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November 23, 2015 Events and Festivals

SMW Mumbai- Day 4- Travel Workshop

Social Media Week (SMW) was held in Mumbai from November 16 to 20, 2015. I was invited by Blogadda to attend Day 4 sessions of #SMWMumbai. It was at IMDI. Social Media Week (SMW) was one of the hyper-social week-long festivals in the country. This event focuses on digital, social & innovation. The overarching theme for this SMW Mumbai 2015 is – ‘Upwardly Mobile: The Rise of Connected Class’. SMW was happening in three cities simultaneously – Mumbai, Chicago & Santiago.

For more: http://socialmediaweek.org/mumbai

SMW Mumbai was hosted by R SQUARE Consulting a marketing firm focusing on building Communities through Brand Properties and executing Marketing Communication strategies for Clients through Events & Activations, Digital Marketing & Technology and Creative Services. For more visit www.rsquareconsulting.net

The first session for the day was ‘Come, Plan, Go’ –travel workshop. Ansoo Gupta started off by saying that “Travel is our best teacher. It opens up your mind. The world is an oyster.”

She focussed on how you can travel the world on a limited budget (budget travel). There are many kinds of travellers one who are on a shoe-string budget and the other who travels the world in a private jet. She also differentiated between a traveller and a tourist. A tourist is one who travels a planned itinerary whereas a traveller does not have a set itinerary but makes one of his own through locals and exploring new places.

Travel workshop in progress with Ansoo Gupta

Another aspect that was spoken about was group travel vs solo travel. Solo travel makes a difference. It allows you to slow down and connect with the environment. The magic happens when you leave your comfort zone.

Planning your trip. See the tips below:

Bucket list

-Budget

-Duration

-Season

-Events

-Interests

Visa

Once you fill up the visa form on your own. Then you will be able to handle Visa process on your own. It is said that if you need to learn, do it 3 times so that you become a master in it.

Air travel (Resources)- The following are few mobile apps that shall help you in planning your trip

Skyscanner
Kayak/Ixigo
Expedia
Cleartrip
Seat Guru
Flyertalk

Stay–

Hostelworld
Airbnb
Couchsurfing
Onenightstay
Hospitality world
Globalfreeloaders
Wwwoof- Worldwide opportunities for organic farms
How I got ‘free stays’ and friends for life

Few other tips

-Get a railway pass eg. Eurail

– Standard Indian License works everywhere. You do not need an international license.

-Use GPS

-Don’t use SLR. Take a mobile phone as it is light to carry and improved camera features are available.

-Turn off mobile data on the smart phone as it is expensive abroad.

-Lots of places have Free WiFi access, so make use of it.

Memberships–

-Youth hostels of India

-International Student Card

-YMCA/YWCA

-Iskon

-Thorntree (Ask specific questions in relation to your travel here)

Discounts

Rail passes
RTW tickets
Bus tickets

Local SIM cards
Currency –ATM
Biggest saving- Avoid buying souvenirs

Safety emergencies: Here are a few emergencies while travelling abroad that you should prepare yourself for:

-Lost passport

-Lost money

-Street food

-Medical

-Women travelling alone

To conclude, here are quick tips while planning your next trip

-Money available

-Time available

-Estimate your departure

-Surf

-Research

-Network

Life is all about balancing and so is travel.

Thank you Blogadda for this amazing workshop.

November 21, 2015 Round the world, Travel

Trilateral Highway

If you are a backpacker, then you won’t want to miss this trip. You can plan a road trip next year which connects three countries. The India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) trilateral highway will link India to Myanmar and then to Southeast Asia. It is a 3200km road link that connects Moreh (India) to Mae Sot (Thailand), via Mandalay and Yangon in Myanmar. It will boost connectivity between the Mekon sub-region and India’s northeast region. This highway shall connect Moreh in Manipur to Thailand’s Maesot through Tamu in Myanmar, Mandalay, and Myawaddy.

Trilateral highway, http://www.aseanbriefing.com/ — Three-nation highway
Image source

So, if you are planning a road trip from North East region in India to Thailand, don’t forget to visit these places:
Guwahati- It is the gateway of the North East. While in Guwahati, there are many interesting places to visit if you are a nature lover. Guwahati is situated on the banks of the Brahmaputra River with a stunning landscape and rich cultural background.

Kaziranga National Park– It is home to tigers, elephants, leopards, panthers, and one-horned rhinoceros. If you are a bird watcher then it is a haven as birds flock in thousands here. The best time to travel is in the month of November and April as the park is open to tourists.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhinoceros_unicornis,_Kaziranga_(2006).jpg
Wild Indian rhinoceros — Wild Indian rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park

Manas National Park– it is a World Heritage site. It is the only Tiger Reserve in Assam. There are many endangered species here. Among birds, you can spot bulbuls, falcons, hornbills, and magpie robins.

Brahmaputra River Cruise– You will be mesmerised with breath-taking views of the majestic river that flows through Guwahati dividing it into two halves.

From Guwahati to Imphal and Moreh, via Dimapur by road. This is the Asian Highway (AH-1) and is a part of the India-Myanmar –Thailand Trilateral Highway.

Moreh- It is the border town in Manipur in the northeast region of India. An important trade point in northeast India connects Tamu town in Myanmar.

Myanmar- Bagan, a city from the 9th century, was built by King Anawrahta in 1044. There are many stupas and temples built around the 11th and 13th centuries. Magnificent architecture with mural or fresco paintings. Hot air balloons can be taken over Bagan to enjoy the spectacular view of the sunset and birds-eye view of Bagan.

Mandalay is known as the center for Burmese culture, a city of artisans, and a trading center of goods. A hot air balloon tour can be taken over Mandalay and Inle Lake.

Yangon – Shwedagon Paya, a large golden Buddhist temple is fabulous.

The Shwedagon Paya in Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma)

Inle Lake– You can see the local fisherman use special techniques to set their nets. The fisherman row boats using their legs.

The wide lake has villages on stilts and floating gardens. The gardens are anchored with long bamboo poles in the lake. There are flowers, tomatoes, chilies, cauliflowers, and vegetables. The best time to visit is September and October. Hapaung Daw U Festival lasts 3 weeks and Thadingyut Festival of Lights.

Thailand- To its north, it forms a border with Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia on its east, to its south by Malaysia, and to its west by the Andaman Sea.

Bangkok– The capital city of Thailand has magnificent palaces. Wat Phra Kaeo in the Grand Palace is among Bangkok’s major tourist attractions.

So, do go ahead on this once-in-a-lifetime road trip.

You may like to read Travel Thailand in a low budget

Travel Thailand in a Low Budget

November 21, 2015 Weekly photo challenge

Trio

A painting depicting beautiful women forms a trio

Beautiful carvings on the gompas

A man prays as he takes a walk around gompas

A woman on the other side of the gompas. It is not once that they go around gompas but many times. There are temples of Buddhists and religious residents of Buddhist monks. These gompas can be found in many regions like India, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.

*/ This post has been inspired this week’s theme Trio /*

November 14, 2015 Weekly photo challenge