When Elizabeth Gilbert fuelled our inner wanderlusts, by her “ Eat, Pray and Love “, we knew for sure there’s a set of adventures waiting for us, in every psalm of travel. When John Green gave us chills with his “Paper Boats”, and the way the protagonist said and allow me to quote- “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.”, he sure gave us chills running down deep into our spines. Because we all know that is what we love the most. To trade the parts of Europe, barefooted, to let the breeze of the oceans calm our hair, to let the smell of the mountains ensnare us in a way, that by leaving our footprints there, we will take back a bunch load of memories.
If anything, Corona Pandemic has taken away our most precious pass-time from us- traveling. Gone are the days of tranquillity, for we all know there is no fun in remaining calm. Gone are the days of living by schedules, gone are the days of heavy traffics, stressful meetings, nerve-wracking exams, because ‘tis the season to extricate and disentangle from everything else. Unravel the hassle which surrounds you. Because, ‘tis the season for you, ‘tis the season to plan your travels. When at home, boredom surrounds you, you can plan for all the travels and the trips you’ll take after the corona pandemic!
- Goa
The more you say about this place, the lesser it seems. We all have given a free rein to our imaginations, every time this place comes up. So why keep it only as a pipe dream? Goa is the smallest state in the country, and probably the most pulchritudinous one. Surrounded by the Arabian Sea from one side, this place boasts of possessing over 30 beaches. Not only this, with its picturesque scenic beauty, but this place also has Cathedral and Portuguese Churches which give you immense peace the moment you enter. Along with that, there is never a moment when this city sleeps. As the day sleeps into the shining nights, Goa surprises us with night clubs and concerts where melodious singers and bands entertain us with their panache and their songs. All in all, you will never wish to leave this place, as it always keeps you longing for more. Although now due to such testing times, Goa has sealed all its borders, we’re hoping that very soon it will open as soon as this ordeal is over. And once it happens, Goa will be beautiful heaven to serve as a place all for yourself.
- Leh Ladakh
“Road trip to Ladakh with friends”- Its time to tick it off your bucket list because heaven awaits you. The rugged terrains and specks of dust along with the melting glaciers of the winter season, show you an amalgam of winters, in summers. It is a place where the journey is more beautiful than the destination itself. Sporting nearly 20+ tourist destinations along with the beautiful pahadi food(momos and thupkas), Ladakh sure is a place from where you will never want to return. A solo bike trip to Leh Ladakh will help you get away from all the lockdown jitters as comparatively to the entire country, it does have low cases. ( crossing our fingers)
- Tawang
Sandwiched between Tibet and Bhutan, Tawang is a small hill station in Arunachal Pradesh, which literally makes your jaw drop to the mountains and the snow. You will disbelief your eyes when you see this place. You will forget your own existence, and wonder whether you time-traveled to some other century or not. That’s what the magic of Tawang does to you. The mesmerizing views, and the unique yaks, will make you want more and more. Monasteries, Temples, Museums, Yaks, and not to forget, colorful papers decorate this place making it the most quaint location you have ever visited. Although Arunachal Pradesh has a quite low tally on fighting coronavirus cases, places like Tawang is a remote area. Very few people actually know about this place and hence it will be the perfect destination for travel post corona.
- Amritsar
Also known as the beating heart of India, even the name makes us imagine activity, adventure, and whatnot. The first and probably the most unique place about this city is the Wagah border also known as the Berlin Wall of Asia. Every day, 30 minutes prior to sunset, the soldiers of both the countries ( India and Pakistan) play their patriotic songs and celebrate pomp and grandeur, dissimilating hatred. The second most beautiful location here is the Golden Temple. This temple can be visited by all, and serves as a humble abode to hundreds of beggars, as the members serve them Langar every day. Peace and serenity are only the first few things you will achieve here. The whole place comes alive every evening as the beautiful yellow lights decorate the temple. Moreover, this place has more isolation wards and more beds per person than any other part of the world. Once everything is contained, the cleansing process will be graced even by Guru Nanak in Amritsar.
- Nainital
Named after the Naini Lake, Nainital is a beautiful hill station in Uttarakhand. Sporting almost 60 lakes, this place is lovingly known as the City of Lakes. Apart from the general sightseeing places, go for the untouched, virgin places of Nainital. Spots like Naina peak gives you a wholesome 360-degree view of the entire Nainital. The highest peak of Nainital is sure to give you some goosebumps as you sit there with Maggi or a cup of coffee. Places like Pangot, serve you as North’s own paradise. Also, places like Bara Patthar, which is nothing but a huge amalgam of 12 rocks and boulders, show you more colors than Bob Ross’s own palette of colors.
Uttarakhand is at the very bottom with 879 active cases. Due to the high testing and the lack of population in a hilly area like Uttarakhand, COVID has not spread its devastations much in the area.
- Mount Abu
Mount Abu is the most underrated hill station in India. Located, in Rajasthan, it has beautiful clandestine views that will remain etched in your memories forever. Being a place of mythical importance (As it is a place where Hindus believe that Sage Vashishtha had retired), it supports many beautiful temples like Dilwara Jain temple and Achaleshwar Mahadev Temple. It also has a beautiful wildlife sanctuary nestled in it. Right now, as of the current situation when traveling is a huge NO in the country, Mount Abu is one of the few such places which have been strictly following home quarantine rules. As a result, the contacts per person has reduced which has to lead to very minimal cases all over the district.
- Manali
When Bunny grabbed Naina’s hands in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and shouted to the peaks of Manali’s snow-clad mountains, it left us all awestruck and open-mouthed gaping towards our idea of a forever in the valleys of Manali. Even if your prince charming is not on his way towards you, that doesn’t mean you cannot go to this irresistible and winsome place right? After all, Naina did find her best friend for life- Aditi on this trip. So no matter what, Manali does call for a trip with friends- a trip to cherish forever. You don’t know where life will lead you next. You don’t have a choice in it. But you do have a choice in deciding the place at which life will be giving you abrupt turns. So go ahead, and strike off Manali from your bucket list and go on this beautiful life embarking trip. If you still have any doubts, re-watch YJHD again, and we believe you won’t be needing any more convincing. Manali is probably the only place that has opted to keep open to tourists even during the pandemic. However, due to the destination of the area, its quite a remote place. As a result, the fear of infection here is quite low.
- Shillong
Ever wondered, what are clouds made of? How do they look like? How do they feel like? Well, don’t worry- consider your wish granted as the clouds themselves come here in Shillong for a little tete-a-tete for you through your windows. Shillong is the capital city of Meghalaya. Being the place with the heaviest rainfall, Shillong is a place whose weather will always romanticize the inner poet in you. The moist humid weather with a chilly breeze, makes you feel like “Rain is coming”. Also known as the Scotland of India, Shillong is the ultimate hangout place for music lovers as well as for those who are looking all over the place for stirring melodies. Due to the remote destination, Meghalaya has only 4 active cases as of today,
- Havelock Beach
The top beached destination of Asia, Havelock beaches are located in the Andaman Nicobar islands. Being sparsely populated, this place serves as an Islandic paradise. This place is excellent for solo travelers who are on a journey to discover themselves. Their internal journey is reflected through the waves of the beautiful, mystifying beaches like Elephant Beach, Radhanagar Beach, Kalapathar Beach, and the famous, Vijaynagar Beach. The serendipity of this place speaks to you as you fall in love with the crystal clear beaches, the beautiful jaw-dropping sceneries, and the very unwinding sunsets. Although in April, there were 19 cases reported of COVID, as of today, there are no active cases in Andaman Nicobar Islands. Owing to the strict laws and low population, Andaman and Nicobar are the first union territories of India to be completely COVID free.
Of course, there are ever better places all over India, which are yet to be discovered or probably not discovered at all. Probably, even a list of the top 100 places will fall short to consider all of the pretty and the beautiful destinations India supports. Truly, India is one breathtaking and stupefying country itself. Words of praise and approbation won’t suffice the beauty India holds.
