You asked me the questions and I have answered them. I have picked only the questions which are related to travel. Will be doing this more often. This way it is easier to find the posts in one place.
Q. What are the inexpensive places to travel in India and from India to other countries?
A. In India you can travel to a lot of places on a shoestring budget. Places like Mcleodganj, Goa, Kasol, Pondicherry, Pushkar, Varanasi can be done in very low budget. Also, depends from where you’re traveling from. Countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh (we often underestimate it but there’s a lot to see there), Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka can be done on a low budget.
Q. I am scared to travel alone but have no company. Advise from you would be great on women solo travel.
A. I am not too fond of traveling solo but I have done it a couple of times and I’m doing a major one soon. If it’s your first time I would totally recommend tour groups which have a bunch of women traveling together, there are a lot of them these days and it’s a great option for making new travel friends too.
Q. Are all your trips sponsored or you get paid to travel?
A. This is the most asked question and I get that often. It’s a mix of both and I do get paid to travel and make content along the way.
Q.Have you been to Europe? Can’t find on your blog.
A. I have been to Germany, Italy, Netherlands but it was way before I started blogging so I haven’t written anything about it. You’ll soon see a lot about Europe on my blog this year (fingers crossed).
Q. Thailand or Indonesia for 5 days of travel?
A. Thailand because 5 days is less for Indonesia. Anything below a week is less for Indonesia! Here’s my guide to Bali if you end up in Indonesia.
Q. Do brands make you travel for free and still pay you for it?
A. Nothing comes for free. Yes, I do get a lot of sponsored travels and also get paid to generate content while traveling but you have to understand it’s not for free. You get into an agreement with brands, tourism boards, hospitality brands to churn out a certain amount of content while you’re traveling, so it’s not free. At the end of day you’re working while traveling. You have to take these travels seriously and be professional enough to fulfil the agreement.
Q. I have traveled only in India should I start my travel blog?
A. Absolutely. Do it right away if you have the urge to start one. There’s so much content you can put out there just by traveling only in India. It’s vast and there’s so much to explore. Even I still have a lot to explore in India! Here’s something I wrote for people who want to start their own blog. Hope it helps!
Q. Have you ever missed a flight?
A. Hahaha I know I said I’ll be answering only the very important questions but I had to pick this. No, I’ve never missed one till date. *touches wood, eats wood* 😋
Q. Have you quit your day job to travel the world?
A. I never had a day job when I started blogging 3 years back but I started my digital marketing agency last year. It’s called Artsy Geeks and we manage beauty, hospitality and clothing brands as of now.
Q. How can I get a free flight upgrade?
A. Free flight upgrades are a rare occurrence on Indian carriers but the key is to be extremely polite to the person handling your sitting arrangement . Also if it’s a special occasion like a birthday or an anniversary, mentioning it might pump up your case. Either ways luck plays a role. Another thing is to pray that the flight is overbooked and you haven’t web checked-in or if you are coming in at the last minute! Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get it but asking never hurts.
Q.Which is the best place you have been to? A. This is very difficult to answer since I have left my heart in so many places but my it also keeps changing because of the constant traveling. Right now it is Japan. I am intrigued by that country and I haven’t come across anyone who has anything negative to talk about Japan. Also, after I visited Bali, I was in complete awe!!! I still want to go back to Bali for a month. I have been always planning to do it from the time I returned from there but something or the other comes up and I have to cancel.
Q. Which place made you feel very lively and you would be missing a major thing if you didn’t visit it?
A. It has to be Bali for me. I have never been to any place like Bali, everything about Bali is beautiful. The food, the beaches, the people, I have had nothing to complain about! I would love to live there someday.
Q.When did you start blogging and what kept you going on this journey?
A. I put together this blog in 2016 but when I started it I wasn’t very consistent because I didn’t even know the basics of blogging. It’s later in 2017 that I learnt a lot about this field. Started collaborating with brands over various projects and learnt a lot. What kept me going is the fact that my work is very flexible because I get to choose what I do and simultaneously work at my own space on my Marketing agency.
Q. What would be your advice for people who do not do what to do in life?
A. Who knows what to do in life? Observe what drives you. Experiment and try different things. Evaluate your pros and cons. Slowly you’ll get to know yourself and steadily you will paint the picture yourself! Just don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember that your journey is unique and be grateful for all the experiences which is building you up for the future.
Q. Please explain your job to me I do not understand how you get to travel.
A. I create content out of my travels, I tie up with brands in order to generate content. Sometimes the trips are sponsored and sometimes partly sponsorsed. It’s not just travel brands that I work with. Not everything on my Instagram is paid! I also run a brand marketing agency called Artsy Geeks (which I started last year), we do social media, influencer marketing and brand strategy. I am also focusing on making it a Women only space. Yes, I’m too much into that!
Q. Isn’t it super difficult to get visa and you keep traveling how do you manage?
A. It is not super difficult to get a Visa but I would rather say it’s a strenuous procedure to get one. The horrible part is when you have to gather all the documents because each country has their own requirements. If you don’t get a Visa in spite of having all the documents in place, it’s just sheer bad luck. These things are really unpredictable because recently I got a Singapore visa for 2 years which was pretty shocking but good for me!
Q. Do you plan your trips or are they spontaneous?
A. When I’m traveling with brands, they usually have it planned for me. When I’m traveling by myself I do a lot of reading and research before going to a new place. When I’m going to a place I’ve already been to I do not plan and love how I can explore the city more spontaneously the second time. The last time I hadn’t planned before traveling was when I visited Udaipur, it was a great experience since I had a friend who’s a local who took me around.
Q. Which device do you use to capture your travel pictures?
A. I get this question a lot and I have answered it a thousand times on my Instagram too. I use only Google Pixel to capture all my photos. I have been using it since 2017 and I love how I don’t have to carry any other device along with me when I’m traveling. I don’t even do a lot of editing because I like my Instagram to look very close to reality and I can achieve this with Google Pixel, not a fan of curated grids which are achieved by Photoshop. I have to start using more gears just to learn new things.
Q. How do you find cheap flights online?
A. I use the Skyscanner website to find cheap deals online. I think I’ll write an entire post on how to save money on flights. This should come up soon.
I plan to do this more often! Hope this answers at least on question that you had in mind.
1 Comment