Category: Travel

A journey to a Moroccan village frozen in time

Loknath Das

Our vehicle wound ever higher up the earthen road cutting through Morocco’s High Atlas mountains. Below me, the red soil spilled like wine between green dots of forest and sheets of white snow. I lost myself in the dizzying beauty of North Africa’s tallest peaks, and as I nervously peered out of the window, I saw there was no guardrail separating us from the sharp ledge and distant valley below. Our journey had started an hour earlier at the base of the mountain along an ancient caravan trail that connects…

Read More

Travel Buff? Download These Apps Before Your Next Vacay

Loknath Das

Stress-Free Travelling Take the stress out of planning your trip and explore the world with these mobile applications. AR City AR City uses a combination of augmented reality and computer vision technology to let tourists access information as they travel around cities. You can stand in a street and holding your iPhone in front of you, see virtual information such as street names, building names and local points of interest on a live image of the real world in front of you. You can also use it for basic navigation….

Read More

Want to travel the world? First head to these 7 trending spots for the vacay of your life

Loknath Das

Seven reasons the size of a continent why you should swap your corner office for travelling to the four corners of the earth. To reduce the world to a list of top destinations is a near impossible task. But for a variety of reasons some places are favoured over others and become the flavour of the moment. Here are some of the top spots trending this year: Asia The five Stans of Central Asia  Together, the five Stans — Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan — of Central Asia spell…

Read More

Travel in a clique & be sane: 4-point guide to organise a big, group trip

Loknath Das

How to successfully travel in a large clique and keep your sanity. Yes, it is possible. The more the merrier doesn’t always hold true when you’re on a trip with a large group. Whether personal or professional, travelling with friends or colleagues can sometimes be demanding and your holiday will leave you feeling anything but refreshed. But, if you keep these tips in mind, you will have a good time. Look before you leap The first thing you need to do is research. And a lot of it. Find out all about the place you are…

Read More

How I Convince People To Shed Their Fears And Travel To India

Loknath Das

Credit: Gerald Eskenazi Sunrise Over Mumbai The first time we came back from India, I told everyone about the cows in the street in downtown Delhi. I told them about the elephant that blocked our way on what passes for a “highway.” I told them about dodging the cars (usually successfully) as we crossed a street in Mumbai. Or about the 7-year-old kids hawking souvenirs as the sun rose above the majestic Taj Mahal.  It wasn’t even 8 o’clock in the morning, and school was in. Who was taking care of…

Read More

Holidays from hell: how to get redress when things go wrong

Loknath Das

 Cancelled flights are just one of the woes that can disrupt a holiday – but getting compensation isn’t always straightforward. Photograph: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters In the coming week thousands of holidaymakers will be returning to drudgery. Not just to the day job but the baffling, often futile, attempts to claim redress for a ruined trip. As holidays become ever easier to book online, more travellers are finding their idyll becomes a nightmare due to incompetence, indifference or downright fraud. Here are some of the most common problems, and how to put…

Read More

How to Make Sure Your Shoes Are Comfortable When You Travel

Loknath Das

I’m a huge fan of taking walking tours when I travel. Walking tours are a great way to see a city, and if you opt for a food tour you get to sample some of the local cuisine, take in the sights, and get a little exercise in the process. It’s a great combo. That is unless you decided to wear the wrong shoes. Uncomfortable shoes, or shoes not designed for walking long distances, can make a walking adventure a painful idea rather than a pleasant excursion. Travel + Leisure recently spoke…

Read More

10 SECRETS TRAVEL INFLUENCERS DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR “PERFECT” VACATIONS

Loknath Das

Most travel influencers make the #goodlife look effortless — like every day just so happens to begin with an oceanside feast and end with champagne glasses clinking as a pink sun melts into the horizon. There are lavender fields galore, and hey — do y’all have a special strategy for finding a city’s most charming doors? But really: How do they do it?! Here, nine full-fledged travel influencers reveal the biggest secrets behind their highly filtered lives: 1. THEY HAVE NO REAL HOME BASE “I don’t have an apartment, and I haven’t for two years,” says…

Read More

This Is the Hottest Travel Destination for Seniors Right Now

Loknath Das

Unencumbered by work and kids, many retirees are upping their travel game. An analysis by Priceline found that boomers book the longest average length of stay on their vacations, relative to other age groups, and spend significantly more on flights and hotels than younger travelers. “Baby boomers are active travelers,” says Kevin O’Leary, senior analyst at Priceline, via email. So where are seniors headed? To find out, MONEY teamed up with Priceline to get information on travelers aged 60 and over; the company analyzed millions of bookings across all age groups, spanning thousands of…

Read More

Australia’s biggest online travel shopping bonanza is back next week

Loknath Das

Do I really need travel insurance? IF YOU’VE been thinking of another holiday, whether it’s a big adventure or a quick getaway, make sure you’re free on Tuesday night. Travel Frenzy, the online mega sale for travel deals, goes live on August 21 at 7pm AEST and over 24 hours it will offer massive savings on everything from flights and hotels to cruises, tours, travel insurance, rental cars and travel-related items like luggage. We’re talking savings of more than 70 per cent on prices for popular destinations like Bali, Thailand,…

Read More