I’ve been pondering recently and if I think about it, it was solo travel that changed my life. Back in 1998 I met three people who had a travel company specialising in Africa and they wanted to start another specialising in India. They had a policy, if you haven’t seen it, you can’t sell it…
Shinta Mani Mustang has opened, will sustainable luxury travel to Nepal finally be put on the map?
With Shinta Mani Mustang, a Bensley Collection Hotel, having opened its doors, will luxury travel to Nepal finally be put on the map? Mystical Mustang, on the Tibetan Plateau is a spectacular and underexplored region of Nepal. Once an isolated and independent Tibetan kingdom, it is a region which had little access until as recently…
India always feels like it’s trying to beat you up – James May
Nothing can prepare you for India. It doesn’t matter how many books you’ve read or friends you’ve spoken to or tv programs that you’ve watched. Nothing can prepare you for arriving at whichever international airport you land at, managing to negotiate customs, locate your bags and bleary-eyed head out into India beyond. It is, from…
Doing it Differently: The Best Destinations to Celebrate Christmas in India
I’m not going to lie, I bloody hate Christmas. I hate the forced jollity of it all, which is weird as generally I am quite jolly. I hate the expectations, the commercialisation of it, shops going mad in weeks before Christmas, the pressure to keep up with the Jones’, enforced and unnecessary expenditure, bloody decorations…
Seeking: Explorers and Adventurers for travel beyond the mainstream.
Celebrating a quarter century of determinedly trawling India, from Kutch to Kohima, Kashmir to Kerala, seeking the extraordinary, peeking behind closed doors, never accepting the offerings of face value, knowing there could be more. Digging in the heels, digging out the stories, no stone has been left unturned in order to peel back the layers…
Just a little bit about mindful travel
For me, mindful travel isn’t just about getting off beat. There is no point in driving to or even through off beat destinations or just staying there for a night, clicking a couple of pictures of locals or rural life and then moving on to the next destination. With the selfie and Instagram, ‘need to…
Slow it down
Travel: The written word vs reality. I’m currently consulting on a wonderful project, putting together India, Nepal and Bhutan portfolios. This has involved writing up itineraries and I had an awakening! Itineraries are, more often than not, put together determined by facts. The drive is so long, these are the activities clients do on arrival,…
Could Mahua Become The National Drink of India?
I remember the first time I tried it. I had an audience, eight eager faces anticipating what my reaction would be. Years ago (okay, actually decades) when I was a ski rep, my team would buy me tequila, which I hated, purely for their own amusement, it would appear my tequila face was a sight…
Delhi’s Top 10 (Original) Eateries according to Celebrated Food Critic Marryam Reshii
Marryam H Reshii has been writing about food and lifestyle for the last 35 years. She is the Times of India food critic and has worked on the Times Food Guide for Delhi for many years, besides being an independent writer on cuisine and matters gastronomic. In addition, she has written a number of books…
Discovering India Differently: Eco Lodges in Corbett National Park
My jaw hit the hideously over-patterned carpet. There he stood, microphone in hand bleating out something entirely unrecognisable, both for his apparent ability to change key four times in three notes, and the fact that the volume was set so high as to distort anything that was forced, hurricane like, out of the speakers, the…
Discovering Agra Differently (and more sustainably)
The Taj Mahal re opens today, there is no denying that it is a magnificent monument (putting my prejudices aside here!) but if you are going to visit Agra, take time out to appreciate the city for what else it has to offer, because, there is far more to it than meets the eye and…
So what exactly is a micro-destination?
I saw a video clip a few weeks ago by NDTV that made me smile. It was all about micro destinations and how they are the future of travel. Now I understand that marketing constantly needs new spins but what made me really smile about this was that they were featuring what I call destination…
Focus on Mainstream Destinations for a More Sustainable Travel World
At the start of the pandemic, there were a lot of knee jerk reactions as to what would save tourism in India. Many rightly said domestic tourism and in terms of many hotels this is correct, however this is not the case for many inbound DMC’s. Another reaction was that sustainable travel would save the…
Cultural Intelligence, leadership and travel
I’ve started a senior leader’s course with Common Purpose, as part of this we listen to a Ted X talk on Cultural Intelligence with Julia Middleton, its founder. This talk Ended with, ‘I want to be a leader because I want to change things.’ Which immediately resonated with me as it relates so much to…
Supporting India: Small/Local NGO’s and Aid Centres That Need Your Support
The people of India are enduring unimaginable hardship, hospitals are overwhelmed, and there is a critical shortage of oxygen and ventilators, livelihoods have been lost and people are starving. Many of you have messaged us to ask me how you can help with the smaller organisations who may not be getting much exposure, but which…
The Story of Tea and it’s Journey into Tourism.
From a Portuguese Princess to India to the world’s most popular brew to somewhat unexpected forays of tourism. The journey of tea might not be quite what you expect! ‘Stick the kettle on,’ must be one of the most used sentences amongst the British population. We are renowned for our love of tea; the problems…
Calcutta, a destination I’ve never been able to write about.
There is a black hole in Calcutta, a historical fact which gave place, in part, to the reputation of this misunderstood city thankfully, unwittingly rebranded as the ‘City of Joy.’ Calcutta has created her own black hole in my mind she is indescribable. I visit time and again, determined to capture her soul, her essence,…
The Women of India Project – Niyati Kukadia
Niyati Kukadia is one third of the founding partners of Soar Excursions in Gujarat. I was delighted when I came across them on social media as so few people showcase this often ignored state for the truly incredible and diverse destination that it is. However, when I met Niyati, I very quickly realised that…
People of India Project – Eric D’Cunha
Eric majored in botany and zoology from Mysore University and has a long-standing association with the Mangalore Wildlife Trust and the Bombay Natural History Society. He took up the job of a Senior Naturalist with Indian Adventures at Kanha in 1986 and became the resort manager in 1987. Ever since, he has lived in Central…
People of India Project – Shubham Thakur
I first met Shubham when he was working at Wasabi by Morimoto at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi. I had the privilege to be dining with Marryam H Reshii who was, shall we say, ‘researching,’ for the Times of India Food Awards. Needless to say, all those elements combined to ensure that we had…
People of India – About
Several years ago, I started to blog about the people of India, they are, for me, what makes this country so extra ordinary. I have never encountered such resilience and resourcefulness (aka jugaad) as I have from the people who truly belong to this country. From innovators to creators, artists to authors, tuk tuk drivers…