trade my beach shack for a boutique and my Kingfisher for a pain au chocolat.

Ranthambore Safari Tales: Tigers, Chaos & Adventures in the Wild

If Jim Corbett refused to show me a tiger, surely Ranthambore National Park would. After all, every second traveler claims, “Arre, Ranthambore mein toh tiger pakka dikhega!” Famous for its Bengal Tigers, Ranthambore Fort, and epic safaris, this national park in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, is one of India’s top wildlife destinations.

I was determined this time—no tiger, no peace.

Are You a Beach Person or a Mountain Person?

Yea, yea, yea, as far as it goes and you are into traveling, you must have come across this inevitable question "Are you a beach person or a mountain person?". Well, we always pick a side as our mind wanders through all the timeless memories we may have created during all those vacations we had. We all have our own preference, our own likeliness to certain kind of holiday we look forward to. 

Well, if you are not living under a rock, you must be knowing that it is not just a regular question, the answer to it reflects about person's nature as per the study in the Journal of Research in Personality, extroverts prefer the beach to the mountains, while introverts prefer the opposite. It reflects the personality of a person, instinct of a person. But does it actually?

Haridwar - The Ancient Holy City by the River Ganges

The Ancient city of Haridwar is an important Hindu Pilgrimage site in Uttarakhand state of India where the river Ganges flows as it exits the Himalayas.  The largest of several sacred ghats (bathing steps), Har Ki Pauri hosts a nightly Ganga Aarti (river worshiping ceremony) in which tiny flickering natural lamps are floated off the steps. People often come here to achieve salvation and some just to get amused by the beliefs and vibrancy. Falling more into the second category, I also decided to visit Haridwar to experience the vibrancy of the city and also somewhat to get rid of my sins (I still don't know how that works to be honest).

Kerala: God's Own Country!!

After what felt like a hundred failed attempts at planning a vacation, it was finally happening. The Kerala trip. My excitement was a physical entity, a joyous aura that radiated from me, causing my friends and family to groan in unison every time I brought it up. I’m sorry, but also, not sorry. You can’t put a price on the joy of travel bragging.

So, the big day arrived, and my morning was a masterclass in controlled chaos. First, I carefully placed my camera—the most crucial item, my precious baby—in a place of utmost importance. Then, I scrambled to finish packing the rest of my luggage as we waited for our cab to the airport. Yes, we were running late, as always.

Warley Museum: The 'World's Smallest Museum'

Source: SWNS.com 

A telephone booth which was not being used anymore has been turned into 'world's smallest museum'. Yes, you read that right, a telephone booth. Located in Warley, Yorkshire, the booth was “adopted” from British Telecommunications (BT) by the town association of Warley and filled with the local historical artifacts. The exhibit includes old photographs, glass etchings, and personal items such as antique fashion pieces and jewelry.

Here is Why Flights take Longer than they did 50 Years ago

Ever feel like airplanes are dragging their wings these days? Well, you’re not wrong. Believe it or not, modern flights often take longer than they did decades ago - even though we now have shinier planes, fancy engines, and more Wi-Fi to distract us.

Take this for an example - back in 1973, you could zip from New York City to Houston in about 2 hours and 37 minutes. Today? You’re looking at a leisurely 3 hours and 50 minutes. That’s almost enough time to re-watch The Lion King, twice (with snacks).

So why the slowdown? The culprit is fuel efficiency. Yes, airlines figured out that if they fly slower, they burn less fuel—and save millions. Between 2002 and 2012, fuel prices skyrocketed from about $0.70 to over $3 per gallon. To cope, JetBlue once admitted in 2008 that by adding just two extra minutes to each flight, they saved a casual $13.6 million a year. That’s a lot of peanuts and pretzels.

And they don’t stop there. To squeeze out even more savings, airlines are obsessed with making planes lighter. Translation: your suitcase gets slapped with “excess baggage fees” faster than you can say carry-on only.

Oh, and here’s a fun trick airlines play: something called “Block Padding.” This is when they pad the official flight time with extra minutes so that - even if they’re late, they can still proudly announce they arrived “on time.” So, next time the captain tells you, “Good news folks, we’re landing ahead of schedule,” don’t break into applause. Chances are, the schedule was just stretched like yoga pants after Thanksgiving dinner.

Jim Corbett Travel Guide: Wildlife, Adventure & Funny Mishaps

Jim Corbett - PC - Nitesh Ranga - Insta ID - @ traveller_mate

Have you ever had a destination haunt your travel bucket list for years, dodging your every attempt to visit it? For me, that elusive spot was Jim Corbett National Park.

2009: Planned. Cancelled.

2010: Planned twice. Cancelled twice.

2012: Gave it another shot. Nope.

2016: I swore to finally close the loop. Spoiler alert—this time I actually made it! 

And honestly? The wait was worth it (and did we spot the tiger? well… we’ll get there).

The Journey of a Traveler

I often wonder how much time was spent in traveling mere centuries ago when the road of the traveler was hard. No flights, no high speed trains and the most prevalent medium to travel was ships. People spent a fortune and even in some cases, they spent their all earnings to just see what the world looks like. They spent days and weeks in traveling from state to state and even months in reaching from one country to another, some for leisure, some for business and others for just curiosity and amusement, from the stories they heard from people returning from The Great Voyage. In fact, many case, people did not even return from their great journeys, some due to will and others due to illness. Well, that era was different and so were the people. They had patience to travel and that was no less than the adventure for them.

5 Things to Do Before you Say Bye!

Goodbyes are always hard. No matter how strong you are, there is always an emotional chemical somewhere hidden in the corner of your heart that makes it bit difficult to say Good bye to your favorite place. Even a slightest thought of you not being visiting the place again makes you want to capture every single moment of the vacation which will bring smile on your face later.

Though handy cameras in phones and digital cameras have enabled us to capture as much pictures as we can but maybe that's not enough.. maybe we need something more....

World's Shortest Commercial Flight!

If you thought your last flight was short, wait till you hear this: the world’s shortest commercial flight takes place between two Orkney Islands in Scotland - Westray and Papa Westray. They’re separated by a mere 1.7 miles, which is basically the same distance your dog drags you on a “quick” walk.

This legendary route is operated by Loganair, and while the official duration is two minutes, with a helpful tailwind you can touch down in just 47 seconds. Yes, that’s less than the time it takes to microwave popcorn.