A whole new world

Avid travellers are wasting no time in packing their bags and heading out of the city to ring in Christmas and New Year. Those who have planned to go out of the country have booked their tickets almost two months in advance, while others have chosen exotic locations in the country itself.

Many Bengalureans say that they find travelling the best way to rejuvenate oneself. Vinay Nagaraj, an IT professional, is heading to Sri Lanka this festive season. He has booked a six-night-seven-day vacation with his parents. He would be visiting Kandy, Bentota, and Colombo. "We plan a vacation every year during Christmas and New Year. Last year, we went on a road trip to Rameshwaram, Dhanushkodi, Kanyakumari and Nagercoil. We like to discover new places every year," says Vinay.

He has chalked out an interesting itinerary which includes the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, Royal Botanical Gardens and the University Campus in Peradeniya and the last leg of the trip will cover the beaches in Bentota. Akthar S, another professional, always gives into his craving for adventure and travel.

He plans his travel in advance and has so far visited about 28 countries. This year, he plans to visit Bangkok during Christmas. "I love discovering new places and make it a point to explore the local culture, food habits and get a peek into the way of life. I have a wishlist of places that I want to visit," says Akthar.

There are a few places within the country that some in the city wish to explore. Balaji Mohan and his friends have planned a road trip through the northern parts of Karnataka. The three-day trip starting December 23 will cover Bhadravati, Agumbe, Malenadu and Didupe.

"We hope to camp in these places. We are carrying our sleeping tents, stove and basic ingredients to cook. We usually try to camp in remote locations which is away from civilisation. This gives us a better understanding of the places," shares Balaji.

Road trips have their own charm. Manish Gupta, an IT professional, has lost count of the number of road trips that he has gone on so far. This year, he has joined hands with seven friends and together they hope to cover all the places along the southern coast of the country.

"We will ride through Mangaluru, Kozhikode, Cochin, Varkala, Kanyakumari, Puducherry, Mahabalipuram and finally end our journey at Chennai. We want to experience and explore the culture to the fullest before we conclude our journey. We booked the hotels and planned our trip almost eight months in advance and have been working towards it since then," Manish says.