THIS MILESTONE does not come easy. As Travel + Leisure India & South Asia celebrates the 15th year of its presence in the subcontinent, we steer towards travel that’s more meaningful—experiences that stem out of people and places leaving indelible me

Bordering Lithuania, Poland, and the Baltic Sea, the Kaliningrad province is spread over 15,000 square kilometres and shares no borders with mainland Russia. Kaliningrad’s capital of the same name was founded in the 13th century and was called Königs

THE FAST-EXPANDING Welcomhotel brand offers premium destination-inspired properties across India. Among its latest offerings are Welcomhotel Bhubaneswar and Welcomhotel Katra. Located in New Bhubaneswar, eight kilometres from Biju Patnaik Internation

SITUATED ON A PRISTINE lagoon in South Malé Atoll, OZEN RESERVE BOLIFUSHI is a private island resort with expansive white beaches kissed by turquoise waters. A stay here is made up of top-notch, bespoke experiences: from a traditional Maldivian islan

In the foothills of the Aravallis, near Ranthambore National Park, Anuraga Palace offers a regal stay. A TWO-HOUR DRIVE from Jaipur International Airport, Anuraga Palace is a regal-looking boutique resort on the fringes of Ranthambore National Park.

AN IMPRESSIVE COMBINATION of Rajasthan’s cultural traditions and modern hospitality, Rajasthali Resort and Spa is the perfect destination for the discerning traveller. Surrounded by the Aravallis, the property offers well-equipped stay options, memor

THE PEOPLE OF PORTO, Portugal, like to joke that the best thing about Vila Nova de Gaia—their lesser-known neighbour on the opposite bank of the Douro River—is its view of Porto. Naturally, Gaia residents don’t take too kindly to that. (As someone wh

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What does it mean to be director of sustainability at Booking.com? As a leading global travel brand, we believe it is our responsibility to help preserve and build a world worth experiencing—now and long into the future. My team leads the company’s w

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COURTESY OF RITU KUMAR; TOP: INDIAPICTURE/ALAMY ■

I HAD ALWAYS WISHED TO explore Ladakh. My fascination with mountains started early in life—I used to paint them growing up. And Ladakh offers a diverse and scenic landscape that ranges from towering mountains to deep valleys and breathtaking stupas p

Location: MANDIRA BEDI’S HOUSE ON AIRBNB (MADH ISLAND) I lived in Mumbai for 12 years, but never did i think of entering the cocoon of Madh Island—barely an hour’s drive from the city’s suburbs. As our car parks at Mandira Bedi’s home—a beautiful fou

IN A HAMLET CALLED ERANGAL, on Madh Island, TV icon Mandira Bedi bought a quaint bungalow overlooking the sea 14 years ago. She named it Bougainvilla after the flowers that flank the property even today. While Bedi used it as a location for shoots an

THE FOG IS SO MILKY and dense that the valley and mountains disappear in front of my eyes. I am at the quaint Makaibari Bungalow, sited beside the world’s first tea factory and estate of the same name in Kurseong, an hour and a half from Darjeeling.

IT ALWAYS STARTS WITH the dhaak, the quintessential Bengali percussion instrument that announces the arrival of Durga Puja around the country. Dhaakis, usually village men who arrive in town well before the festival, are entrusted with the responsibi

INE REASON I travel is to envision lives other than my own, or to picture my own life in new, irresistible settings. Rarely has that thrill of trying out someone else’s existence felt as intense as it did during my stay at the Patrick & Joan Leigh Fe

IN THE BAGGAGE wheel at Geneva Airport, my suitcase dropped out of the carousel mouth, but by the time I’d walked over to it, it was gone. Like a magic trick gone awry, it vanished into thin air. I arrived at my hotel, the majestic Beau Rivage Genève

Many a little makes a mickle. Ishita Khanna has proven the old adage right Mwith her groundbreaking work in the field of sustainable development in Spiti Valley over the last two decades. A social-work graduate from Tata Institute of Social Sciences

It’s safe to assume that anyone who is on Instagram and even remotely interested in Itravel has heard of, if not followed, Beautiful Destinations (@beautifuldestinations). One of the largest traveller communities on social media with 25 million peopl

Before 2008—the year his sister got married—Joseph BRadhik had not given wedding photography a single thought. As an IIM graduate, his career trajectory for the next 20 years was set in stone. But after witnessing his sister’s ceremony, he signed up

In an industry like hospitality, our role is to provide comfort, love, and care,” “Isays Keshav Suri, the youngest executive director at The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group. He took some concrete steps in this direction in 2018 by launching the Keshav S

Chef Prateek Sadhu is on cloud nine. His award-winning restaurant, CMasque (masquerestaurant.com), has turned five and has also made it to No. 32 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021. When it opened in Mumbai in 2016, it brought forth novel concepts li

The Kasliwals were stone cutters and enamellers who first came to Jaipur in 1728 at the invitation of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, who was building his fortified capital. Soon, the city began to metamorphose into a hub of art, culture, and trade; the Ka

When a 21-year-old Sumer Verma first dived into the Laccadive Sea from the Bangaram island of Lakshadweep in 1997, there was only one dive school in the country. But he was so hooked that he kept returning for advanced courses to eventually become an

It’s true: no one knows a place better than the locals. The Snow Leopard Conservancy-India Trust or SLC-IT (snowleopardindia.org) understands this all too well. Co-founded in 2000 by the late Rinchen Wangchuk, a Ladakhi mountaineer and naturalist, SL

“A viation is one of those careers where you get drawn in and perhaps stay until you find something better. I didn’t, so here I still am, 20 years later,” confesses a candid Vinod Kannan, CCO, Vistara. Originally from Bengaluru, Kannan moved to Singa

Until April this year, Justin Narayan was a youth pastor Uin Australia—not the kind of job in which you make headlines. By mid-July, however, he had acquired global fame and a dedicated fan base around the world—all by winning one of the most popular

Not many five-year-olds know of Steve Irwin, the late Australian wildlife conservationist and TV personality, let alone be inspired by him to shape their lives. But Malaika Vaz was no ordinary five-year-old. As a child, she decided she wanted to do w

To paint is one thing, but to leave a lasting impression with your work is another. Meenakshi Jey and Jey Sushil (Mee and Jey) have managed to do the latter. The couple has travelled across 17 Indian states, painting murals in people’s homes, schools

Mrinalika and Akshita Bhanjdeo are millennial princesses, so it’s rather apt that they are champions of the defining cause of this generation: sustainability. The second and third daughters, respectively, of the 47th ruler of the Bhanja dynasty, Maha

What happens when two best friends—one, a die-hard Goan, and the other, a Finland-based marketing strategist with a penchant for sustainable tourism and clean technology—marry their passions? BLive (store.blive.co.in), India’s first e-bike tourism in

By Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty Ingredients: ▸ 20 gm baby potatoes▸ 3 black cardamoms, deseeded▸ 2 cinnamon sticks▸ 6-7 cloves▸ 10 gm coriander seeds▸ 150 gm yoghurt, whisked▸ 150 ml mustard oil▸ 150 gm roasted coriander powder▸ 5 gm turmeric▸ 5 gm fre

What you need: ▸ 2-3 marigold flowers▸ 1 tablespoon honey▸ 2 teaspoons sandalwood powder▸ 2 tablespoons milk▸ 1 tablespoon gram flour▸ ½ teaspoon olive oil A few drops of rosewater Method Throw marigold petals in a bowl and crush them well with the b

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to visit Spiti Valley. I have an affinity for the obscure, far-flung corners of the world. I loved being in Ladakh a few years ago, and I know Spiti isn’t any less charming. But I also know that this won’t

IN 1419, WHEN PORTUGUESE seafarers happened on an uninhabited island in the North Atlantic, around 800 kilometres off the African coast, they were awed by the dense covering of greenery. Even today, after 600 years of human encroachment, their amazem

The road to Spiti Valley goes through Manali or Shimla. While the route from Shimla via Kinnaur is more developed and stays open almost through the year, the road from Manali is rocky and opens only during summer (May/June–September/October, dependin

Multiple airlines serve one-stop flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad to Madeira. Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, commonly known as Madeira Airport, located in Santa Cruz, is the main gateway to the archipelago. Les

I WAS ON A TRIP to explore all the waterfalls in Chhattisgarh. Arguably the most popular among these is the Chitrakoot Falls, located in Bastar. Once you get there, it quickly becomes clear that this is not an overrated tourist destination. Chitrakoo