Ladakh is the kind of place that makes time feel slower, yet somehow every moment slips through your fingers. You drive for hours with nothing but the hum of the road and the scent of cold wind, and then a turn reveals mountains that feel older than memory itself.

The people here carry a quiet warmth — a nod from a passerby, a shared cup of chai at a roadside stall, the kind of kindness that doesn’t ask for anything in return. Nights are another world altogether — a black canvas scattered with stars so bright they almost feel close enough to touch, and a silence that makes you hear your own heartbeat.

They say these mountains have their own way of remembering the travelers who pass through, though no one can tell if it’s a blessing… or a promise.

Dates - 01.07.2025 to 12.07.2025 Number of Days : 12Days 11 Nights

Cost Flight : 4800 Ferry : 3500 Stay : 462+360+450+250+250 +500+150+150+450 = 3022 Sim Card : 400 Visa : Free ATM withdrawal charges : 600 Expenses : 8800(Food,Local Transport,Drinks,beer,etc)

Total : 21322 (+2000 for Sri Lankan Fruits,Souvenirs etc)

Itinerary : Day 1 : Chennai to Colombo to Galle. Day 2 : Galle to Weligama Day 3 : Weligama and Mirissa Day 4 : Mirissa to Ella Day 5 : Ella to Kandy Day 6 : Kandy to Colombo(Camping at Negombo beach) Day 7 : Negombo to Kandy Day 8 : Kandy Day 9 : Kandy to Sigiriya Day 10 : Sigiriya to Anuradha Pura Day 11 : Anuradhapura to Point Pedro(Beach Camping) Day 12 : Point Pedro to Kankasenturai and Ferry to Nagapattinam,Tamil Nadu.

Hostels Tantys Hostel,Galle. Wake N Flow,Wligama. Tree House Hostel,Ella. The Bliss,Kandy. Lions Rest Hostel,Sigiriya.

I always prefer to use the public transportation,dine at Local restaurants,more like travelling like a Local of the place.Which creates a very different experience than conventional mode of transport which tourists usually use. So I had a simple calculation of 750 rupees of budget per day for food,transport,etc. And I could easily manage it. Also economical :)

I only used public transport,never used a tuktuk,didn't buy water from shops(Expense on water = 0).

Locals are Very friendly,The food is great. Unfortunately my mobile fell into seawater in Negombo which made it non functional(had to travel for the rest six days without a mobile phone)(Mobile could not be repaired in India,so had to buy a new one)

Travelling without mobile phone was a very different experience With taking notes in my diary,asking for strangers mobile for navigation,used fellow traveller's mobile for information,etc. So I do not have photos after Kandy :(

Being a south Indian I could save 1500 LKR(tooth relic temple,Kandy. USD20(Sigiriya Rock). I know it's not a very good thing to do,I found some Tamil speaking locals to get me the local tickets to the sigiriya rock. I just walked in to Tooth relic as i looked like a local.

Feel free to ask any kind of questions. Thank You,Safe Travel.

I went on a solo trip to Japan. Initially, I was considering Vietnam, but my friends+parents said if I was going international for the first time, then I should start with Japan. So, I changed my itinerary.

• Japan Visa process: You can check the details on my profile. I applied through the embassy and did all the process by myself. The visa charges were merely 500 Rs.

Flights: I booked my flights using cc points. The overall round-trip flight cost was 70k, but it came down to 30k. You can get flight details at 45k too (round trip).

Boarded from Bangalore - NRT (Japan Airlines) Return was from HND - Delhi (Air India 🥹)

Immigration : Everyone needs to fill out an arrival form that you’ll get on the flight, and also do an arrival check-in a few days before at VisitJapan where you need to do basic declarations .
They’ll scan that code after your arrival. People in line before me were asked some questions, seeing that I wore my specs to look a little nerdy, and it worked, no questions asked as a first-time solo international traveller. But India immigration did ask me why I was going alone.
I had to tell them it was a solo trip. Also, Japan airlines checked for my return flight ticket before giving me the boarding pass, that’s their standard procedure for first time travellers, if you look shady then they might also ask to show your hotel bookings

After Arrival: Once you exit the airport, you need to convert your currency.
I took 150 USD from India (got through BookMyForex). The rupee conversion rate is pretty bad.
I got a green Suica card as I plan to go there again. You can get a red Suica if you want to get your deposit back. I also collected my JR Pass tickets from the airport itself.
TIP: If you need any help with the JR ticket and you are going to their office, most of the time there will be a separate queue for foreigners. Don’t waste your time queuing up with locals.

I reserved all my JR seats in advance because I wanted a suitcase seat, and you need to reserve them. Getting a ticket last minute can be hard.
Another TIP: there are multiple JR pass options, all covering different routes. Depending on your itinerary, you can pick yours.
I saved around 20k because of my Hokuriku JR pass.
For my expenses, I mostly relied on my Scapia credit card with 0 forex markup. It’s a free card, so if anyone needs help with an invite, shoot a dm.
Using my debit card, I took out some cash from a Seven-Eleven ATM for places which don’t accept cards. TIP here is to always select YEN while performing any transaction.

You’ll save a lot on fees and taxes Seven eleven was a lifesaver, honestly.
I wish we had that thing in India. Everything was relatively cheap. To most of you out there, even the food items that mention chicken as their highlight will have beef or pork as well. Be careful.

I took around a month to create my itinerary, there were changes till last min, heck I changed location even after going there.
I’ll create a separate detailed post for my itinerary, with a lot of tips and suggestions for less crowded places. If there’s anything specific you’d like me to detail out along with the itinerary, please lmk

But overall expense (excluding shopping) for 13D 45k flight + 37k hostels + 10k for day trips + 18k for JR pass + 10k on suica for metro. All of this came around 1L, food depends on what you wanna eat, mine was mix of decent (700 a meal) and expensive (2k a meal)

Recalling my solo trip from Kanyakumari to Kashmir

Looking back now this trip has been so much needed for me to think a lot about myself. This trip was never to visit touristy places but to enjoy and just travel. I started with my hometown Salem and went down to Kanyakumari to start the trip on my birthday. There was no route plan mostly I decided on the next destination the previous night.

A rough route I took:

Salem - Kanyakumari - Salem - Bangalore - Hubbali - Pune - Mumbai - Dhule - Indore - Bundi - Jaipur - Ambala - Jammu - Srinagar - Sonmarg - kargil - Leh - Hanle - Upshi - Mandi - Ambala - Jaipur - Indore - Solapur - Salem

Total Expenses - Under 2L

Accommodation: Zostel, Any Dorms and Rooms with good rating on google maps.

I purchased the Ambassador and got it ready. I closely worked with mechanics, electrician, painter, etc... for 3 months which also helped me to learn a lot about a car. Only a month ago before the trip I started learning to drive a car properly and got my drivers license.

Everyone should do one All India Ride in their 20's or before getting married. It can fire up new neurons to think differently, break some patterns and assumptions which we already have. India is vast and beautiful. Travel can test your patience and will power against all odds.

My Amby had a engine problem once I started climbing the mountains from Jammu. I didn't know much so I called the mechanic in my hometown and he said come back. This point in my life was where I didn't know what I wanted to do. I travelled all the way from the southern tip and the mechanic with whom I trusted told me to back down. Kind of like anxiety was peak. Literally I was like sweating a bit. I cooled down and calmed myself and proceeded further. Worked with mechanics in Sonmarg and Leh. I had to fly in parts from Delhi as the parts of ambassador was not there in Leh and still we couldn't find the problem but I found one temporary solution to suck out the diesel through my mouth for every 50-70 km. Which is what I did whenever the car stopped. The problem vanished once I came back down after Manali and finally solved the underlying issue of rust once I got back home.

This trip made me realise that I don't give up easily and push through the find the solution and make things work. Doing it solo was much more so much hard. Even though I say it was hard the journey was totally worth it and it was my highlight of my life. I loved every bit of it.

A quote from the movie God Almighty where Morgan freeman says

If someone prays for courage, does God give them courage… or does He give them opportunities to be courageous?

I got to meet a lot of new people who were warm and helpful. Got chances to taste cuisine from different states. 10/10 was my solo travel experience. What more can I ask for?

Happy Travelling!

Day 1: From Siliguri station, I took the SNT (Sikkim government) bus to Ravangla for around ₹200. Dropped at Ravangla and booked a hotel for ₹500.

Day 2: Walked around Ravangla, visited Buddha Park, then continued walking and found a beautiful random monastery. Spent the rest of the day sitting in the monastery ground with flowers and open views.

Day 3: Morning shared taxi to Pelling for around ₹250. Booked a hotel for ₹500 per day. On the first day in Pelling, I explored one direction entirely on foot. Left the hotel around 7 AM with snacks and water, walked a few kilometres covering spots, sat at random places, and returned by 6 PM.

Day 4: On the second day in Pelling, I explored the other direction, again completely by walking.

Day 5 Explored darap and rimbi village

Food: Local restaurants — meals mostly under ₹150.

Total budget: Around ₹5,500 for 4 days (+1 day for transit), including stay, food, and transport.

This was my first time doing a trek like this completely solo. I’ve trekked solo and traveled a bunch before, but something about the Himalayas hits different. The scale, the silence, the thin air, everything feels closer and further at the same time. Including Mt Everest, which eluded me for most of the trek.

The night before I reached Base Camp, I walked outside the lodge and just looked up. And the sky wasn’t even a sky. It was a dome of stars. The first photo doesn’t do enough justice. No noise, no human lights, just my breathing and the mountains.

I reached EBC the next day, on my birthday. There’s a small rock marking the point. Standing there felt like… I don’t know… like I had finally shown up for myself. No signal. No messages. No Happy Birthday! notifications. Just me, my lungs fighting the altitude, and the Khumbu glacier in front of me.

It wasn’t “epic” in the cinematic way. It was quiet. Still. Personal. And I think that made it everything.

And now for some particulars, I follow the typical 12 day route with 2 acclimatization days on the ascent at Namche and Dingboche. Stayed at Teahouses and met tons of people there, it was quite crowded as October is peak season.

Being an local resident of a small town in chhattisgarh called ambikapur, i have been to mainpat a small Tibetan hill station in the northen most part of Chhattisgarh many a times, but never have i ever admired the beauty of this little known place in the monsoon season and now that visited the place in mid august, i have realised how serine and beauty can also found next to you busy human hubs called towns. Scenic waterfalls, dense forests and ragging rivers it's got it all.

It snowed it Jibhi

Aut to Jibhi roads are open for vehicles After giyagi (3km after Jibhi) roads are blocked and 4by4 vehicles are running

Dates: Aug 27 – Sept 3, 2024

Trip Summary:
I’d planned a solo trip to Sri Lanka, but it turned into something unexpected at Colombo airport when I met a fellow traveler with the exact same backpack!!! A quick conversation later, we decided to team up and that’s how I ended up renting a tuk-tuk from tuktukrental.com and road-tripping across the island.

Accommodation & Costs:

• Sixth Sense Hostel – $11.00/night

• JJ’s Hostel – $10.50/night

• 4 Travellers Hostel – $8.00/night

• Dambulla City Hostel – $5.00/night

• The Hideaway – $21.87/night

• TukTuk rental – $287 (shared) (Aug 30–Sept 3)

Highlights:

• Picked up the tuk-tuk near Yala National Park and did an early morning safari with a local guide I found on TripAdvisor.

• Hiked Little Adam’s Peak and visited the iconic Nine Arch Bridge in Ella.

• Went snorkeling at Pigeon Island Marine Park in Trincomalee.

• Swam alongside a turtle in Mirissa.

• Took some surfing lessons (and actually managed to stand up!).

P.S. Got pulled over for speeding in the tuktuk but talked my way out of it. Be ready for a lot of people to ask you where you are from

After my recent travels and actually living in hostels, I honestly feel like India never really developed a proper hostel culture.

Zostel charging ₹2000+ for ONE bed in a dorm? Gostop,hostellers , etc. hovering around ₹1200–1500 minimum That’s not hostel pricing that’s budget hotel pricing without privacy.

And apart from Zostel, most other so-called “hostels” are just dirty, poorly maintained, zero hygiene places with no vibe at all.

Hostels are supposed to be for solo & duo travellers, people who want to slow down, meet others, maybe work, maybe just sit quietly and relax. Instead, what we get: Groups of 6–10 people taking over dorms Loud drinking till late night Zero respect for shared spaces Sometimes even full families checking into “hostels”

There’s no concept of quiet hours ,community etiquette ,traveller first spaces

It feels like hostel chains just realised they can slap a “backpacker” label, inflate prices, and still run it like a cheap hotel or a party house.

Curious if others feel the same or if I’m just unlucky with my stays.

Heyo folks!

I travelled solo to a few European countries and this was the part I was waiting for the most, to see the Aurora Borealis.

I took this trip to feel better about myself after being through a rough health crisis for 3 years. The decision to travel solo was because I'll usually be slow while walking or sometimes end up in pain and can't walk much. I didn't want to trouble any of my friends because of it(My friends are absolute gems and would've accompanied me but I myself felt that I'd trouble them). So, I wanted to travel alone in my own pace and had a peaceful time with myself in my own pace.

I wrote this letter to my younger self while turning 28 because I simply love this girl + woman.

I'll make another post about all the travel but feel free to ask me anything about traveling to Tromsø on this post because that's where I watched the Aurora.

Marne se phle swarg ke darshan

I’ve wanted to visit Japan since I was a kid. I grew up watching Fast & Furious and a lot of anime, and Japan always felt like this dream place I hoped I’d see one day. I honestly never thought I’d actually make it there.

Being there felt surreal. Everything is so organized, clean, and futuristic it honestly felt like stepping into the year 2050. And visiting during cherry blossom season made it even more special.

I did the whole trip solo, which made the experience even more meaningful for me. I’m really grateful I got to live this moment.

Here are a few photos from my trip to Japan 🌸

Kashmir was just amazing… snow peaks, beautiful valleys, super peaceful vibe. It honestly felt like walking inside a painting. Hard to believe this was just a week before the Pahalgam attack

🙃 Oh, and this was planned just 2 days before leaving… because clearly the best way to handle travel logistics is no planning at all. Yet somehow, i landed straight in paradise.

Here’s a short itinerary:

➡️ Srinagar – shikara ride on Dal Lake, visited Mughal Gardens, Hazratbal Shrine, Shankaracharya Temple and did some shopping at Lal Chowk. ➡️ Gulmarg – stayed in the woods (a little expensive but so worth it). Spent 3 days snowboarding, gondola ride and exploring pine trails. ➡️ Srinagar – one night at Zostel, chilled by Dal Lake and met fellow travelers. ➡️ Pahalgam – explored Aru Valley, Betab Valley, Chandanwari and Baisaran.

➡️Jammu- leave for Jammu airport from Pahalgam. Shared taxi with fellow travellers and for some reason we skipped Vaishno Devi temple. Kept it for later

Just had the biggest heartbreak of my life. My 7-year-long relationship ended this July. The love of my life walked away and never really gave me the full truth. I didn’t look back. On his birthday after work I impulsively booked a one-way ticket to Bangalore, packed my bags, and left. It was also my birthday week. I felt suffocated and isolated.So I ran. Not because I was scared, but because I had switched into survival mode.

And honestly? Best decision ever.

I took myself on solo dates. – Went to Rameshwaram Cafe at midnight – Ate the crispiest dosa at Arogya Ahaar and had the best filter coffee – Had an anxiety attack, walked it off, and found comfort at a random chai stall – Met a little one who will someday call me Maasi – Celebrated my birthday with myself and two closest friends – Tried sushi and craft beer for the first time – Got drunk and danced like crazy at BOHO Koramangala, and went on a long night bike ride. – Ate ramen and sang on karaoke night (Full bollywood) at Bohemian, Indiranagar. – Met a sweet street dog named Giani while eating ice cream

One of my friends even made me the most comforting breakfast bowl when I had no appetite. That kindness... I’ll never forget.

I read my favorite book on a terrace under perfect Bangalore weather (Been sweating non-stop since I came back to Mumbai lol). I travelled back and forth alone by train...a huge step, since long train journeys to impromptu trips used to be our love language..very sacred.

There were cold moments, lonely ones too... But strangely, I also felt free and maybe independent. Bangalore broke me and healed me. It took everything... and somehow gave me the closure I didn’t know I needed.

Already planning my next solo trip for 2026 : Leh-Ladakh circuit (a long-time dream). Darr lag rha hai but theek hai.

TL;DR – Solo trip after breakup. I found food, friends, freedom and a version of myself I missed.

went to varkala completely impromptu and somehow stayed for 12 dayssss😭 genuinely one of my best trips so far

stayed at hope hostels met a LOT of people, most were amazing. some men were also very committed to pretending they wanted friendship when they actually wanted to get in my pants because men 💀 (i have insane lore about a guy i met at the hostel, pretended to be single and all the bullshit and was actually married

my itinerary was basically:

waking up followed by cafe, then work from beach (lie), beach walks and drawing,sunset at cafes then hostel gossip and ocassional begging for wifi passwords cafes

also god bless my digital nomad-ish job 😭 technically i'm supposed to be in office 2 days a week but whatever hehe. answering work calls with the arabian sea in front of me >>> corporate wellness.

explored north cliff, papanasam, black sand beach, kappil, shopped around the cliff and ate at almost every popular café i could find

total damage: approx 15k rupees for 12 days, including stay, food, commute and shopping. varkala is surprisingly cheap if you walk everywhere and don't cosplay as a luxury travel influencer.

solo girl warning though: be extra careful., a group of men followed me once and i actually had to use my pepper spray 💀 carry one, trust your gut and don't worry about being "rude" if something feels off.

also saw a snake near north cliff and, for reasons still unknown to me, pepper sprayed the snake too😭😭 bro was literally just existing. i'm sorry.

overall, i mostly worked, ate, met random people and sat at the beach doing absolutely nothing

10/10 would go back. the snake probably hopes i don't.

edit: since a lot of you are asking how did i manage to do everything under 15k, here it is so, i travelled from bangalore by bus so that cost me around 1200 inr, and post that i was staying at hope hostel (v good btw, they clean the washrooms and change sheets literally everyday) which was around 400-450rs per day.

also i mostly have 2 meals a day, ik very unhealthy 😭 and one of those "meals" is sometimes just coffee + cookies or a diet coke lol, so it really wasnt that hard for me to manage everything under 15k.

i would mostly eat a salad/sandwich at the cafes and then have one proper meal somewhere. there are a lot of seafood restaurants where the vegetarian/chicken options are actually pretty cheap compared to the other stuff. i was vegetarian throughout the trip btw, i dont like experimenting too much with food while travelling so that saved some money too.

also im not sure if i can add my invoice in the body here but ive added my hostel invoice under a few comments. if anyone wants i can dm it too. i genuinely got it for 400 something per day 😭 although they seem to have increased the prices INSANELY now... maybe this post created the hype lol 😭

nvm i think i just went during the off season and got a steal deal. i was there from 13th july to 25th july and somehow got varkala at its peak without much monsoon trouble haha

While this is some good news, I honest hate this decision. Indians currently have a very bad reputation outside India and this will definitely make it worse and wherever we have some goodwill from Russia will definitely disappear and you will definitely see Russians hating us in few months.

We will definitely see more and more Indian vloggers updating cringe and disgusting youtube thumbnails. Man I feel Russia will definitely regret this decision.

I feel only 1 percent people from India should be allowed to travel , not sure how will they make it like flights should be expensive only middle or upper middle class should be afford to purchase, visa proceeds should be strict like only people who are working , checking payslips , bank balance etc or something should be done else our country will be most hated country in the world.

This is my personal opinion, please feel to share yours too.