Travel Interview with Backpacking Series

Happy new year 2019 to all😁😁We are back with our travel bloggers interview series from around the world.

Q1) Introduce yourself and your blog to our readers.

Our Social Links:-

Website:       https://www.backpackingseries.com/  

Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/backpackingseries/

Pinterest :     https://www.pinterest.co.uk/backpackertag/

Twitter:         https://twitter.com/backpackertag

Instagram:    https://www.instagram.com/backpackertag

Who We Are and Why Backpacking Series

We are a set of contradictions and more. Minimalists who thrive on comforts. Divergent and mindful of social norms. We are easy-going and anxious about life-changes. Perhaps, there isn’t a contradiction that does not reside inside of us. We fulfill our curiosity, balancing these, one at a time. Likewise, we like to settle down and explore too.

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We are delighted to share that our travelogue titled ‘Backpacking North East India: A Curious Journey’ made its first public appearance at the World Book Fair recently.

Travel enriches our conversations and social lives. We love to share our experiences. And. If there’s anything that excites us more than sharing our travel story, it is sharing yours. Hence this platform.

Love,  Abhijeet and Navita Deshpande

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About Backpacking Series

Backpacking Series is about Slow Travel and Long Reads. It is a space dedicated to experiences and opinions of budget travelers, hikers, divers, bikers, and just about most outdoorsy people.  At this time, we curate content in the following three travel categories:

1. North East India Specials: Read real anecdotes from real travelers to a region that’s been on the periphery of travel maps for far too long. Follow our specials on North East India to know why you might want to put this on the top of your bucket list.

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1. Backpacking Guides : Crafted for the curious reader and traveler alike, these Backpacking guides offer a rich contextual perspective peppered with anecdotes.
2. Travel Blogs: Follow our Travel blogs for advice on cultural faux pas to avoid, what to prepare for when you visit a new location, unbeatable travel hacks, or simply for super interesting reads

2) What’s your style of travel?

Our website name and tagline says it all. We prefer backpacking and love to slow travel to curate long reads. We take our time, live like the locals, experience the daily life and see the places, at ease.

3) Which place are you from? What are the top 3 must visit places in your city?

This is a tough question to answer simply because we have been moving homes since the past 20 years! We now live a digital nomadic life. At this time we call Himachal Pradesh our home. Around here, we are happy to recommend visitors to check out Dharamshala, Manali and Palampur.

4)Do you like travelling Solo or with a Travel Partner. Why do you choose so?

We have tried both and are happier when traveling together. Why? An African proverb says it beautifully – “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.

5) Your top 3 blogs on your website

1. How to Backpack North East India? – Visiting North East India? Find out about travel permits, guest houses, local transport, food, and more. Find out how to backpack northeast India.
2. Why is Northeast India the Least Explored? – North East India is off the beaten track. Visit the region while the bulk of explorers are looking elsewhere!
3. Safest Places in India for Solo Women Travelers – The appeal of solo travel often gets mixed with concerns of safety. Read this piece to know the safest places in India for solo women travelers.

6)What is the message that you have for all aspiring Travel Blogger

Creating a travel blog, if you are serious about it, is a lot of work. Do not underestimate the effort of hosting, designing a website, creating the best content you can and then promoting it. Indeed, as they say – it is all easier said than done. One thing we would suggest, when you are starting out, is to focus on quality over quantity.

7) The best piece of advice that you can give an amateur travel blogger aspiring to earn a passive income through blogging.

Monetizing a travel blog can be a challenge. You could try displaying advertisements, affiliate marketing or invite sponsored posts. All these require a certain amount of traffic on your blog. If you want to start earning from an early stage, it is helpful to create a product and sell it. For example, we have created our travelogue – Backpacking North East India: A Curious Journey and listed it on Amazon.

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8) If you could go back in time. Which ancient ruin from around the world would you choose to visit and explore. Why?

We remain fascinated by Northeast India’s little known gems. Hence, we would turn the clock back to visit the 14th century Malinithan Temple in Arunachal Pradesh, a garden of monoliths in Meghalaya or the current site of the relics of Unakoti in Tripura.

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9)How does “Travel” make you feel? Can you share with us 3 top insights that you gained from your travels.

Travel makes us think on our feet, broaden our worldview and strengthens our abilities to adapt to uncertainties. Travel makes us mindful! It offers situations from the most mundane to the most surprising. Our post Lessons from Backpacking shares three anecdotes, each ending with an insight:

1. Be prepared to kick comforts out of your itinerary.

2. Wherever you go, be safe and aware of your environment.

3. Accepting diverse food makes travel fun and helps to connect with people too. Be willing to go local.

10)Name your top 5 bucket list travel destination and why do choose it?

Our bucket list is linked with some of the festivals we would like to witness in North East India.

1. Hornbill Festival in Nagaland

2. Sangai Festival in Manipur

3. Ziro Festival of Music in Arunachal Pradesh

4. Anthurium Festival in Mizoram

5. Cham Festival in Sikkim

11) Do you have any tips on travelling with a pet?

We have never traveled with any pets ourselves. However, we are lucky to find pets wherever we go. In our recent experiences in Himachal Pradesh, quite a few places we saw on AirBnB welcome pets and even offer pet sitting services. So, looking up there would be helpful.

12)Where do you prefer to stay- Hotel, Hostel or AirBnB etc? Why?

Our choice of stay depends on the destination we are visiting and the duration. We would choose hostels and home-stays over hotels. And if we are looking for a long stay, we choose Airbnb or do local research. When visiting forests, we have had good experiences in Forest Rest Houses.1

13)As travellers we all love collecting Souvenirs .What do you love collecting?

We don’t buy souvenirs necessarily, but when we do, we usually pick up either refrigerator magnets or tee-shirts! 🙂

Here is a sample for you!

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14) When do you find time to blog on your travels? How long do you usually take to finish a blog.

A lot of travel bloggers struggle with time management. We are no different. We have thousands of stories that we are yet to share. And, we continue to look for the right answer :). As for publishing an article, it can take us anywhere upwards of two to three days.

15)Do you send postcards to your friends when you travel? If not postcards what souvenirs do you prefer to gift your friends?

We gift what we love to buy for ourselves aka refrigerator magnets and tee-shirts! 🙂

16)What’s your favourite cuisine? Do you like trying out local food when you travel to places. If yes, what’s your favourite dish that you loved the most?

We usually go local while backpacking. Our favorite dish is the one after a day out hiking! We enjoy eating. Period!

17)When do you prefer to travel to a new place – peak season or off season? Why?

For us, every season is a travel season. HAHAHA

18) How do you manage your travel expense? Do you have any particular suggestions for budget travellers?

We constantly find ways to cut down costs. So choose buses and trains over flights, hostels or home-stays over hotels, eat local/ cook your own food, use local public transport and lookout for free WiFi!

19) If you had to draw a pie chart of your travel expenses. What would your top 5 priorities be?

The very basics – Stay, food & drinks, transport, telecommunication, and sightseeing .2

20)What are the apps or resources that’s been an absolute life saver during travels or planning your trip?

1. AirBnB
2. Skyscanner
3. Google Maps

OH, and If an electric kettle counts as a resource, it has been a life saver. HAHA

Now some quick questions

Name your dream destination for each word mentioned below:

1. Historical Place –  Imphal, Manipur

2. Culture Travel –  Reiek, Mizoram

3. Couple Travel – Shillong, Meghalaya

4. Solo Travel – Northeast India

5. Adventure (Water sports, for all adrenaline junkies) – River Rafting, Arunachal Pradesh

6. Nature and wildlife (Trekking, Camping etc) – Manas National Park, Assam

7. Favourite city – Gangtok, Sikkim

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END OF INTERVIEW

Message from Backpacking Series :

If there’s anything that excites us more than sharing our travel story, it is sharing yours. You can –

1. Get Published and Featured in the Backpacking Series’ Dorm of Fame™ as Guest Author
2. Share your experiences in The Dialogue Diaries™, an interview platform by Backpacking Series

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Travel Interview conducted by COUPLE TRAVEL TALES (Achu & Unni)!

Those who wish  to participate in our travel interview series ,please feel free to contact us via email at coupletraveltale@gmail.com