Raghav Bihani’s Travel Blog

Dream as if you will travel forever; Travel as if you will die today.

My family has always been fond of traveling and vacations always meant setting sail for new destinations. My earliest memories date back to late 80’s when I was taken on holidays to South-east Asia (1987), Kashmir (1988) and the Char-Dham yatra (1987). My first trip to America was in 1990 during which I had maintained a travel diary. This was followed by a round-the-world journey in 1992 and an Europe vacation in 1995. These holidays abroad used to be once in 2-3 years. In between we went on Indian vacations mainly to hill stations in the summer. The ones I distinctly remember are to Nainital, Manali and Kashmir. Other favourite holidays used to be in Bombay and Puri where we had our own houses.

Of these old trips (planned by my parents, grandparents and my big bro) I have only fleeting memories. I only vaguely recall as to where we stayed, itinerary followed, dates or sights / attractions. After 2000 I had taken over the mantle of planning holidays from my big brother and hence I remember them in more detail. In fact, if anything is personally researched it is entrenched in the mind for a longer duration. While cleaning up my old cupboards one day, I came across the diary I wrote as a ten year old. In my round handwriting I had childishly noted down the daily routine: flight taken, hotel stayed at, restaurant visited and even the names of the rides taken at theme parks / attractions visited. Going through the diary was fascinating and I regret giving up the habit of writing after only one trip. It was then that I was inspired to start writing travelogues of my holidays. However, this remained a wish for a few years (my laziness being the only excuse) before I actually started this blog in June 2010. My passion for travel is shared by my wife, Devpriya, and she frequently gives her inputs on the travelogues.

The travelogues are divided into 2 sections – one for India and one for Foreign travel. Each section begins with an introduction and an updated list of the major trips undertaken by me. Individual travelogues will be posted in one of these sections. I have tried to write about the earlier journeys as best as I could do from memory. I intend to add a bucket list of travels on top of my list to cover. The main purpose of the blog is to capture the memories attached to each journey. It will also serve to refresh myself if I go to the same place again. Lastly, it is a source of information for anyone who wants to visit similar places. I am often asked what I did or where I stayed at a place. This will enable me to answer queries of friends and relatives about my trips better.

I have no expertise / natural flair for writing and had no inclination of authoring anything. This blog is more of jotting down all I remember from the holiday and presenting that along with photographs. Thus at times it may get repetitive and boring. Please excuse me for the same and suggest ways in which the writing or presentation can be improved. All criticism, appreciation, recommendation and advice is welcome. In fact it will encourage me to keep this blog alive and kicking.

Bon Voyage
Raghav Bihani