Travel Companions
Regular and avid travelers make use of certain items and gadgets that they consider absolutely necessary for recording experiences and convenience. We all spend so much time that we invariably end up trusting certain items more than our lives. Each of these items is a living being for me and I cannot think about being a traveling without these travel companions.
1. Cars
My love for driving has made me use a car for every road trip till now. I used Maruti Alto from 2016-21 to cover a variety of destinations, ranging from Jaisalmer on the Western plains to Manali in the northern Himalayas. The Alto is often referred to as the Himalayan Queen by many and their numbers on the mountains justify this. Short turning radius, ease of maintenance, high mileage, and excellent durability make the car perfect for heights. I was lucky to be getting the K10 serviced by experienced technicians at Motorcraft in Noida Sector 8.
The second car is an upgrade over the K10 in more ways than one. Now I shall be able to carry a large amount of equipment on road trips with a boot size of 419 liters on the Tata Tigor. The solid build quality of this vehicle has made me feel very secure at three-digit speeds on our recent Chandigarh trip. I absolutely adore the thud sound of the doors of the Tigor.
2. Room Reservations
My favorite apps for room reservations are AirBnB and Booking.com, simply because of several budgeted options! But seriously, we love the independence that homestays on AirBnB offer. Both apps are very good and have the fastest loading speeds amongst various apps in this growing field. Our trips to Lucknow, Kullu Manali, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and more have been possible due to the above platforms.
3. Camera
I have a Nikon D3400 with 18-55 and 70-200 lenses right now. Pictures are always sharp due to their excellent resolution. Burst mode is very useful for animal photography, with me having clicked at Bharatpur and Surajpur bird sanctuaries with this. Occasional human profiles (especially the wife) have also been great. Though not available in India at present, it has great qualities for every budding photographer.
4. Sports Shoes
While walking on all kinds of terrains and for long periods (common occurrences on road trips), it is best to wear sports shoes. Women must also adopt them without thinking of fashionable alternatives. I use Classic Harman Walking Shoes by Reebok. Walking shoes from any of the top sports brands would be good. Try to not be too stingy on these!
5. Sunglasses
I already have spectacles with photochromatic lenses but my wife finds her Idee sunglasses to be most comfortable. They are just the right size and offer suitable UV and sunlight protection.
6. Sling Bags
Sling bags from Decathlon are highly suitable for meeting the needs of the wife, preventing her from carrying heavy handbags.
7. Sanitizers
The pandemic situation prevents us from leaving home without sanitizers. We use small Max Shield bottles that be easily carried on every trip. Compact size allows us to place them in our pockets when we venture out.
Last but not least, this blog offers a special Thank You to Google Maps, one of the best technologies without which this blog would virtually be incomplete in today’s times. While many of us may remember the number of times it took us through narrow village roads or near fields, we tend to forget its ability to pick up the smoothest road on the basis of GPS and AI.
Call me old school if you want, but I really feel a motherly figure is looking out for me while giving me directions through the app.
