Mid-2022 Update Since earlier this year, you do not need a PCR test to fly to India if you’ve been vaccinated in certain countries. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare maintains an updated list of bilateral agreements on their website. If the country you were vaccinated in is … more »
Author Archives: Ashray
Lisbon tips from a local
It has been over 2 years since I’ve been living in Lisbon. This period has coincided pretty well with Lisbon’s tourism boom and the good and bad that come with it. Although tourism has been a boon for the Portuguese economy in general, it has also brought some downsides with … more »
Why I’m not good enough is not good enough
We live in an age of hyper comparison. By spending time on social media as we invariably do, our subconscious is constantly comparing our talents, looks, achievements, and even our happiness levels to everyone else. Studies have shown that this can have a depressing effect on our psyche. But what’s … more »
Save BIG on flights with hidden-city ticketing
Airline pricing systems are pretty strange. Compared to other means of transport where tickets are priced by distance and class, airline tickets are often priced based on competition. This means that there are times that a ticket for a 5000 km journey is cheaper than one for a 500 km … more »
How to get to Anguilla
Anguilla is a tiny island nation in the Caribbean and it’s part of the British West Indies (BWI). A lot of Indians are familiar with the West Indies mostly because of cricket. Although this is a beautiful piece of paradise in the middle of the Caribbean, it’s actually really hard … more »
Sint Maarten and Saint Martin Visas for Indians
Even though these two territories are on a single island in the Caribbean, St Maarten and St Martin belong to Holland and France respectively. Perhaps belong is not the most politically correct term to use here. However, the administrative differences between these two countries lead to very different visa policies. … more »
Protect your backpack with – the system
On several occasions during our travels we found ourselves in busy touristic cities. Places like Rome, Paris, and Barcelona that are known to have opportunistic pick pockets. We’ve heard so many stories of friends having their wallets or phones stolen, their bags snatched or at times they even had articles … more »
Do I need a return flight? How do I book one?
A question we get asked a lot when people travel internationally is whether they need a return flight or a flight out of the country that they’re visiting. There’s not really one answer to this question but in general it’s always better if you do have proof of a return … more »
7 Years of Backpack ME
Our blog turns seven today. When Zara and I started this site, we never imagined that we would make it to seven years. Our plan was to travel for up to one year and write about our adventures during that year. This was the dumb post that started it all. … more »
So where are you really from?
Identity is an abstract idea that people use to categorize each other. We look at a face and immediately a thousand neurons fire to tell us more about this person based on our preconceived ideas. Being open minded is about identifying these preconceived notions and challenging them with our rational … more »