Switzerland Diary: Filmy happenings in Lausanne
You realise the power of cinema when you hear R.D. Burman’s Mehbooba Mehbooba from Sholay play at a Starbucks...
Nyepi in Bali: A New Year’s Day like no other
When you are planning a trip to Bali, you must check if Nyepi falls within your intended dates. If...
Reflections from my 3-month stay at Sunset Hostel in Switzerland
For three months, I lived at a hostel in Switzerland. This one, however, is in some ways different from...
Here’s how AI is impacting our travels
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing every aspect of our lives, transforming the way we live, work, and interact. The...
The World’s Most Famous Kiss: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt
The world’s most famous kiss is not a real one but one in art. Perhaps the artist painted it...
An artsy tryst on the Fringe of Edinburgh
The Meadows of Edinburgh, naturally, reminded me of the Maidan in Kolkata. It’s this giant stretch of grassy open...
How I ended up at Okinawa after my ferry didn’t stop to pick me up
“Feels like a typhoon is coming, doesn’t it?” “It does?” I turned left to look at my elderly walking...
Riding up to Alegria Beach in Siargao through wind and rain
Wearing blue beach shorts and a light black jacket-cum-waterproof over my thin white T-shirt, I’m whooshing at 65kmph through...
Croissant and the need for it
Flour, salt, sugar, butter and milk. The basics of a million different dishes all over the world. Every country,...
Durga Puja in Paris (or the absence of it)
As a kid, one of my fondest memories of Durga Puja in Kolkata has always been checking the countdown...
Durga Puja notes from Boston in the year of great adjustments
Time: A bright afternoon in early October. Place: Kolkata in the mid-2000s. Upon her return from school on the...
La nuit tombe — the night is falling
Summer is officially over in this part of the world. The rains have started, the mercury is falling, the...
A brush with history at Göttingen
It must have been more than a decade ago that I read “Biswasghatok” (The Traitor) by Narayan Sanyal, based...
Antarctica: The Wild Wild South
It was far away… a rather small and indistinct structure. But spotting your first iceberg is special. And it...
Make a conscious effort to be a pleasant co-passenger
Indians are not known as the best co-passengers. They tend to be loud, have little or no sense of...
I enjoyed passing through the tiny Andal airport
I’d totally forgotten that there existed a tiny airport serving Durgapur. I had a family wedding to attend in...
Your knowledge of English could make your trip to Vietnam way cheaper
Vietnam is currently one of the world’s most up-and-coming travel destinations and not without reason. The place is incredibly...
An innovative application can get you that multiple-entry Canadian tourist visa
My mother has just reached Canada and met her penpal of 46 years for the first time ever! It...
Beppu: To the hells and back
Hell is not somewhere you plan on visiting. But when in Beppu, you should do just that. All eight...
A Japanese Diwali: How it’s different from India
Among the many things travel teaches you is how things you take for granted back home don’t come easily...
Those rocks in Lake Thetis aren’t really rocks
WHY I WENT? Some weeks before I was about to leave for Australia, a colleague of mine lent me...
Travel strategy: Why you should apply for a US visa ASAP
As a person with an Indian passport, visa is something that more often than not becomes the most important...
I did not visit Notre-Dame cathedral when I went to Paris. Here’s why
Soon after the devastating fire at the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, many people who have visited the French capital...
Not-a-fan at a fan Mecca
Only yesterday, I noticed a friend posting pictures of herself in Philadelphia. I got really excited and asked her...
Why Charlottesville deserves to be on your US itinerary
Charlottesville to me is this incredibly beautiful little city that is obsessed with the third US President Thomas Jefferson....
What you believe is an ‘authentic’ and ‘real’ experience during travel is what counts
At a time destinations such as Venice, Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Machu Pichhu are introducing tickets and tourist taxes to...
Visitors can buy alcohol in India’s dry state Gujarat. Here’s how
I have only been in Gujarat four days and it’s been good to me so far. I’m staying in the...
Credit cards de-demonised: Why you should use them
Credit cards. Those guys from the bank call all the time pestering you to take one. But you don’t trust...
Japan visa for Indians: The importance of a detailed itinerary
Japan is a different world and if you are thinking of going somewhere but haven’t decided where, consider Japan....
Anthony Bourdain: The man who inspired me to move
I had my first experience with pad Thai at a shack on the way to a beach on a...
Why you should visit Kashmir in winter
Travelling to Kashmir has always been on my bucket list and this time I finally made it! I’d always...
What really happened to this Van Gogh masterpiece?
A lot of people go to Germany for war tourism. I go because I love the food and the...
‘You can travel indefinitely for USD200 a month’
It’s possible to travel the world for as little as USD200 a month. I’m not saying it. Alex says...
How to score a ten-year US tourist visa
Since Donald Trump took charge as US President, I found a lot of people around me speculating whether getting...
Go to Malaysia for the food
Malaysia is pretty well connected by flights from India. Apart from the several direct connections to Kuala Lumpur, India’s...
Greetings: Kiss, hug or shake hands?
I was quite surprised the first time I saw two grown men greeting each other with loud kisses on...
Ten reasons to visit Saturna Island
Of all the people I know, only one person has been to Saturna Island, which is situated off mainland...
Khecheopalri: Great place to do nothing
Khecheopalri village is 34km from the touristy town of Pelling in India’s Sikkim state, which nestles in the Himalayas. I...
What happened at the onsen
I seriously considered turning back as I stood in front of the grand Meiji-era building. This was the Takegawara...
Travelogue: Yoron island in Japan
“Why Yoron?” Chie wasn’t the first person to ask me this question. That I was in Japan was itself pretty random!...