Author

Vinod

Vinod Kumar writes the travel blog at Progressive Tour Travels. In his own words, he is a traveller who loves exploring new places and meeting new people, and who enjoys sharing travel experiences and stories to inspire other people to travel and see more of the world.

That instinct shapes what appears here. Rather than listing destinations, Vinod writes the practical detail travellers actually need before they set off: how long a route really takes, which month suits a particular hill station, what a tour package tends to include, and where the crowds thin out.

Across more than a hundred articles, a few subjects come up again and again.

The Himalayas and the pilgrimage routes. Vinod covers the Char Dham Yatra in depth, from the best months to travel and the Kedarnath trek to what a package costs and how to make the journey comfortable rather than exhausting. His Uttarakhand writing runs well beyond the pilgrim trail, taking in Nainital, Auli, Joshimath, the Valley of Flowers and the quieter corners of Kumaon.

Rajasthan. Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer appear throughout, along with the forts, the desert safaris, the festival calendar and the practicalities of driving out from Delhi.

Himachal and the north. Manali, Shimla and Bir Billing, the hill stations that stay peaceful in peak season, and the road trip routes that start from Chandigarh.

Travelling as a group. A theme that runs through much of the blog is how people actually move around India together, whether that is a tempo traveller, a Force Urbania van or a seven seater car, and what makes a long journey bearable for a family or a party of pilgrims.

Festivals, food and heritage. Holi and Krishna Janmashtami, the street food of Delhi and Indore, and the UNESCO sites at Khajuraho, Sarnath and the Ajanta Ellora caves.

Vinod writes for travellers at the planning stage, and the posts tend to answer the questions that come up in that window. When should you go. How do you get there. What will it cost. What should you pack. What do first time visitors to India consistently underestimate. Several guides are written specifically for international visitors making a first trip, covering safety, budgeting and the gap between what people expect and what they find.

The aim throughout is to be useful rather than promotional. A post about the best month for Char Dham says which months are difficult and why. A post about a hill station in monsoon says what the rain will actually do to the trip.

Progressive Tour Travels arranges tours and vehicle hire across India, from single city sightseeing to multi week pilgrimage circuits. If something in a post raises a question about your own trip, the team can help you plan the route, the timing and the transport around it.