The Travel Journal

Five countries that suit five different holidays. The useful question is not which is best, but which one matches the trip you actually want — and how much walking you are prepared to do.

Four workable routes at each length, built on one rule: move in one direction, never sleep somewhere for a single night, and let the train do the distance.

The mistake is almost never picking the wrong country. It is picking five of them. Here is how to decide how many places a trip can hold, and in what order.

The standard Kerala circuit is standard for good reasons. But the state carries on for 350 kilometres north of it, and the northern half is where the crowds thin out.

They are ninety minutes apart and completely different holidays. Tokyo is scale, Kyoto is depth, Osaka is appetite — and a first itinerary rarely has room for all three as full stops.

The real question is not which is cheaper. It is whether your Indian number stays reachable for bank OTPs while your data runs on something else — and that depends on your handset, not your plan.

Three hill destinations, three quite different holidays. One is tea and views, one is wildlife and spice, one is forest and distance from everything. The right answer depends on your route.

Kerala looks small on a map and drives large. Hills, backwaters and coast sit on different roads, and the trips that disappoint are the ones that try to hold all three in four nights.

Most first Japan itineraries fail the same way — too many cities, too little time in each. Here is how to decide trip length, pick a base, and get the rail maths right before you book.

India replaced its baggage rules in February 2026. The duty-free allowance rose to ₹75,000, jewellery moved to a weight basis, and one new laptop now comes in free. Here is what applies when you land.

ECR status restricts one thing only — taking up employment in 17 named countries. If you are travelling to see the Burj Khalifa or the temples of Bangkok, it does not apply to you.

An Indian IDP costs ₹1,000, lasts a year, and is not a licence at all — it is a translation of the one you already hold. Here is how to get it, and where it actually works.