You don't have to plan your vacation the way others do, by visiting the cliches tourist destinations. Sure, you'll want to visit them eventually but why not make your next vacation about avoiding those crowds and saving money at the same time? I can assure you, my list of alternate destinations will have you packing that bag in a second.
1. Next time you desire to witness sea shells running up against the coastlines, skip Goa
Credits: Min Hau Si, Vagator Beach, Goa.
And visit Tamil Nadu instead.
Netrani Island is a popular diving, snorkeling and adventure destination off Murudeshwar, near Karwar, in Karnataka.
The spellbinding Spiti Valley, located in Himachal Pradesh in India, is often proclaimed by those who see it as a world within a world.
Hampi is associated with the rise and fall of the Vijayanagar Empire, but the town of Anegundi on the opposite bank of the Tungabhadra has seen not just the rise and fall of dynasties, but even the evolution of mankind! Anegundi is said to have the oldest plateaus on the planet, estimated to be about 3000 million years old – according to Wikipedia.
Wind in the hair, blue sky above the head, and clouds dancing around you, experience and examine the beauty of nature in Rishikesh.
Boasting one of the highest densities of tigers of all the national parks in India, a jeep-chase for a sight of the regal striped animal in the Bandhavgarh National Park is far more likely to result in an actual tiger.
Dalhousie, perched at the end of a dusty backbreaking road through Himachal Pradesh, is perfect to disconnect from the world.
Credits: Vinoth Chandar, Kovalam Beach, Tamil Nadu.
2. Next time you want to drift down in weightlessness and experience a spiritual sensation, skip the blue water of Andaman
Credits: Sunphol Sorakul, Andaman
And visit Netrani in Karnataka.
Credits: Adventurenation, Netrani Island
3. Next time you wish to witness how nature embraces earth in full grace, give Kashmir a break,
Credits: Michal Svec, Kashmir
And head to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
Credits: Kaushal Vasa, Spiti Valley, Himachal.
4. Next time you want to visit the forlorn ruins of a long forgotten past, instead of Hampi,
Credits: Leon Yaakov, Hampi, Karnataka
Visit Anegundi, Karnataka.
Credits: Poornima Dasharathi, Anegundi
5. Next time you wish to have a spiritual experience, instead of Varanasi,
Credits: Sibin Mohan, Varanasi.
Try visiting Rishikesh.
Credits: Wikimedia
6. Want to see an actual tiger? Instead of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand,
Credits: Roshan Panjwani, Jim Corbett
Go to Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Credits: elkhiki, Bhandhavgarh
7. Next time you want to pitch a tent in the most picturesque place, instead of Tawang,
Credits: Fatema Diwan, Tawang.
Head straight to Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh.
Credits: Kushendra Tiwary, Dalhousie
While these destinations are not necessarily substitutes, they offer an experience that feels similar to the original. We all crave to wander the country without putting a dent in our wallets. Luckily enough, that last excuse is also out of the window now! So, get out and explore, you won't regret it.
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Cover Image Credits: Yogi Sama