As the first week of 2023 comes to a close, I am so impressed and pleasantly surprised by the energy of people around me. So many resolutions, year-in-review reels and optimism. And no, I am not being sarcastic. I genuinely feel good about that fact that almost everyone is resolving to spend their 2023 in new and beautiful ways.

In 2022, I spent the 52 weekends travelling to 1 new continent, 2 new countries, 2 new Indian states, over 50 cities and posting 52 new blogs on ‘Life on Weekends’.

And like some of you asked, here’s the list of those 52 blogs with a glimpse of the great history, architecture, art and geography of Incredible India.

National Park/ Forests of India:

There are over 100 national (wildlife) parks in India, ~72 bird sanctuaries and 50+ Tiger Reserves housing hundreds of unique animals and thousands of birds.

How many have you seen thus far? 🙂

Velavadar exists in Gujarat, India and is popular for its vast grasslands where you can see a bunch (or several) of blackbucks happily jumping and frolicking early mornings and before sunsets. In the same grassland, if you go for early morning safaris, travel with ultra-silent and patient wildlife lovers and have a bit of a luck on your side, you can even spot wolves. Wildlife enthusiasts would know how rare it is to spot a wolf now in India. Ah, irony!

The last two posts in this section would take you on a tour to Kaziranga Nationa Park – home to the maximum number of rhinoceros in the world, I think, and a quiet encounter with Hornbills in West Bengal. Click to access:

North-east: the biggest jewel in the crown of India

A long time back, I promised a batch mate of mine that whenever I would travel to North-east of India, I would write about my true feelings. Here it goes: Northeast is really the jewel (probably one of the biggest) in the already shining crown of India. I have been to three north-east states till date: Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya and I love all of them. Well, Meghalaya (a tad bit) more because it’s simply gorgeous and so diverse. Plus I am a little biased towards the waterfalls, and hikes, and clouds and monsoons and rains. Oh, Meghalaya! You beauty! 🙂

Click to access:

Hills, Mountains & Valleys ❤️❤️❤️

If I have to choose between beaches and mountains, I would probably try to explain you that there is no comparison possible, ever. But if you still push me, I would choose mountains – giant, tall and insane. Yeah, I can’t bear the cold. And I like tropical climate. I can hardly survive below zero degrees Celsius and muster all my courage to exist at high altitudes. And still! Mountains forever for this petite person with a giant spirit! Click to access:

The hidden Gems of India:

I have been saying it for years and I would say it again: my dear friends, move beyond Kerala, Ladakh, Kashmir, Goa and Himachal. There are plenty of other gorgeous spots in India and let me show you a few: the beautiful Diu fortress, Ajanta and Ellora caves of Aurangabad (that happens to be a UNESCO site as well), Pamban Bridge & Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, Marble Gorge of Bhedaghat, Jabalpur and Lothal and Dholavira in Gujarat.

Underestimated and yet beautiful tourist spots of India:

I know. I know. You think who travels to Bihar, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh?! But you know what? A few decades back, people might have said the same thing about other places. And then once the masses discovered Konark temple, Odisha became an important stop on every traveler’s itinerary. Well! Konark, Raghurajpur, Chilka and Bhubhaneswar.

Similarly, the land where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, how can it not be on your itinerary is beyond me!

The ever-loved and the popular tourist spots of India

We all love tourist spots, and for all the right reasons. I have nothing against those. In fact, travel, explore and rediscover by all means. And when you do, just have a look at these:

The Metropolitan cities of India:

I think, this section needs no introduction. By the way, surprise, surprise – the list of metropolitan cities of India is growing. Here are some curated experiences that you could try such as the cafe trail in Bombay, discovering Mallipoo (Jasmine flowers) in Madurai, engaging in Adda sessions in Kolkata and checking out the iconic spots of Bombay.

Outside India, my tryst with International destinations:

I travelled to Berlin, Germany and Barcelona, Spain this year. Thanks to my stars, my health and my self-belief that motivates me to change places when I am not happy. 🙂

If you want to have a pure travel conversation, romanticise locations of India or just have a word, drop me an email at justyamini.gupta@gmail.com.