7 offbeat holiday experiences that you'll never forget, according to Savi and Vid of Bruised Passports
Including your own Titanic moment
For a generation that believes in catching flights, not feelings, it’s hard to imagine a modern bucket list which doesn’t feature unique travel experiences in its top three. Be it backpacking solo through Vietnam, diving with whale sharks in the Philippines or going on a wine trail in Victoria. We’ve learned to embrace unplanned events and hope for the meet-cutes that seem to happen so easily in the Netflix version of life. But even if you don’t lock eyes with a handsome Frenchman or have your emotional Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara moment out on the sea, we encourage you to take the unexpected route to encounter heartstoppingly beautiful vistas and adventures that will imprint themselves on your brain for a lifetime. Which is exactly what travel bloggers Savi Munjal and Vid Vidit Taneja, founders of Bruised Passports, endorse too.
A Malaysia-Singapore trip sparked their eureka moment. “Vid was working in Singapore and I was teaching in Delhi. I was visiting him and it was just a 5-6 day trip but that’s when we decided that we wanted to explore more of the world. We didn’t have a plan for how we were going to do it then but we fell in love with the idea of travelling together,” says Savi.
Having travelled to over 100 countries, the Bruised Passports couple has been to the farthest nooks and corners of the world in search of the most novel, unique and off-beat experiences. And now they’re sharing their personal favourites with us.
Iceberg diving in Finland
Besides being the happiest country in the world, Finland is popularly known for Santa Claus’s village Rovaniemi, one of the central attractions of a Finnish holiday besides the Northern Lights. But ask what surprised the Bruised Passports globetrotters the most in Finland and Savi is quick to mention a certain iceberg dive in Kemi. An ice-breaker cruise ship sails you out to the freezing Gulf of Bothnia. Midway, it makes a stop and gives passengers an opportunity to don floatation suits and jump into the sea. “It was really scary but we like to try everything once,” she says.
They also recommend going off the beaten path in Lapland and pencilling in a trip to Ylläs, a small village in Northern Lapland where the view of the Northern Lights is to die for. You get to do all the snow activities but at a fairly economical rate compared to the now commercially popular Rovaniemi.
Mid-air swirling in Peru
Move over Machu Picchu, a tiny plane ride in Ica is the true showstopper of a Peruvian holiday. That will allow you to view the Nazca lines, patterns of animals, birds, pagan gods and geometric figures etched into the Peruvian desert supposedly by the Nazca civilisation, which can only be marvelled at from a certain height. Interestingly, the meaning behind these patterns is still a mystery waiting to be solved.
Vid’s expert suggestion is to skip breakfast before getting on the plane. “It’s a small 6-seater plane and the pilots swirl the plane around in excitement. They’re having fun, but the passengers are not,” he jokes.
Road-tripping in Spain
August is carnival season in the South of Spain, and a road trip along the coast translates to beautiful beaches, stunning towns and historical sites. Not to mention the parties happening in every town you move through. “You can see fairs — they call them ferias — and carnivals literally everywhere. There’s so much dancing on the roads and you buy sangria by the litre,” says Savi. “It’s a lot like India, the warmth of the people, the food, everyone will start talking to you even if you don’t know the language, they will use hand gestures. So it’s essential to drive with one designated sober driver,” adds Vid.
Swimming with dolphins in Zanzibar
Your first instinct when considering a holiday in Africa might be to don a khaki co-ord, lather on the sunscreen and head out for a safari. And while communing with wild elephants will always be special, Bruised Passports co-founder Savi recommends coupling it with a few underwater adventures. “A lot of people go straight to the Serengeti for Safaris but I would say they should couple it with a beach holiday in Zanzibar because the beaches there are more beautiful than any we’ve seen in the world. They literally have turquoise blue waters,” she says.
Hot air balloon ride in Dubai
Dubai is most popular for its glistening tall buildings, luxe shopping opportunities and nightlife. But there’s one experience in Dubai, high up in the air, that the Bruised Passports couple insists will blow your mind. “The last time we were in Dubai, we tried a hot air balloon ride over the desert at sunrise. That’s not a very popular thing to do there but it’s a beautiful experience. So we would strongly recommend trying that out,” says Vid.
Sipping on whisky in Inverness
A trip to London is almost always coupled with a visit to the Scottish highlands. And more specifically, to Edinburgh, where tourists time travel by wandering around its numerous castles and breathing in the views. But the couple has a special recommendation. Savi and Vid suggest driving up to Northern Scotland, to the city of Inverness instead. “The views, the winds, the whisky, the chills… it’s all just incredible,” they say in unison.
Canoeing in Meghalaya
Between the months of November and February, River Umngot in Meghalaya’s Dawki is absolutely crystal clear. Green and transparent, this beautiful river needs to be on your Meghalaya bucket list. Vid calls it a revelation.
Another personal favourite in Sikkim is the town of Pelling which offers a beautiful view of mountain Kanchenjunga. Says Vid, “A lot of people travel to Gangtok and Gurudongmar Lake but they don’t visit Pelling. So that’s a nice detour to take.”
