https://bkpk.me Piggy-back ride with A&Z Sun, 26 Jun 2022 18:39:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 https://bkpk.me/traveling-to-india-during-covid-19-restrictions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=traveling-to-india-during-covid-19-restrictions https://bkpk.me/traveling-to-india-during-covid-19-restrictions/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2020 06:17:46 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=22001
  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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/traveling-to-india-during-covid-19-restrictions/feed/ 6 https://bkpk.me/lisbon-tips-from-a-local/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lisbon-tips-from-a-local https://bkpk.me/lisbon-tips-from-a-local/#comments Sat, 25 May 2019 13:30:32 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21970
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/lisbon-tips-from-a-local/feed/ 24 https://bkpk.me/why-im-not-good-enough-is-not-good-enough/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-im-not-good-enough-is-not-good-enough https://bkpk.me/why-im-not-good-enough-is-not-good-enough/#comments Mon, 01 Apr 2019 16:00:23 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21956
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/why-im-not-good-enough-is-not-good-enough/feed/ 7 https://bkpk.me/save-big-on-flights/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=save-big-on-flights https://bkpk.me/save-big-on-flights/#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2019 20:37:29 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21928
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/save-big-on-flights/feed/ 2 https://bkpk.me/how-to-get-to-anguilla/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-get-to-anguilla https://bkpk.me/how-to-get-to-anguilla/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2019 16:03:12 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21912
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/how-to-get-to-anguilla/feed/ 9 https://bkpk.me/sint-maarten-and-saint-martin-visas-for-indians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sint-maarten-and-saint-martin-visas-for-indians https://bkpk.me/sint-maarten-and-saint-martin-visas-for-indians/#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:07:12 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21900
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/sint-maarten-and-saint-martin-visas-for-indians/feed/ 9 https://bkpk.me/protect-your-backpacks-with-the-system/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=protect-your-backpacks-with-the-system https://bkpk.me/protect-your-backpacks-with-the-system/#comments Mon, 01 Oct 2018 15:31:15 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21884
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/protect-your-backpacks-with-the-system/feed/ 2 https://bkpk.me/do-i-need-a-return-flight/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=do-i-need-a-return-flight https://bkpk.me/do-i-need-a-return-flight/#comments Thu, 20 Sep 2018 18:54:45 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21844
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/do-i-need-a-return-flight/feed/ 3 https://bkpk.me/7-years-of-backpack-me/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=7-years-of-backpack-me https://bkpk.me/7-years-of-backpack-me/#comments Tue, 18 Sep 2018 23:49:26 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21816
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/7-years-of-backpack-me/feed/ 14 https://bkpk.me/so-where-are-you-really-from/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=so-where-are-you-really-from https://bkpk.me/so-where-are-you-really-from/#comments Tue, 07 Aug 2018 19:22:04 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21786
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 »]]> https://bkpk.me/so-where-are-you-really-from/feed/ 10 https://bkpk.me/snowmobile-adventure-with-mountaineers-of-iceland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=snowmobile-adventure-with-mountaineers-of-iceland https://bkpk.me/snowmobile-adventure-with-mountaineers-of-iceland/#comments Sun, 22 Apr 2018 16:14:34 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21299
Growing up in India, I didn’t get to see a lot of snow. While snowfall is common high up in the mountains during winter, you still need to take a trip for several hours to get above the snow line. I remember the first time I saw snow in Shimla, ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/snowmobile-adventure-with-mountaineers-of-iceland/feed/ 3 https://bkpk.me/sync-lightroom-catalogs-using-the-cloud/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sync-lightroom-catalogs-using-the-cloud https://bkpk.me/sync-lightroom-catalogs-using-the-cloud/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2018 10:01:31 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21305
With the purchase of a new Desktop machine, I came upon a problem that many photographers have already experienced in the past. I want my Adobe Lightroom catalog on my desktop to be in sync with the one on my laptop. I use Lightroom Classic with the Photography Plan. For ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/sync-lightroom-catalogs-using-the-cloud/feed/ 4 https://bkpk.me/no-more-foreign-currency-fees-revolut-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=no-more-foreign-currency-fees-revolut-review https://bkpk.me/no-more-foreign-currency-fees-revolut-review/#comments Sat, 18 Nov 2017 17:44:18 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=20621
One of the biggest issues while traveling internationally is that you end up paying around 3-5% extra for every transaction due to currency exchange charges. Whether you exchange cash at an exchange house or use your debit/credit card, most transactions get tacked with an additional 3-5% fee. Some banks even ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/no-more-foreign-currency-fees-revolut-review/feed/ 3 https://bkpk.me/south-korea-visa-for-indians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=south-korea-visa-for-indians https://bkpk.me/south-korea-visa-for-indians/#comments Sun, 22 Oct 2017 10:26:57 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=20584
Indian passport holders ordinarily need a visa to visit South Korea (except Jeju island). You can apply for a visa at the nearest South Korean consulate and receive a 90 day visa fairly quickly. Most nationalities, even those that need a visa to visit South Korea, do not need one ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/south-korea-visa-for-indians/feed/ 117 https://bkpk.me/easy-return-tickets-for-international-travelers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=easy-return-tickets-for-international-travelers https://bkpk.me/easy-return-tickets-for-international-travelers/#comments Sat, 14 Oct 2017 06:58:19 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=20525
For Indians, the most painful part of international travel is usually the dreaded visa. If you haven’t yet applied for a visa and need to show a tentative itinerary, we have an article on how to book refundable tickets to obtain visas. However, once we’ve sorted out all our papers, ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/easy-return-tickets-for-international-travelers/feed/ 8