Category: Transforming Travels

Chandratal Lake – the most awaited part of any trip to Spiti Valley.  How our group members always wait desperately to spend the last night of the Spiti Valley trip is unexplainable in words. In our latest Spiti Valley trip,  during that 100 km drive from Kaza to Chandratal, every single soul was so excited to finally witness the magnificent Chandra Taal. After a long journey on dusty roads, we arrived at our campsite.  The staff gave us a warm welcome along with some hot tea & pakodas in that cold weather.  Post that, we were shown our super comfy ... Read more

What is single use plastic? Single use plastic is meant for one-time use i.e. use and throw. For example, water bottles, straws, plastic cups,  milk packets, biscuit wrappers, and many other food wrappers, etc. Single use plastic bottle – how many of you still buy it? I have been thinking that people who carry their water bottles instead of buying single use plastic bottle are a minority, but I got surprised by the response when I polled the same in our community “Women Tours in India“. Almost 77% voted for “carry their own bottle” while the remaining 23% voted for ... Read more

“Chota Ladakh,” said the caption of a Facebook post boasting some stunning photos. Believing it to be some spelling error, I ignored it and continued scrolling through my news feed. A few days later, I desperately wanted to get out of Bangalore for a day trip. Most of the places were either closed due to covid-19 or seemed far for a day trip. As luck would have it, another post, with another set of beautiful pictures with the same caption, captured my attention. I realized that there was actually a place near Bangalore named Chota Ladakh. It was just an ... Read more

What is Responsible Traveling? As the name suggests, responsible traveling or responsible tourism means that the travelers and destination makers are responsible towards their way of traveling/operating so that only good can be left through tourism. In last few decades, tourism has overloaded the destinations with irresponsible practices resulting in spoiling the environment, culture, and local economies. Internet is full of cases where naturally and historically important places have changed drastically and almost damaged by visitors. The joy of canoe rides in Alleppey backwaters is reducing by the unwanted companionship of plastic bottles floating in the water. There are so ... Read more

Alchauna, near Bhimtal is a tiny hamlet along the banks of Kalsa River in Uttarakhand. I went there with a group of 18 soul-inspiring women from all walks of life to celebrate Women`s Day Weekend. The trip was meticulously organized by Chandni Aggarwal from Transforming Travels, a travel based company that specializes in trips to the Indian hinterlands. I love to travel solo, as it’s less of a nuisance. This was the first time when I traveled with such a big group and that too, an all-women group. I was reluctant to go at first but talking to Chandni helped ... Read more

Being a traveler, I have always been fascinated by the idea of sending postcards to myself from the most unusual places on the earth. This fascination was the seed to my never-ending curiosity to visit the World’s Highest Post Office which is located in a quaint little village known as Hikkim in Spiti Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Positioned at an altitude of 4440 meters, the highest post office in the world is a wonder in itself. It’s a beautiful structure made of mud and stone with a thatched roof and the exterior is painted in white with ... Read more

Mostly built by Marwari community of Rajasthan, havelis are large mansions adorned with intricate frescos. While havelis are a window into the artistic and cultural heritage of Rajasthan, the havelis in Shekhawati had gone beyond the tradition and cultural heritage. They represent the vivid imagination of wealthy merchants who flaunted their wealth and lifestyle through ornate decorations on the walls of their homes. The early frescos reveal influences from the Mughal art form with the use of filigree and geometric designs; the expressions went overboard later with artists deriving inspiration from royal courts, Victorian lifestyle and art deco influences. History ... Read more

I got my first Smartphone in 2012, after finishing my graduation, as a reward from my family. Soon, I had got my hands on the most of the social networking apps.  The very first thing I used to do upon reaching the office was to use WiFi to download the messages from the previous evening. WhatsApp was becoming popular among my social circle as a free messaging app so why not exploit it! Internet data packs had replaced free SMS packs in coming days. While retrospecting, I see how blindly I was getting into the trap of digital life. The ... Read more

I have been asked this question very frequently that why I am such a big fond of villages. I love to answer this as it takes me back to some of the best memories of my life. A couple of years back, Europe was the only destination I ever wanted to visit. I used to daydream about it. Envisioning myself walking through old European cities on cobblestone paths while listening to the melodious street music, sitting near a canal and smiling at the people wandering in boats, visiting old cathedrals, antique shops, bookstores, open air coffee shops, would always fill ... Read more