How I plan my trips and why.
I love to travel since my childhood. My parents were also fond of traveling. I started traveling with my parents at the age of 4. Every year I would travel in different parts of India. I traveled most of the tourist destinations with my parents which are now very common like Kullu-Manali- Shimla or Andaman or Kashmir or Kedar-Badri etc. My father used to bring brochures from different states’ Tourism Development Corporation and made plans accordingly. At that time there was no internet facility. I used to be his assistant and adviser in this matter. After 1984 I could not travel due to some unavoidable circumstances.
As soon as I became a bit free from the burdens of life, I resumed regular traveling since 2009. The passion for travel, which had been suppressed since a long time, got a small vent. I started traveling alone since 2015. Now a days I travel once or twice a year. I can not manage enough leave and resource to travel more than that. I don’t make short weekend trips. My travel duration is two weeks normally. When I go to a region I try to cover places as much as possible not making the schedule too hectic. I have to depend on public transport and I visit mostly in Himalayas where the weather and the road condition are unpredictable. So I keep one or two buffer days. I also plan in such a way so that I come nearer to the boarding point gradually.
I do not want to travel to very difficult places and do not try to trek because of my arthritis. But if one goes to Himalayas he/she should be mentally prepared to walk a few kilometer daily because there is no system of auto/tuktuk or rickshaw for covering short distances specially in the small villages. If someone really loves to travel then it is always bearable and enjoyable.
I plan to travel mostly in the off seasons so that I can get less crowd and can get off season discounts making spot bookings in hotels. But some places have fixed time schedules like Valley of Flowers, Manimahesh or Amarnath. One has to visit them within a fixed period of the year. People of Himalayas are still simple, congenial and honest in comparison with plain, though I never faced any problem anywhere till date by the blessings of Providence.
Bon voyage
Benediction 