How to plan a tour to the Grand Canyon?
There are several sites on the must-see list if you are traveling to the United States of America. You...
How to get the benefits of travel without physically going anywhere
Travelling is one of the most worthwhile things we can do. Whether it’s to the city next door or...
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...
5 things to know about New Zealand’s casinos
When you travel to New Zealand, your primary focus is probably going to be on the outdoors. Most 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...
Four ways to save money while on a holiday in Chile
South America, and Chile in particular, can be surprisingly pricey for travellers but, with a little thought, it is...
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 for travel’s sake: When you have to go, you have to go
Today, May 3, 2019, S. Vikram of Madurai is leaving home. He is off on an epic journey from...
I took an overnight Scania bus from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. Here’s how it went
Earlier this year, my Ahmedabad to Mumbai journey by an overnight bus happened at very short notice. My Plan...
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 wouldn’t change my Sri Lanka plans because of the terror attacks
I had made a friend in Sri Lanka through Orkut, the most popular social networking site of the time....
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...
What’s so special about Magdeburg?
I went to Magdeburg to research my first book and not primarily to travel. Most tourists don’t find much...
Two relatively unknown weekend destinations from Kolkata
‘Payer tolay shorshe’ is a Bengali expression (literally meaning ‘mustard seeds under the feet’) to describe someone who frequently...
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....
My travel style has changed over the years. Here’s how
My eyes were fixed on the Kolkata airport terminal building as the Thai AirAsia aircraft I was in taxied...
How Facebook can make your trip better and cut costs
Love it or hate it, Facebook has changed the world. Whether the cons more than the pros is a...
Low season is the perfect time to visit Goa
The last time I was in Goa was in September, weeks before the tourist season set it. It’s so...
Authorities must be clear about long-term goals before imposing tourist tax
Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Venice and Edinburgh. What do these European cities have in common? All of them either have or...
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...
This simple hack will bring your travel costs down
You come across all these articles on social media on how to spend less while travelling to various destinations. I...
Buses offer efficient & economical travel options within US
You cannot travel through the US unless you have your own car. How many times have you heard that?...
Join me on a trip to the tropical paradise of Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan has a very special place in my heart. You might have heard of this island in the...
How to spend 12 hours in Bangkok
Have a day to spend in Bangkok but don’t want to spend too much? No problem at all, even...
There was never a better time to travel for the budget traveller
On June 10, 2008, I got a message from a 28-year-old American man named Chris. I did not know...
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...
There are a lot of good people around
Have you come across this news where a Reddit user realised she had forgotten her passport at a Kyoto...
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...
Let no one tell you how to travel
You’re out drinking with friends and discussing the wonderful time you had in Bali during your recent trip when...
What makes a place memorable is its people
Today (August 15, 2017) is India’s 70th Independence Day — a national holiday — and I am now in...
Koh Phangan beyond Full Moon Party: Bottle beach
Most people who go to Koh Phangan — an island in the Gulf of Thailand — for the (in)famous...
My best overnight train ride was in Thailand
In 2011 — the last time I had made the journey from Bangkok to Surat Thani — I had...
How to secure a China tourist visa
It’s not that I had never been to China. But, then you don’t really consider transit through somewhere as...
How I evaded touts and saved IDR100,000 in Bali
Travelling solo and on a budget, I found that the best way to reach the village of Pemuteran in...
‘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...
Hidden Canyon: Quite an adventure near Ubud, Bali
There were two local guides in the water helping visitors cross a narrow and waist-deep part of the river....
Indonesia (Bali) visa for Indians
I’ve written about it earlier, but the Indian passport is more powerful than you think. You will realise this...
Why Poland is perfect for the budget traveller
Poland isn’t the first place on most people’s minds when they think of going to Europe. In this guest...
If you’re in Ubud, Bali, go to 9 Angels
No one noticed when the music stopped. The evening rain splattering on the tarpaulin above and through the leafy...
Michi resort near Ubud in Bali is a weird place
The two of us had hired a scooter and were headed to Michi Retreat Village situated a few kilometres...
Bali is set to become the next Bangkok for Indians
Of all Indians who have been outside the country for travel — not work but travel — a very...
Bali: I’m going on my first unplanned trip!
The original plan was to go to the UK. I have never been to the UK and I have...
‘I hate snorers but that doesn’t mean they should be banned from certain parts of the aircraft’
Opinions have always been divided on child-free zones on commercial flights and the issue has come to the fore...
Hunder in Ladakh, India, will leave you speechless
WHY I WENT I was flying into Leh and staying in the region for six days (I had a...
Go on a pub crawl in Maastricht, Netherlands
WHY I WENT I’d met a guy from Maastricht at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport the previous year who’d said I...
Ride the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal, Germany
WHY I WENT Acclimatizing. It was my first trip to Europe and I had an Indian friend staying there...
ITINERARY: Weekend trip to Belum Caves (Andhra Pradesh, India)
If you have seen the Borra Caves situated near Araku Valley and come to Belum Caves expecting something similar,...
Give slow travel a chance
Once you are back from a two-week trip to Europe, it feels good to tell people back home you...
Why you should do an Aurora tour in Tromsø
Whether or not to do a northern lights tour was one of the major questions I had in mind...
You are fortunate if you are able to travel
Someone I know keeps a lot of birds as pets at home. He was recently jesting about how many...
How loyal you should be to an airline
I believe every flier should become part of the rewards programme of the airline they fly most often. And...
Germany visa for Indians: The 2016 process
If you’re applying for a Germany tourist visa (which is actually a visa that lets you travel to all the Schengen...
The audio guide at Golkonda is a good idea
One day during my stay in Hyderabad when I was feeling particularly touristy, I decided to spend several hours...
What is AC First on Indian Railways about?
What is it about travelling AC First on Indian Railways? I mean, how different was it from say, 2AC...
Countdown to Trip #next
Which do you like more — the sea or the mountains? That’s a question I hear often. Way too...
How to travel London on a budget
A month ago, UBS Wealth Management named London the fifth-most expensive city in the entire world, which often scares off...
How travel sets you free
In many parts of India, if an unmarried Indian couple went looking for a hotel, they would encounter problems. Many...
Why I hated bus rides as a kid & why I don’t now
When I was kid, i associated travelling by bus with nausea. I couldn’t stand the smell of burnt fuel...
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...
The tourist-traveller fight makes no sense
Not very long ago, there was this group of pictures widely shared on social media. It was a travel...
Ladakh is primarily about colours
Adjectives pitter-patter like a steady drizzle during my chat with three friends who have just returned from a trip to Ladakh in...
Eating out at Darjeeling: Three reviews
The food scene in Darjeeling is very exciting. Before I went there, many of my friends who have visited...
How to make friends on the road
A lot of people ask me how I manage to travel alone. Don’t you feel unsafe in a foreign...
Why I fell in love with Darjeeling
Dipuda. DiPuDa. Digha. Puri. Darjeeling. While Digha is a beach town in the southern part of West Bengal state...
How to glide through airport security check
A lot of people I know are uncomfortable about security check at airports. It’s not really as complicated and...
Come September, says England
This is a guest post by Jayeeta Ghorai England is studded with wonderful gardens and buildings, both ancient and...
Do not forget your travel insurance
Budget travel is awesome and we go to no ends to ensure we save that extra buck. Admit it,...
Vegetarian delicacies from around the world
This post is part of a series by Jayeeta Ghorai on vegetarian travel Vegetarians are not boring eaters. They can...
Let’s bust some vegetarian travel myths
This post is part of a series by Jayeeta Ghorai on vegetarian travel Many vegetarians are wary of travel. In...
Do you want to work with Andy?
I am looking for an assistant. While ideas are overflowing here at TravelAndy, I simply can’t find the time...
How travel teaches you perspective
If you’re a regular reader, you would know that earlier this year, I went on a three-week road trip with...
How to experience a new place best
I have often wondered about the best ways to experience a new place that I am visiting. Over the...
How much pre-trip research you should do
Woolly mammoths had probably stood on the very rocks as I did. However, I didn’t have the slightest clue...
How to be prepared for on-road emergencies
Not everything goes to plan when you are travelling. You can do everything from your end to ensure things...
Interview: Why Anna loves India
Foreign visitors to India, especially if they are women, usually think twice before deciding to travel in the sub-continent. The media...
How love works on the road
She was a thousand miles from home, alone in a foreign country. Lisa had chosen to do this, but at...
How good hiking gear makes a difference
I love to walk. A lot. When I am travelling, I’d rather walk somewhere than use public transport if...
Why I go when no one else is
That time I was chalking out my itinerary for western Canada, I chose Saturna island because I didn’t know...
Why you should say “yes” more often
Before I go into why “yes” is so important, let me clarify that there are instances when the best...
What the Himalayan quake taught me
Do not go gentle into that good night — Dylan Thomas I was running up the stairs to the first...
Why I travel (and don’t intend to stop)
I don’t know why so many people appear surprised by the amount of travelling I do. If you ask...
Travel better with these two language apps
You have landed in this new place and you don’t have a clue of what anybody is saying around...
Ten reasons to go to Western Australia
Western Australia amazed me, detoxed me and inspired me. It is difficult to put into words the kind of...
Ten pictures to inspire you to visit Western Australia
Western Australia floored me with its beauty and here are ten pictures that I hope will inspire you to...
Why road trip in Australia is a good idea
Three weeks. Zero planning in advance. A campervan. That was the idea. And boy, was it awesome! We did...
Two kangaroos & some countryside hospitality
By the afternoon of my ninth day in Australia, I had seen six dead kangaroos by the road (apparently...
When I landed in Kolkata but my bag didn’t
When I have a plane to catch, I make every effort to ensure that I reach the airport well...
Australia: First impressions
I’d asked the girl at the check in counter to give me either a window seat or an aisle...
That narcotic call of the road
This is the second of a two-part series by Jayeeta Ghorai on books inspiring budget travel The word “narcotic” jumps...
How low can you go and why you should
This is the first of a two-part series by Jayeeta Ghorai on books inspiring budget travel I recently read...