Travel Tales šŸ“–--Share your unforgettable experiences and adventures from your travels!

Heyyy Travelers!!!:earth_africa::airplane:


We know YOU love swapping travel stories! :smiley: Well, get ready to share your travel stories because the Travel Tales program is HERE!:reminder_ribbon:

We want to hear about your:

:star2: Adventurous: Climbed a mountain? Hiked through a jungle? Tell us about your craziest adventures! :nerd_face:

:star2: Cultural: Immersed in a new way of life? Learned a local dance? Share your cultural experiences! :man_dancing:t2:

:star2: Inspiring: Did a trip change your perspective? Witnessed something amazing? Weā€™re all ears for your inspiring tales! :raised_hands:t2:

Or, any story that you recall!:star_struck:

Bonus points forā•

:camera_flash: Sharing a pic: A picture is worth a thousand words, after all!

ā€¼ļøThe most EPIC story (based on reactions and replies) will win:

A feature in our Humans of Travel/Niyo program!

A shoutout on our social media!

Ready to share your adventures?:nerd_face: You have 2 weeks! :alarm_clock: :hourglass_flowing_sand:

Comment below with your story!! :envelope_with_arrow:

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From Leeds with Love: An MBA Exchange Adventure

Imagine this: youā€™re wrapping up your MBA, and you find yourself in Leeds, UK, not just for a few weeks but for a thrilling six-month semester exchange. But letā€™s be realā€”this isnā€™t just any study abroad program. No, this is an epic quest across the UK, Ireland, and beyond!

Academic pressure was light, lectures were twice a week, and the rest of the time? Well, I was out exploring, soaking up culture, and discovering hidden gems. Turns out, this wasnā€™t just an exchange programā€”it was a travel odyssey where every city told its own story, and every moment was an adventure.

Letā€™s talk favorites first.

York: A Magical Journey into Harry Potterā€™s World

York, nestled in the heart of Yorkshire, was a magical detour that transported me straight into the world of Harry Potter. The moment I stepped onto The Shambles, a winding medieval street lined with timber-framed buildings, I felt like I was walking down Diagon Alley. The narrow alleyways and quaint shops selling everything from wands to butterbeer added to the enchanting atmosphere.

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York Minster, with its towering Gothic architecture, was a sight to behold, and the ancient city walls offered breathtaking views. But it was the Harry Potter-themed experiences that truly captivated me. From visiting the shop that inspired Ollivanderā€™s to exploring the hidden nooks and crannies that felt like they could be straight out of Hogwarts, York was a dream come true for any Potterhead.

Whitby and Scarborough: Seaside Serenity

A seaside gem (Whitby) isnā€™t just about fish and chips and quaint cottagesā€”itā€™s also the birthplace of legendary explorer Captain James Cook that stole my heart and a beachy paradise (Scarborough) where I might have spent a tad too long perfecting my sunburn. Each coastal town had its own charm, making me want to build sandcastles and eat ice cream, even in the chilliest of weather.

Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Bath: A City Symphony

Liverpool? Itā€™s official: Iā€™m in love. The music, the history, the Scouse accentsā€”it was like a Beatles fanā€™s dream come true.

London? An epicenter of museums where I stood at the Prime Meridian, right on the edge of the world, feeling like time itself had paused for me. . Bath? A historical masterpiece that left me in awe. Each city had its own unique rhythm, and I danced to every beat.

Manchester? a mecca for football fans. I found myself swept up in the excitement, touring the iconic Old Trafford stadium and soaking in the rich history of the beautiful game. But Manchester isnā€™t just about football; itā€™s also a city that takes its beer seriously. From traditional pubs to craft breweries, thereā€™s a pint for every palate.

Scotland , though? Thatā€™s where things got truly magical. Our 7-day road trip along the North Coast 500 was like driving through a postcardā€”mountains, lochs, and glens that seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale. Edinburgh was charming, but the remote corners of Scotland? Simply breathtaking.

Somewhere in Scotland

Wales made an impression too, especially Cardiff, where the localsā€™ dedication to preserving the Welsh language was nothing short of inspiring. And if you ever find yourself in Northern Ireland, ditch the flights and hop on a Stena Line ferry from Liverpool to visit Giantā€™s Causeway. Itā€™s the perfect budget-friendly way to experience one of natureā€™s greatest wonders via seaway.

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You donā€™t have Irish Visa, but you are dogged enough to pass through immigration. It all began with the under-the-radar UKIV scheme, a stealthy little visa hack that let me waltz into the Republic of Ireland as if I had a VIP pass. Picture me, confidently brandishing my copy of the terms and conditions like a secret agent, sneaking through immigration with a grin. Who knew bureaucratic loopholes could be so exhilarating?

My first major adventure? A sky-high tandem skydive over Bridlington. There I was, gearing up for a 10,000-foot plunge. My instructor, who had just celebrated his 6,000th jump (talk about experience!), looked at me like a seasoned pro. Me? I was a bundle of nerves and excitement, screaming my head off in what can only be described as a joyous, free-fall symphony.



So there you have itā€”my MBA exchange saga, full of daring skydives, sneaky visas, and enough scenic beauty to make any travellerā€™s heart race. If youā€™re ever in need of a grand adventure, take a page from my journey. The UK is waiting, and itā€™s ready to make your travel dreams come true!

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Dessert Rose!

Do you imagine yourself being ported to Dunes and Martian movie sets?

That was indeed my bucket list item!

One wouldnā€™t have been free of fear while planning a trip to the Middle East amid the warā€¦Well i did to Jordan in December 2024 and it was one of the boldest travel decisions i ever made!

This trip was planned early August 2023 but later the circumstances changed and hence the uncertainities prevailed - I did drop an email to the Indian Embassy in Amman to ensure that it will be safe as we were two girls in our mid twenties on this Arabian Adventure!



What added to the fears was my friend (accompanying me from UK) realised she had transit visa issues in Cyprus just 2 weeks before our departure and we were at the verge of canceling - But this trip had to happen and she rebooked her tickets.

And thenā€¦ we flew from Mumbai and London respectively to meet in Amman and begin this adventure - Welcome to Jordan!

The Jordanians are super friendly and big fans of Bollywood! Tamally Maak was the most played song during my Trip :rofl::rofl:

We started from the capital city of Amman exploring the old city - Temple of Hercules, New City and moved towards the Dead Sea. Floating in the dead sea - the lowest point on earth was an item ticked offā€¦!







Next in the itinerary was PETRA - the newest wonder - the DESSERT ROSE - I was mesmerized witnessing itā€™s beauty - Red Sand stones, The Siq and the walk till Al Khazaneh was straight outta Arabian Nights.



Well this was not all the country kept surprising me every day, Wadi Rum was Mars on earth - Early morning dessert safari and witnessing the sun rise over the dessert dunes, chilling winds - warm black tea - A wholesome Bedouin experience in deed!







Loved the countryā€¦the whole vibeā€¦ Itā€™s cultural and authentic and historical (tbh am lost for adjectives to describe its beauty)

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Thread of Melody

As I sat quietly in my dormitory, still enchanted by the ancient charm of Bukhara, a gentle knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. To my surprise, my host stood there at that late hour of the night, curious about my love for music. Seeing the smile on my face, he asked me to wait a moment.

Returning with his Shashtar, a six-string instrument, he began to sing :notes:. His soft voice filled the room, weaving tales of his love for Hindi music, transporting me to a nostalgic lane.

The moment was so touching that I felt compelled to call my dearest to share the vibe and perhaps to calm down my overwhelming emotions. Yet, I still couldnā€™t pinpoint exactly what I experienced in that moment: was it the warmth :ok_hand:of the host!!! a sense of belonging!!! or the purest connection with most special person :blue_heart:or perhaps it was everything at once.

It was a special moment that crossed all language barriers and touched the depths of my soul.

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Enjoyed the breathtaking view of Dubai from the worlds tallest tower :heart_eyes::united_arab_emirates: Needs no description the one and only Burj Khalifa

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What sh I write abt adventures?..
Which adventure sh I write about?..

Bungee jumping from highest level
or biggest river rafting with cliff jump
or paragliding from worldā€™s second highest site
or chadar trek n staying in tent at minus 30 degrees
Or Going for solo uk trip till highlands of Scotland spl for jacobite train ride?
Or epic solo spiti roadtrip n witnessing storms n evacuation
Or getting lost on a solo trek in usa where I only had offline map n some tears
Or getting stuck in sudden waterfall water level rise n then how I came upā€¦
Or even my own motherhood journey which is no less than adventureā€¦:upside_down_face::slightly_smiling_face:

List is endless but the most important n close to my heart is sandan valley giant swingā€¦spl bcoz of itā€™s unstructured n completely manmade setup,rustic n raw experience and we surrender to nature n mighty mountains :mountain: :heart:

So what excites me for such adventure??
Well challenging ownself,facing ur own fears,realising ur strength,learning to face failures n getup n gather urself and accepting ur weakness too.

So here is that small taleā€¦
Late evening I started my bus journey from mumbai to sandan valley base village.getting fresh at some river and having some packed bf gave me energy to climb up all the way to adventure site.

Briefing ,checking gears,signing papers n looking at the views were increasing my goosebumps and heartbeats.
Starting with valley crossing in burma Bridge n coming back by zip line gave me lil confidence to go for rapelling down 200ft valleyā€¦but I had some bruises n hurts n again my nervous mind started stopping me for epic jumpā€¦but :nazar_amulet:apun thehra gujju baniyaā€¦paisa bhara he ab toh karna hi padega typesā€¦lolzā€¦then finally I did my giant swing in this valleyā€¦the video narrates my emotions n views.

That day i met a new Alpaā€¦who is limitless and fearless(so I named my inner child as amishtašŸ’—which means limitless)Apart of my identity as proud mother I get my one more identity of explorer n learner from natureā€¦isnt it inspiring and beautiful.?

Btw this story has some funny story as wellā€¦let me share the laughter with u all.while going in bus I was sitting with some guy and he was constantly following me n getting me chai or water or bla blaā€¦u get that rightā€‹:smiley:ā€¦I was so scared n nervous that I didnā€™t had water for 6.7 hrs as I had fears of leaking urine during my adventureā€¦honest confessionā€¦hota he yaro aisa bhi :sweat_smile:ā€¦but after last one I had lots of water n in end before boarding bus I had urgency to peeā€¦so I told that guy that m coming in 2 min .I went just lil far(as bus was abt to leave)used my female urinal to stand n peeā€¦n that guy saw me frm bus n may b had some weird shock n imaginationā€¦n rest u can imagineā€¦hahaā€¦so while travelling back during our tea break that evening he didnā€™t get me tea or waterā€¦m still laughing :laughing:

Anywaysā€¦this giant swing is close to my heart n m so happy to share :heartbeat: in the hope it can inspire some to introspect oneā€™s own thinking and strength :muscle:.

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When I took a solo trip to Dubai, many unusual things happened to me. The first thing was that I was only 18 years old, and it was a completely solo trip. There was no one to receive me in Dubai either. I had to do everything on my own.

I lied to my parents and told them I was going out with a group of friends. It was very hard to convince them anyway, but they allowed me to go, still not knowing that I was going alone. (However, I told them the truth after I returned.)

My plan was to catch a metro and go to the hotel from the airport. But the flight was delayed, and everyone knows the rush in Dubai. Sadly, the metro had closed. The next option was to take a Careem. I was told Uber is expensive, so I wasnā€™t considering it at all. I booked a taxi on the Careem app, and the car was on the other side of the airport. It was very confusing, and I couldnā€™t find a way to get to the driver.

The driver was telling me taxis are not allowed where I was standing. So I managed to cancel it after roaming for half an hour. Then I realized my app had charged me a fine of 75 AED for canceling. So I logged out of the account and registered again with the SIM I took from Dubai. When I booked again, something unusual happened. Sadly, the same driver was allotted to me.

Upon seeing the name and address, he realized it was the same person who had booked before. I tried to contact him, but intensively he didnā€™t answer my messages or calls. After half an hour of trying, I had no choice but to cancel the booking.

There was no choice in front of me. It was a difficult moment for an 18-year-old boy. I sat near my luggage with eyes full of tears. For half an hour, I sat in shock, not knowing what to do next. I couldnā€™t even remember why I had lied to my parents and come here.

Luckily, I had enough money with me, and I found a person who was canvassing customers for a taxi. So, at last, I took a taxi from him and went to the hotel. At 2 AM, I reached the hotel.

It was a night Iā€™m trying to forget. I was vlogging that day, and even though I only expressed half of my emotions in that video, I remembered that my parents would see it. But I still shared my experience in the video.

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THE TURTUK DAIRYšŸ““!


On a solo trip to Ladakh, I wanted to visit Turtuk in Nubra valley, Ladakh. Turtuk is very unique as it was under Pakistan Administration till 1971 after which came under Indian Administration.

This quaint little village is nestled between the Karakoram range and the Himalayas and offers amazing views.



The green pedestrian bridge over the clean gushing blue waters of the Shyok river took me to my accommodation where I planned to stay for the night.



After checking myself in, I set out to explore and interact with the Balti-Muslims in the village. When the old-timers in the village, who would have been youngsters during this transition, were asked how they feel about being part of two different countries in their life time, all they had to say with a smile was ā€œwoh bhi thik tha, yeh bhi thik haiā€.


Their day to day lives remain the same they say - farming the harsh land and growing their own vegetables with the lovely black-billed magpies found in the region foraging their own food.



The children of the village still climb trees (which city-dwelling children would find strange to hear) and sit atop stone walls and pass time between their studies and chores.



Another source of income for the villagers is from the daily influx of tourists and some of the attractions include the Indo-Pak Border view, an old ancestral house which is now a museum show-casing the Balti culture and the natural cold storage facilities which are used till date and were in fact quite cool.


As I walked along to the end of the village, I came across plenty of Apricot trees filled with fruit and is a major export from this region. Some of the villagers were kind enough to let me pluck some and taste the sweet apricots ā˜ŗ.



The walk along the apricot trees took me to a cemetery (unlike one I have ever seen) beyond which lies the LOC (Line of Control).



While I didnā€™t cross the cemetery to see the LOC, I did visit another village ā€“ Thang, a few kilometers away from Turtuk for the LOC which I was very keen on, as my grandparents, on both sides, used to live in the region of Punjab which came under Pakistan during the partition of 1947 and had crossed over to India with meager belongings and had to start over from scratch to settle themselves and their children and extended families. A picture of the LOC from Thang is something I just had to clickā€¦ā€¦



The simplicity of the people of Turtuk, their smiles and the amazing views from the village, was quite a humbling and eye-opening experience for me and I left a piece of my heart behind, in this quaint little last village near the Indo-Pak borderā€¦ā€¦

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A train Journey, a love story and a happily married couple :star_struck:

My first Journey down South, never knew a 50 hours train journey will change my life forever.

2004 May, I was traveling from Delhi to Ernakulam. Idea was to give CUSAT entrance for MSc Biotechnology and explore Kerala.

I was only non malyalee in that compartment. And when my fellow passenger heard that am traveling all the way to Kerala for CUSAT exam, they were super impressed. They were treating me like their family. All the food and tea / coffee was on the house.

They even taught me few sentences in Malyalam and a Malyalam song. Train reaches Tirupur station and a girl enters my compartment with her parents.

In movies they say when you fall in love there will be songs in background and when that girl entered the compartment I was singing Lajjavathiye (a hit Malyalam song from 2004 i think).

Simce everyone was talking this family and the girl also started talking with me. By the end of train journey we were friends and we decided to keep in touch via gmail.

After that I went to do MBA and then one fine day this girl messages me on gmail. From there we started talking.

Those long chats which started as time pass turned into flirting and slowly we started liking each other as a person.

Then started 2 years of monthly one travel to coimbatore to meet the girl.

Like every movie we also had to struggle to convince our parents (caste, region everything was against us), but finally we convinced them.

I got married to girl I met in train. Since our meeting was during travel, we never stopped traveling.

This year we completed 16 years of marriage and we have done 200 plus trips (400000 plus kms of drive) in these 16 years covering 27 states, 7 UT within India and 5 countries

Travel is way of life for us and we dont plan our trips, we go wherever road takes us.

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:loudspeaker: HeLLo Members!

Weā€™re wrapping up the ā€œTravel Talesā€ contest, and itā€™s time to announce the WINNER :piƱata: :partying_face: :confetti_ball:!

A huge congratulations to our top 4 storytellers who took us on incredible journeys through their words and experiences! :airplane::earth_asia:

1. @Ianuvrat: Shared an inspiring MBA exchange adventure across the UK and beyond, highlighting the magic of Yorkā€™s Harry Potter vibes, skydiving thrills, and the scenic beauty of Scotland. :books::airplane:

2. @thegirlfrombombay: Captivated us with a bold adventure in Jordan, where she explored the breathtaking wonders of Petra, Wadi Rum, and floated in the Dead Sea. :desert::sunrise_over_mountains:

3. @Vandy: Took us on a soulful trip to Turtuk, a village with a rich history and stunning views, showcasing the charm of its people and the simplicity of life near the Indo-Pak border. :mountain::bridge_at_night:

4. @Alphin: Shared a brave solo trip to Dubai at just 18, filled with unexpected challenges and emotional highs, showing the resilience and excitement of solo travel. :city_sunset::taxi:

And the WINNERRR Is... @Ianuvrat!šŸ† Your story of exploration, adventure, and discovery through the UK won our hearts and minds! :trophy::partying_face::tada::confetti_ball::medal_military:


Admin Picks::1st_place_medal::2nd_place_medal::3rd_place_medal:

:star2: @thegirlfrombombay: Explore her Jordan adventure here.

:star: @Vandy: Dive into her soulful journey here.

:star: @Alphin: Relive his solo Dubai trip here.

These stories remind us of the transformative power of travel and the connections we make along the way. :earth_africa::sparkles:

A huge thank you to everyone who shared their travel tales with us! Stay tuned for our next contestā€”another opportunity to share your incredible travel stories is just around the corner! :airplane::open_book:

:clap:t2: @iAnuvrat: Your winning post is now marked as the solution and pinned for everyone to see! Feel free to share your social media handle so everyone can follow your amazing travels. :star_struck:


A big thank you to everyone who participated and shared your unforgettable stories with us. Stay tuned for our next contestā€”your chance to showcase your travel tales is just around the corner! :airplane::books:

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Congratulations @Ianuvrat and Iā€™m happy to be a part of this contest.

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Thank you team, for hosting this. Lots of great stories . Looking for more such Travel tales.

Instagram- ianuvrat

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