Why should you travel in India before setting your sights abroad?

When in doubt, travel.

To travel is to live.

Work. Save. Travel. Repeat.

All wonderful quotes. But as it is with the simplest things, we never do how it is meant to be. Travel, instead, has become synonymous with going abroad on exotic locales, tagging themselves *sigh* at airports, cafes, and what not.

The world has lots to offer to the discerning traveller, and more often than not, in their own backyards. India, with its extensive biodiversity and a variety of geographies has much to offer, similar and sometimes much better than foreign locations. Add a dash (more like an entire pot full) of cultural mélange that India is all about and you get a traveller’s delight that is unparalleled.

Why travel all the way to Dubai for a desert Safari when you can have an excellent experience right here in Jaisalmer?

Why travel to Europe for skiing trips when you have some of the most beautiful slopes right here in Auli?

Why travel to Switzerland when you have some of the best meadows and snowfields in Uttarakhand? Read here about the exotic bugyals of Uttarakhand

India is such a large, diverse country that you have options to go visit places in every type of climactic condition available to man. Even in peak summers, the alluring landscapes of Kashmir are still pleasant. If it is the beaches and the sea that holds your attention, head down to Kerela and Tamil Nadu which boast of some of the best beaches you can find. If you’re bored of the beaches and the mountains, you can run straight to the Rann of Kutch where the largest salt flats in the world await you.

You have the Khajuraho Temples in Madhya Pradesh that tell you of a vast history of proprietary styles and positions of love. If you satisfied (no puns there) with that, you have the serene and calm Buddhist temples in the north waiting to welcome you.

And if you already have explored the famous places in the country already, I am sure there are virgin territories waiting to be explored; perhaps the North East has something waiting to offer you that is not (yet) all over the internet. There are some quite mystical mountains of Assam as well as the underwater caves Meghalaya – trust me, you haven't seen them all and you haven't done it all.

For everything that's outside the country you will find an equivalent or maybe even better option to travel to, within. Isn't it amazing that what you need is right here and all you need to do is just go there and do it?

Well, this started off as a rant but I am half stoked myself to start planning another trip. Ciao!