Book Review – Travel India with a toddler

Though I read a lot of books, travel books, is one genre, I never ventured into. Because I feel that reading travel books and planning your travel spoils the thrill and surprise element in the travel. One tends to travel only for relaxing and to have the missing surprise element in their daily lives, isn’t it?

But “Growingwithnemit” is one blog I heard (rather saw) in twitter a lot during the A2Z campaign and was curious to see what this blog and book really holds. That’s the reason why I picked up this book in this genre first when compared to my other favorite books. So, honestly, I didn’t know what am going to read in this book.

his book is not a typical travel book which lists the places to cover and things to do in different places. It really covers how to plan your trip with both kids and elders in the family. Having said that, don’t think that this book doesn’t have the places to see, it covers the places to visit in each trip and also the precautions to be taken while going to that place.

This book also covers how the planning has to be done keeping the seasons, journey times from one place to the other. After all this planning and undertaking the trip, one would expect a nice memoir of the trip. The author Neha doesn’t disappoint us there too, as at the end of each trip she gives her personal memoir with her personal photographs, which are just awesome.

Pros:

Neha shows us the way to preserve our memories of each and every trip in a unique way, by mingling with the local people. As small kids have the tendency to remember people for long rather than the places. So her tip regarding this one is really special for me.

Another wonderful concept she has put forward in her book is to plan the trip around the kid’s schedule of nap times and food habits. Normally this is one point which most the adults would miss out on.

Neha has captured all the important points to be remembered while planning the family travel at the end of her book, which is a must read for all.

Cons:

Though the book is exhaustive in terms of planning and making memories with kids and elders too, including the personal memoirs, the only part I missed out in the entire book is the views of the other family members who traveled along. Especially what the kid liked the most and how he enjoyed. Some anecdotes on the quirky things the kids take from each travel would make the book more kid-centric. This view may be due to the fact that I as an author write more from kid’s view point.

Conclusion:

This book is a must read for all parents as it shows the real importance of careful planning that needs to go on every trip. Leaving it on the third party travel organizers will not give us these long-lasting memories. The tips which she has given at the end of her book are really valuable for every traveler.

Author’s Note: This review is a part of the Blogchatter Ebook review program. For my other reviews under this category, please click here.

Planning a trip to Leh, Ladakh

Or, a first timer’s guide to visiting Ladakh

“I want to go to Leh Ladakh this year”, is a comment we often hear, even now. I say even now because, after spending the last few years thinking and breathing travel, it starts feeling like everyone has already travelled to Ladakh. That Ladakh is the equivalent of your neighbourhood park.

These comments are a good reminder that despite Ladakh being hit by over-tourism in the last few years, it’s still one of the most spectacular places on earth. There are ways to travel to Ladakh in a way that you minimise your impact on the environment and cause the least possible damage.

We will talk about this at the end. But let’s start with something which surprisingly, we have never written much about – planning your trip to Leh, Ladakh.

As of now, there are two routes to reach Ladakh. (A third one, via Zanskar should soon emerge as an exciting, albeit longer option. But it is still under construction).

● There are regular flights to Leh. When the weather is clear, you get some spectacular views of the Himalayas on the flight. During the winter months, when the high altitude passes are closed, flying into Leh is the only option to reach Ladakh.

● The nearest railhead is Jammu. A railway line to Leh is an ambitious project that has been announced. When done, it will be an engineering marvel. We are several years away from seeing this happen.

● There are 2 routes to reach Leh, Ladakh by road.

As of now, there are two routes to reach Ladakh. (A third one, via Zanskar should soon emerge as an exciting, albeit longer option. But it is still under construction).

● There are regular flights to Leh. When the weather is clear, you get some spectacular views of the Himalayas on the flight. During the winter months, when the high altitude passes are closed, flying into Leh is the only option to reach Ladakh.

● The nearest railhead is Jammu. A railway line to Leh is an ambitious project that has been announced. When done, it will be an engineering marvel. We are several years away from seeing this happen.

● There are 2 routes to reach Leh, Ladakh

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

  • Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
  • Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

  • Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
  • What topics do you think you’ll write about?
  • Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
  • If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.

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