How To Have A Trippy Road Trip

“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

The lure of the road is undeniable. Many of us at some point or the other have felt like packing our bags and hitting the road without a destination or plan in mind. Road trips give an adrenaline rush unlike no other. While the comforts of a planned and packaged vacation might seem more attractive, Road trips have a charm of their own and will certainly never go out of style. Road trips are yet to become a rage in India, so here are some tips to cut the fuss out of road trips and make the decision easier for you:

Have All Essentials

As obvious as it may sound, most people tend to forget the essentials you need while travelling via road. Some of the things you need to have are: Car Documentation, Driving License (duh!!), , Energy bars, Car sickness bags, Basic Medicines among others.

Maps and More

Maps are crucial for any road trip. Nominate a navigator who will be in charge of the map and will guide you accordingly. If you are willing to spend some cash, then a Satellite Navigation system is a great help on the road. (Although out of personal experience I have noticed that a Sat Nav system can confuse itself and you. It makes you take a “right turn” where there isn’t any)

Check your car

As daft as it may sound, most people forget to have all oil levels, coolant, tyres etc checked before travelling. You do not want to be stranded on a random road with a plastic bottle in your hand hunting for Water or Fuel.

Destination is the key

Destination is the most important factor in a road trip (kind of obvious why!). But there are smaller factors to be kept in mind. Make sure the access road to your destination is good and safe. Also its important to note if there are any interesting places on the way where you can stop over. A lot of people like to do a road trip from Mumbai to Bangalore (or vice versa) because there are quaint and pretty villages on the way where you can stay over.

Entertainment

On any trip (road or otherwise) remember to carry some form of entertainment for both individual and group use. While board games may not be the coolest thing to carry (and guys would refrain from taking them for fear of being ridiculed), they can be a great source of fun. (WRITERS RECOMMENDATION: Carry the board game called “TABOO”. The game is fun played both sober and drunk. )

Although safety and necessities are best planned; impromptu decisions are the best features of a road trip. Let the road guide you and make your journey memorable. Here is hoping the road finds you in the right place at the right time; even when you least expect it.

Quick List For A Good Camping Trip

I’m sure everyone at some point or the other in their lives has wanted to go camping. Most of us got this urge from reading the Famous Five books, but camping is not just about having fun and eating interesting things. Camping is not an impulsive activity and requires considerable planning. Unplanned camping can be hazardous and can put you and your fellow campers at risk. Here are some points to keep in mind while camping out:

Gear

As it obvious as it may sound, Camping Gear is extremely important. Wrong gear can not only spoil things a bit, but also could prove to be harmful. Carry a light bag (Maximum of 10kgs) which will contain Tent, Socks, Bottle of water, Personal first-aid kit, Energy bars, Maps, Mosquito repellant, Matchboxes and any other essentials you can think of. Make sure the weight remains up to a max of 10 kgs or you will end up losing energy half way to the camp site.

Lose Yourself, Not!!!

For god’s sake do not wander off when you are camping over night at a secluded place. It is very easy to get lost in a jungle and people have been lost for days before someone could track them down. Obviously I blame their sheer foolishness for not being prepared on how to return. Heard the story of Hansel and Gretel? Use the same principle here and mark your tracks with things like marbles, chalk marks, tape marks, thread etc. Make sure to use something that won’t be blown away by the wind. Tons of people enjoy their solitude amongst nature; just make sure you do it responsibly.

Dry Firewood

Between your entire camping groups, make sure you carry a few sticks of dry firewood. There are high chances that firewood available on the ground may be damp due to dew or rain and you may not be able to use it. Hence it best to have some dry wood in case of emergencies.

Say No to Drugs and Alcohol

While camping, it’s best not to indulge in drugs or alcohol as your defenses will be on the low. You will not be alert in case of any danger especially wildlife. If you must drink, stick to one beer.

Clear Up

After you finish camping at a location make sure you clean up after yourselves. You don’t own nature, so leave it better than you found it.

Research

Make sure you do your groundwork research (3 cheers for Google!) before you head out camping. There are various camp sites all over India that are maintained and are commercially rented out for camping purposes. For first time campers this is a good idea as you may not know the kind of terrain that is best for camping. Check out http://www.trav.com/campsites/india/ for reviews of various campsites in India so you can make your choice better. Some of the best camping areas in India are: Rishikesh, Chilla, Corbett National Park, Mussoorie and Kaudiyala in Uttaranchal.

These are some basic camping tips for all the novice camping enthusiasts. Camping veterans however would require a more detailed research on terrain, topography, expected weather conditions etc. Whatever your expertise, camping is a fun and energizing hobby. Tell us your camping stories or favorite place you have camped at.

You.May.Go.

Amazing Things People Carry On A “Camping Trip”

When the world gets in my face (like Bon Jovi keeps lamenting), I go camping. There is this inexplicable feeling of oneness with nature when you are in the wild; that pristine sense of survival. You have to stay alive on your wits, armed with bare essentials and…did someone jut say bare essentials? Here is a list of “bare essentials” I’ve seen carried by some of my hapless, misfit campers:

Ping-pong racket:

A geeky guy addicted to TT at his work place decided to bring along one (note: not even two, ONE) just in case he got bored. Someone was already in the wilderness before he had even left his cubicle.

Speakers:

It made sense to attach speakers to her iPod when we went on our college trip and partied all night at our hotel. But while we were gathering wood to burn, she was left searching for an electric socket to plug the speakers in.

He-Man action figure:

He claimed that his nephew must have snuck it in when we were leaving. Ya, right and u don’t worship all those Naruto and Manga cartoon characters, either!

Books:

Okay, books are not really that bad. I mean, I usually carry one, too. But this dude wasn’t carrying a book –it was an entire library! He sacrificed his blanket to make space for his books. Good thing, too. When the cold kept him awake all night, the books sure did give him company.

USB:

When I couldn’t see a laptop around, I did not ask any questions. He simply said he carries it out of habit.

Face wash, Hair oil, Shampoo, Hair curlers…

Umm…was there going to be an audition for Jane in ‘Tarzan the Jungle Man’? Here, listen to my monkey impersonations, “Eek…eek…oou…oou…aa…aa…

Caps:

Caps are a must on a camping trip for shade from the sun. But this smart Alec had one for each day of the trip. He said he wanted to look at his best each day and wouldn’t want to repeat his “wardrobe”.

Poker chips:

Alright! I admit it! Actually I carried those. Nothing like a quiet time by the fire, with the gurgling river flowing on one side and sipping beer over a nice game of poker. And I don’t regret carrying the extra weight, one bit.

Sparklers:

Her logic was that if we needed light and the torch batteries ran out, we could use them. We reasoned that we’d still have our matchsticks. And she retorts back, “And when you’ve run out of matches?” We stopped pursuing the topic anymore.

Beat The Heat – “CTF Style”

All those who were enjoying the Indian winter are now faced with the heat monster which has hit us straight in the face. And the early onset of this unbearable heat has left us dreading the month of May. While air-conditioning is the best medicine for this heat, we at CTF have a style of our own and unique ways  to “beat-the-heat”:

Drink Falooda

Why falooda as opposed to other ice-creams u ask? Well mainly because Falooda contains those tiny black beads (known to all as “sabja”) which have natural cooling properties. (Although they may taste like slimy goo) A glass of Falooda helps your over heated system to cool down greatly and this feeling is known to last for a while. And it’s healthier than just plain ice-cream! In Mumbai, Bandra station has various joints that make really good falooda. Check out the joints in your city and share them with us. P.S: For those who don’t know, Falooda is a drink that has ice-cream, milk and sabja. Filling and cooling

Avoid Road Side Fried Food

In the summer it is best to avoid all road side fried food like vada-pav and bhaji’s. Please do not ask why? Cause its FRIED that’s why.

BEERRRRRRRRR

Confused? Well if you are over 18 then the best thing to do in the summer is to visit one of the lounges or pubs in your city and get yourself a chilled beer and enjoy a game on their TV (20-20 world cup coming up after IPL, so you should be happy throughout summer).  NOTE TO PARENTS: This suggestion is not for minors so kindly don’t sue us !

Find A Guy With A Bike

Best plan this summer is to find yourself a guy (or girl) who has a bike and would take you for long rides. Go out on the expressway and chill. (Get the pun “chill”)

Take A Weekend Off To A Hill Station

Hill stations are a good source to get away from the crazy Indian heat. Choose a hill station that is close by so you can easily take off early Saturday morning and be back home by Sunday Evening. This will save you the trouble of having to secure leave from work or college.

The key to staying cool is also to keep a cool head. Try not to lose your temper too much or no form of cooling will work for you. So try to enjoy the summer, because before you know it the crazy rains are going to be here and I’ll be giving tips on how not to get caught in the floods! Be “cool”.

10 Backpacking Tips You Should Consider

One of the most current hot trends since the last few years is backpacking. Adventure enthusiasts love the thrill of picking up a bag and going on impromptu minimalistic trips. However as easy as it may sound, backpacking requires a lot of careful thinking especially if you are a first timer.

Do your reading

Read up about the place you plan to go to. With the internet boom, information is readily available on pretty much any destination in the world. Research on the best seasons and local festivals that you would like to attend. Try to avoid any extreme seasons unless you want to ski or experience those weathers.

Carry appropriate gear

One of the key rules of backpacking is to carry appropriate gear. Don’t bother with fussy strappy or high heeled shoes and go for the basic sneakers or climbing boots, depending on the terrain of your destination. Also remember to carry basic medicines and mosquito repellent.

Take your Camera

Camera is one of the most important items you can carry on any trip, be it backpacking or otherwise. Remember to carry charger/ batteries and ample amount of film or memory card. These pictures will provide a memory that you can cherish for posterity.

Wear proper colours

One of the key tricks to see wildlife is to wear appropriate colours. If in a dense jungle wear greens or tans to camouflage yourself and try to hide all reflective items like lenses, plates, glasses etc to avoid scaring away wildlife.

Wear dry shoes

Never let your shoes be wet, as it can be a source of variety of illnesses. However remember not to dry your shoes in direct heat as this too can cause health problems. Instead stuff your shoes with waste paper and let it dry. This speeds up the drying process.

Carry packaged food

Always carry spare packs of dehydrated food as a back up in case of tricky situations. While backpacking you never know what kind of situation you may find yourself in, so its best to have some food handy to avoid starvation. GITS makes specially packaged food that can withstand any condition. This was used as a great source of energy for soldiers during the Kargil war. The main USP of these is that they do not require any cooking; so you can just open a pack and enjoy a great meal. This helps greatly if you have no method of cooking. Another great option is Instant Mixes by GITS which require to be mixed with water and cooked. These cut down greatly on cooking time and save you the trouble of having to cook from scratch. These packs are a great boon if you are a student on a backpacking trip and have no clue of how to cook.

Carry lots of duct tape

If you have backpacked at some point in your life you will realize that duct tape is one of the most important items you can carry. If you run out of band aid just slap on a clean cotton swab and put duct tape to keep it place, or use it as a support for your tent (which you never learnt to pitch properly)

Hide your cash

It’s important to carry cash on a backpacking trip as you may or may not find an ATM close by, but it is also crucial to remember to hide all that cash. Boots, Spare socks, empty water bottle, used film cans etc serve as a good hiding spot for your cash as robbers are less likely to hunt through your stuff for money and pick up what ever is handy.

Don’t throw away the burr

Often backpackers get hassled by the amount of burr and dry moss that sticks to their clothes while hiking through woods. A great trick is to collect all that waste in a plastic bag instead of brushing it off your clothes as it works as dry tinder to light fires. If the wood you collect is slightly damp, you can use that burr to speed up your fire.

Carry alum cubes

More often than not, backpackers find that boiling water and waiting for it to cool is a major hassle. Instead the best method is to carry a couple of cubes of Alum (a chunky white cube that looks like a sugar cube). Just drop the Alum cube in a vessel of water and wait for the impurities to settle down before drinking water of the top.

While Backpacking sounds like fun it can be a little daunting and scary. Many backpackers have come back with tales of being mistaken for crooks or terrorists. So it is important to remember not to go backpacking to an extremely conservative city. So Travel Safe and Stay Safe.

What Not To Carry When You Travel Abroad

For some of you this list would be rather obvious, having followed the rules all your life. For some, an embarrassing reminder of what happened. So here goes,

THINGS YOU MUST NOT CARRY WHILE TRAVELLING ABROAD

1.)    No weird smelling or tasting Indian Mouth freshners. (read: suparis), cause the airport officials at foreign countries just don’t get it.

2.)    5 crates of mangos for your relatives. What were you thinking? Obviously they won’t let you take it into their country, instead they will confiscate and have a party of their own.

3.)    A toy gun (or a real one; but this list is not for the wannabe criminals).  Because too many toy guns out there are like the real deal. And after a long flight you just do not want to sit there and be questioned.

4.)    Way too many CD’s or DVD’s for your Bollywood-deprived relatives.  Airport officials have known to suspect people of video piracy judging by the amount of DVD’s in their bag.

5.)    Indian Beedi. While quite a nostalgic gift for your Uncle who has been out of india for 40 odd years, this bears a rather close resemblance to other similar looking but illegal substances.  So avoid Beedi altogether.

6.)    Do not (I repeat: DO NOT) carry propaganda of support towards any terrorist or extremist group. You will not be spared if you have an “I  heart OSAMA” ribbon or a “KU KLUX KLAN” outfit.

7.)    Ok now for the really dumb ones:  petrol, firearms, gunpowder etc are just not allowed. Can’t even make a mistake with those.

For all those curious, yes some of these things have actually taken place and will remain a story to tell our friends for the rest of our lives. However while travelling to a foreign nation it is best to be extra cautious and double check the contents of your bag. Make sure you do not let any one else do the packing for you. (Don’t be lazy, packing wont kill you.)

Happy travelling

Survival Tips in Meat eating world

While some of us might be very proud to carry the ‘pure vegetarian’ tag all our lives, but if you travel abroad frequently for business or otherwise, there is nothing edible for veggies than a veggie burger in most countries. While countries close to India will ensure that you do not go to bed hungry or half-fed, the same cannot be ensured about the far-east.

Countries such as Sri Lanka, UAE, Mauritius, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and even Australia can offer you a variety of Indian delicacies at affordable prices. But if you travel to China, Japan or Korea, such facilities are a bit rare. Of course, you will not face any food problems if you travel to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia but we cannot ensure the same about other problems you might face there!

Thank the Diaspora

In Europe, if you are travelling to major countries such as the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland, then you could easily survive, thanks to the large Indian Diaspora in these places. In fact, Switzerland is now host to a chain of vada-pav restaurants! But the rest of Europe is still poses a problem for vegetarians. However, since vegetarianism is the latest fad among many Europeans, you could find a one-off Mc Donald’s which serves the Veggie Burger or a Veggie Delite at Subway. In Africa, countries like South Africa, Kenya and Uganda have a large Indian (read as Gujarati) population which will ensure a good feast for vegetarians; but other countries could be a problem. While North America can offer vegetarians a great choice of food, South America is that part of the world which gorges on its red meat. My Brazilian friend who discovered that most Indians don’t eat beef once said, “You have no idea of what you are missing! Beef is the most amazing food and a favorite of all Latin Americans!”

But fear not. French fries and salad are available even in Greenland!

Now, here are a few tips for business travelers to survive in a non-vegetarian world.

1. Ask for it: Scouting for vegetarian restaurants in the town on internet or asking someone local could be a good although tedious idea, but more often you might be stuck in Airport hotels on business trips and/or in business banquet meals with nothing remotely veggie in sight. But if you corner some of the serving staff and ask for more rice and lettuce instead of the chicken rolls, they may not refuse. If you are too shy to do so, you could also ask the room service to get something with a veggie side dish so that you are not stuck with the eternal tossed salad with vinegar!
2. In air: On long flights, ensure that you have informed the flight staff about your food requirements well in advance. You certainly don’t want to be left starving when everyone around you is gorging on their chicken breast! But if you have forgotten to do so, ask for rice and/or salad, fruits or fruit based products or peanuts. They certainly have those.
3. Carry Ready to eat food stuff: If you are wondering how we thought of this topic, it was not for advertising our products. Nevertheless, why not seize any opportunity! Business travelers hate to carry groceries around (most of which is not allowed in the cabin baggage), ready to eat packs can be carried and with just a hot glass of water you are good to eat anywhere, whether in a flight or in a hotel room!

Here’s Where You Can Holiday in January

Santa Claus’s arrival to our homes is usually coupled with fancy plans and trips to the best Christmas destinations in India. Now for a lot of us especially struggling with a non existent life living alone because of work, or immersed in superficial courses abroad Christmas might not have brought much holiday cheer. Some others might have been lucky to travel but for boring business trips.

So this one goes out to all of you to push you out and make sure that you take a much deserved break right at the beginning of the year. Here are some holiday destinations you must check out this January!

1. Goa: Well, the party capital of India is easily the most happening place around Christmas time. But guess what, Goa’s gets in a serene mood right after all the party folks have gone. You will get the best of sun, sand, sea and sumptuous sea food here sans the crowd in Jan.
2. Pondicherry: Far away from the hustle and bustle of a city, this erstwhile French colony is a place of tranquil beauty that proves to be a perfect destination to relax. And it works even better in the winter chill of January.
3. Darjeeling: If you are up for a real Antarctic adventure, then Darjeeling might be a refreshing change for you this winter. The “Singali la” ridge trek is the right treat for the ones who can bear the -13 degree Celsius at Tiger hill.
4. Kerala: Get some God’s Own Therapy in this pleasing state south of India. A beautiful place Kerala’s amazing local food is to die for if God’s handcrafted sceneries won’t kill you. Just a tad expensive though.
5. Jaipur: And not just for its royal retreats, but January also brings in the literary festival to the pink city. If you like reading and chilling with books is your style of a holiday pack your bags (with books of course) and head straight to the capital of Rajasthan.
6. Tiger Reserves – Go to Corbett or Gir but go see the Tiger before they go extinct. Enjoy some morning fog and heavenly sunrises amidst India’s finest fauna and see the great Indian beast in all its glory!