0

Roam like a Native

Travelling abroad is usually an expensive affair and hence you want to make the best of the limited time you have there. To optimise vacation time you end up spending hours and hours on the internet researching about the place. You try and figure out where to eat, how much would it cost, what to see, how to get there, and so on. There is seldom room for you to be spontaneous. And if you are traveling with family it becomes even more important to make the most of your time there. You cannot be casual about your trip. Everything has to be pre-planned. What if I tell you, you don’t HAVE to travel that way. You can be as spontaneous as you want to be. You would probably not believe me. But this is exactly what we are trying to achieve for travellers like ourselves. We’ve seen that tourists waste a lot of time trying to locate good restaurants, shopping, pubs, money changers, etc. Even with copious amounts of planning, you need information about these facets, on the go. One very interesting thing that also came up during our research phase was that travellers were seldom familiar with local portals or digital properties to get the right information from, and more often than not ended up using Google for everything. Now we all know that Google is great but not perfect. My recent trip to London taught me that Google can go badly wrong in giving ratings to a restaurant. A 3.5 rating for me from Google would mean that I would enjoy a meal here. But unfortunately, I ended up spending a lot of money for really bad food. Tesco Express would have been a better bet any day. But that is the thing about internet. It is only as good as the things we ask it to do. I was not familiar with local content curators, like Yelp in the US, or Zomato in India. Hence Google was my go-to portal. After one bad experience, I started reading the reviews. The average time I ended up taking deciding where to eat went up almost to an hour. That’s a sheer waste of precious vacation time. And more often than not, I would settle for a place near to me or a short 10-minute ride away. I really could have used Trabug on that trip. If you had to spend no time planning, you would easily save about a week’s time of researching and curating stuff on your own.

0

Amritsar: Of Patriotism, Food and Religion

Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, was founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh Guru, Ram Das. The city is home to Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the spectacular Golden Temple, known locally as Harmandir Sahib. Situated in the state of Punjab, Amritsar is a mere 30 kilometres away from the Pakistan border. The National Capital, Delhi, is 450 km away. Amritsar is well-connected to the rest of India through a good rail and road network. Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport connects Amritsar to the rest of the world, with seven international destinations and eleven domestic connections. The Golden Temple is the spiritual centre of the Sikh religion. Popularly known as “Darbar Sahib”, the Golden Temple is surrounded by water on all four sides. This is what gave Amritsar its name: “Amrit-sar”, meaning “lake of nectar”. The Temple is a must-visit, even for the non-religious. Its serene atmosphere and striking design make it an automatic choice for a visit. You can book Trabug for an audio-guided tour of the temple. “Golden Temple” Amritsar is also a food-lovers’ paradise. From the Golden Temple langar, or free meal served to all visitors irrespective of faith…to Amritsar’s famous fish tikkas and lassi, you can wolf down a scrumptious meal at many, many different places in the city. Trabug can help you find what you’re looking for. Other places of interest: Wagah Border — the only open international border between India and Pakistan, which is officially accessible by both the nations. A daily retreat ceremony has been observed here at sunset since 1959. India’s Border Security Force and Pakistan’s Sutlej Rangers twirl moustaches, stomp feet, and stand toe-to-toe in a testosterone-heavy ritual that attracts thousands of visitors every day. Timings can be found using Trabug.

0

Goa: The Portuguese Shangri-La

Goa is not a place that you visit only once in your life. History comes alive in Panjim, the state capital, known as the ‘Rome of the East’. With unique culture and great natural beauty, Goa truly has something for everyone. Beaches and Adventure Sports Although North Goa get all the attention, if you are looking for some privacy, hit the beaches in the South. Utorda and Arossim Beach in the South are sure to relax you. When you want to party, North Goa is the place to be. Hit the Anjuna, Calangute and Baga beaches and find people having the time of their life. Time to let your hair down and PARTY! Indulge in water sports like scuba diving, parasailing, jet skiing and banana boat rides. These are offered at almost all the beaches and are good fun. To make the most of your Goa holiday, book your room at a beachside hotel. Spicy Sights Visit a spice plantation in Goa

0

How to get a SIM card in India for calling and data?

India is a land of colours, cultures, calmness and chaos all in a vibrant and delicate balance that you’ll find nowhere else. It is diverse and beautiful. It is huge and welcoming. But while it’s all these great things, it is also a little difficult. Buying a SIM card in India can get a little tricky sometimes especially if you are a roaming foreign traveler. You need many documents and there are many steps to obtaining one. Even when you have the cheapest SIM card in India or the most expensive one, it might not work with your phone unless your phone is locked and the GSM bandwidths are compatible. Must Know These Facts About Buying a SIM Card in India Types of SIM cards: There are two types of Indian SIM cards available namely; postpaid and prepaid or pay as you go SIM. A postpaid SIM Card is the one where you are billed after having used the services like calling, data, texting. Postpaid plans cost more than prepaid plans generally whereas a prepaid sim card in india for foreigners or a pay as you go sim india is where you pay before hand to avail services like calling, data, texting. The plans on this one are comparatively cheaper. Validity of a tourist SIM card is for max 90 days. After that it will automatically get disabled. If you are here for longer than 90 days you will have to rely on an Indian resident to get you a card. Or you will have to get a new SIM card for a foreigner with a new number. In most of the parts of the world, mobile phones are locked to their telecom carriers and only they (your telecom carrier) can unlock the phones for you. You will not be able to insert another sim or use it with another carrier unless unlocked. To obtain an international/ travel SIM card in India, you need to present the following documents in original and photocopies: Passport Photographs Indian Visa Local Address Documents Home Address Proof and some more depending on your SIM card provider’s and seller’s requirement. Within 15 hours of your details being successfully verified, your SIM card to use in India should be active. Post that you can go back to the shop and top up or recharge your phone. You will have to make sure that you are in the same area as you bought the roaming SIM card for the activation to go through. For instance, if you bought the local SIM card in Delhi, you cannot complete the activation if you have travelled outside of Delhi. It has to be done within the same area it was issued. Indian government tried a scheme with free tourist BSNL SIM cards and international SIM cards being sold at airports. The free sim card in india for foreigners that BSNL used to provide, has now been discontinued. There is no such free sim card India that you can avail and we warn you to be careful from such fraudulent claims. Steps to Obtaining an Indian SIM CardStep 1: Local referenceFor a prepaid roaming SIM card you will need a local reference name and phone number (For instance you can’t apply for a SIM card in Delhi with a reference in Mumbai- it has to be a local number) It is not necessary that you will have a local reference but you will need one because your local reference will get a call from the network provider within 24 hours of submitting the documents. It is possible that only one phone call is made to the local reference and in case they miss that call, you may have to wait for a day or so get the call again. It is also possible that you may have to repeat the entire documentation process with a different number as your application may be rejected and then you’ll have to wait for another two days. Step 2: Final verification