Things to keep in mind when you go for your trekking/exploration adventure

This post is based on my travel experiences to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It can be helpful for those who are planning for any kinf of expedition in theses states.

1. Always try to travel by HRTC and UTC.

Private travel agencies can never match the service, safety and punctuality with those provided by HRTC and UTC. And one benifit of travelling with HRTC that not many people are aware of is that if you fail to get back to bus when it stops in midway, you can always board the next HRTC bus at the same stop by showing them your ticket and ask them to communicate their management to take care of your luggage which you can collect at next bus stand.

2. Do not, I repeat do not go for prebookings.

We generally have the habit of having everything under our control. But come on there is no fun if everything is under our control and that's what life is all really about. Let just things take their course. In the mountains you will always find accomodation and once you reach your destination, go for guest houses, home stays or camping because those are very cheap as compared to fancy hotels as well as the former options gives you more oppurtunities to blend in the aura of that place, which travelling is all about. Hotels just offer you artificial comfort, they don't serve your soul.

3. Don't skip the first breakfast of your trip.

If you are in mountains, the first thing you should do when you reach there is that have a cup of garma garam chai with aloo ke paranthe. Nothing beats the combination of Chai, Aloo ke paranthe and madhosh pahaad.

4. Never forget to do your homework.

This is not just for moutains, wherever you travel make sure you have studied about that place which includes the villages around it (because villages offer you the best homestays), transport facilities (in order to save your travel expenses), culture (so that you can explore what interests you more), weather conditions and the best option is to talk to people who have already been there and instagram is the best platform for this purpose (just search the hashtag or the name of place and ping poeple who have upoaded recent pictures of that place).

5. Take special care of timings.

While in mountains, do not take too much risks. If you are on your own expedtion, try to reach your place before sunset because it gets quite risky after sunset, even the community settles to their places after sunset. So if you are in any kind of trouble after sunset you might not get any local help.

6. Always carry an extra bag for garbage.

Please do not litter in mountains. Always carry a bag dedicated for yout waste stuff and dispose it off properly and if you can then also try to pick a little bit of garbage on these natural places to maintain their beauty and prevent them from getting spoiled.

7. Prefer public transport in place of private cabs.

Always try to look for public transport because cabs can cost you a lot in comparison to public transport. The only problem is awareness about the former option. In this scenario the best option is to consult a few locals before talking to cab drivers.

8. Do not forget these essentials if you are on a trekking expedition.

Always carry enough water and glucose with you because you will really need energy to climb that mountain. Make sure you are wearing sports shoes with proper grip if not trekking shoes (grip in shoes is must when you are passing tough stretches). Don't forget sunglasses if that place has snow becuase snow blindness can be a real pain in the ass. Do pick up a stick on the way. It can be really helpful. Why? You will definitely figure it out as soon as yout start your trek :) .

Keep moving, happy travelling. After all, all of us all travellering in time.