Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about?
If I could meet one celebrity, I would choose Sudha Murty. And no, I wouldn’t begin by asking about her favourite book or the secret behind her simple sarees. Although, let’s be honest, that question might sneak in eventually! 😂
What inspires me about her is the beauty she finds in ordinary things and the values she represents. Some people impress you during an interview; others stay with you long after the screen goes dark. She belongs to the second category for me.
1. Sudha Murty Inspiration: A Love That Grows Deeper
What touches me about Sudha Murty’s love story is how she believed in Narayana Murthy and stood by him when success was still uncertain.
To me, real love isn’t about posting pictures and declaring #CoupleGoals. (A good picture never hurt anyone, though! 😂) It’s about standing together when life gets difficult, respecting each other’s dreams and discovering new reasons to admire one another.
Anyone can celebrate your success. But having someone believe in you while you’re still finding your way? That’s a different kind of beautiful. ❤️
2. Sudha Murty Children’s Books: Little Stories, Lasting Lessons
Her children’s books inspire me because stories can teach kindness and courage without sounding like a school textbook that has learnt to talk!
I dream of writing children’s books myself, filled with imagination, lovable characters and a little mischief. I’d love to ask Sudha ji how she creates stories that entertain children while leaving a meaningful lesson behind.
If one of my stories makes a child kinder, braver or more curious, I’d consider that a wonderful achievement.
3. Sudha Murty on Women Empowerment
Women remember everyone’s needs, favourite meals and missing socks. But ask them what they want, and even Google might struggle to find an answer! 😂
I would love to discuss how women can care for their families without putting their own dreams aside, and how we can celebrate one another without comparison or judgement.
A woman shouldn’t have to choose between a loving heart and a life of her own. She deserves both.
A Conversation to Remember
Meeting Sudha Murty would mean more to me than meeting a celebrity. I’d want to leave with fresh inspiration for my writing, a deeper appreciation of enduring love and the courage to keep pursuing my dreams.
Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about? Tell me in the comments!
What’s a country that’s at the top of your bucket list?
If you ask me which country is at the top of my bucket list, my answer might disappoint all those fancy international travel brochures.
India. Yes, India. And preferably by road! 😃
Why rush to tick off countries when my own country still has so many beautiful corners waiting to be explored? My India travel bucket list is far from complete, and honestly, India seems to have no intention of making it easy for me!
Kashmir’s breathtaking valleys, Kerala’s dreamy backwaters, Gujarat’s colourful culture, the mysterious charm of the Northeast, and the turquoise waters of Lakshadweep — so many places, so little time!
Some cities have already been my home, some I’ve explored as a tourist, and others are still waiting patiently on my travel wishlist. I intend to get to them eventually. No promises about the timeline, though. Life has its own itinerary, and it rarely asks for my approval!
My ideal trip? A long road journey with beautiful landscapes rolling past the windows, unexpected stops, local delicacies that make me forget every diet plan I ever considered, and a little shopping along the way. 😜
And honestly, have you seen the sheer variety India has to offer? Snow-covered mountains, golden deserts, lush green forests, sunny beaches, ancient forts, magnificent temples, colourful festivals, and charming little towns with stories waiting to be discovered.
Then comes the food! Kolkata’s kathi rolls, Hyderabad’s biryani, Mumbai’s street food, Gujarat’s farsan, and South India’s crispy dosas. Every region brings something different to the table, quite literally! And shopping? Let’s just say I might return with wonderful memories, but my luggage could need some extra space. 😂
And when the road ends? Well, there’s always a flight! I’m adventurous, not unreasonable.
Travel: Exploring the Beauty of India
Of course, international trips are welcome too. I’m not going to turn down a passport stamp! But for now, my heart has plenty of unfinished travel plans right here in India.
My dream is to explore India, one road trip at a time — with a curious heart, a hungry stomach, comfortable shoes, and enough luggage to suggest that I’m relocating permanently. 😂
Because travelling, for me, isn’t just about reaching a destination. It’s about the stories collected along the way, the unexpected discoveries, the flavours that linger in my memory, and those beautiful views that make me forget to check my phone.
From scenic road trips to hidden gems waiting to be discovered, there’s always something new around the next bend. Honestly, how can one ever run out of places to explore in a country as beautiful and diverse as India? ❤️🦋
So, while I’m still figuring out which part of India to explore next, one thing is certain: my travel bucket list is long enough to keep me happily occupied for years!
Tell me, what’s at the top of your travel bucket list? And if it’s India, which place would you send me to first? ❤️
My SEO Strategy: Flirting with Google Without Losing My Self-Respect! 😂
Let’s be honest. SEO is a little like dating.
You write something heartfelt, put your soul into it, dress it up with a beautiful title, and wait for someone to notice. And then… nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Google is giving you the silent treatment, your traffic is playing hide-and-seek, and your carefully written blog post is sitting somewhere on the internet, wondering what it did wrong. 😂
Welcome to blogging!
So, what are my strategies for SEO? Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. And no, bribing Google with filter coffee hasn’t worked. Yet. ☕😜
1. Write for humans. Optimise for search engines.
My first rule is simple: write something worth reading.
I want my readers to laugh, think, feel something, or occasionally question their life choices. I don’t want them to feel as if they’re reading a dictionary that swallowed a marketing manual.
Keywords are important, of course. But if I have to squeeze the phrase “best life lessons for women” into every second sentence, my article will sound less like writing and more like a hostage situation.
2. Keywords are guests, not the entire wedding party.
I use relevant keywords in my title, introduction, headings, URL and meta description wherever they fit naturally.
The trick is to help search engines understand what my post is about without making my readers wonder whether I’ve forgotten how ordinary English works.
Keyword stuffing? No, thank you. My blog is not a suitcase I’m trying to close by sitting on it.
3. Yoast SEO is my adviser, not my boss.
Yoast gives me useful suggestions about readability, keyphrases, internal links and meta descriptions. I listen, make improvements, and try to keep those little SEO lights happy.
But if a plugin tells me to rewrite a heartfelt paragraph until it sounds like a washing machine manual, I’m going to exercise my right to disagree.
A green light is lovely. A human voice is lovelier.
4. Internal links: Don’t let your blog posts live like strangers.
I connect related articles, poems and stories on my blog, Nihshabd.
If someone enjoys one post, I’d love for them to discover another. Think of internal linking as introducing your guests to each other at a party instead of letting everyone stand awkwardly near the snacks.
It also helps search engines discover and understand related content on my website.
5. Give every post a little digital housekeeping.
Descriptive titles, meaningful headings, readable URLs, useful meta descriptions, properly sized images with descriptive alt text, and a mobile-friendly website all matter.
I also submit my sitemap through Google Search Console and keep an eye on indexing and search performance.
Because publishing a blog post without checking whether Google can find it is a little like opening a beautiful boutique in the middle of a forest and forgetting to put up a road sign.
6. Pinterest and social media are my wingmen.
I share my posts on Pinterest and Instagram to help them reach readers who might enjoy them.
Social media can bring visitors, introduce new people to my writing, and help my content find an audience beyond my little corner of the internet.
But I remind myself that a thousand impressions are not the same as a thousand loyal readers. I’d rather have people who genuinely connect with my words than numbers that look impressive in a screenshot.
7. Originality is my secret ingredient.
I write about life, women, emotions, everyday absurdities, personal growth, and those little moments that deserve more attention than they usually get.
I want my writing to sound like me.
Because the internet already has enough articles saying the same thing in seventeen different ways. I’d rather add a little honesty, humour and personality to the conversation.
Google’s own guidance emphasises helpful, reliable, people-first content. And honestly, that sounds like a sensible relationship policy.
8. Patience. The most annoying SEO strategy of all.
This is the part nobody wants to hear.
SEO takes time. New content may take time to be discovered, indexed and ranked. Good writing alone cannot guarantee traffic, and a perfectly optimised post doesn’t come with a first-page guarantee.
I check Google Search Console, look at impressions and clicks, investigate indexing issues, and improve my content when needed.
Do I sometimes wonder why Google has discovered a million things but not my carefully written article?
Absolutely.
Do I occasionally stare at my analytics as if the numbers might improve out of sheer embarrassment?
Also absolutely. 😂
But I’m learning that SEO is not just about getting noticed. It’s about helping the right readers find something genuinely worth their time.
My final SEO strategy?
Write with heart. Optimise with common sense. Link thoughtfully. Learn from the data. Keep improving. And never let an SEO plugin convince you that your personality is a technical error.
Because at the end of the day, I don’t just want Google to find my blog.
I want someone to find my words, stay a little longer, smile, think, and perhaps return tomorrow.
And if Google would kindly stop playing hard to get in the meantime, that would be wonderful. 😜
What about you? What’s your SEO strategy? Are you and Google in a healthy relationship, or are you still waiting for it to text you back? 😂
People pleasing is one habit I wish I’d understood better when I was younger. Saying yes to everyone sounds harmless until you become the unofficial manager of a department you never applied to join. 😂
Daily Writing Prompt: What’s one thing you know now that would have saved your younger self a lot of pain?
Before we begin, a small request: please don’t bring up my past just to sprinkle some extra salt on old wounds. I’ve already paid the tuition fees for those life lessons, and trust me, the course wasn’t cheap! 😪😂 Let the syllabus remain closed!
People Pleasing: The Trouble with Always Saying Yes
If there’s one thing I wish my younger self had known, it’s that saying yes to everyone can sometimes mean saying no to yourself.
Every “Yes, no problem!” comes with the risk of becoming a permanent job description.
You agree to do one little thing, and before you know it, you’re the unofficial manager of a department you never applied to join. No salary, no promotion, not even a thank-you note sometimes. Just unlimited responsibilities and the occasional “You don’t mind, do you?”
Oh, the things we do to maintain our excellent reputation as the person who never says no! 😂
The worst part? I still haven’t learnt my lesson.
Even today, before saying no, I mentally prepare for the other person’s disappointment, rehearse explanations they haven’t asked for, and occasionally say yes just to avoid making things awkward.
Apparently, my mouth has a faster response time than my brain. My brain is still reviewing the request while my mouth has already signed the contract.
People Pleasing and the Fear of Disappointing Others
And God forbid someone should feel bad! What if they misunderstand me? What if they think I’ve changed? What if they’re upset with me?
Meanwhile, I’m sitting there feeling exhausted over a commitment I voluntarily agreed to, wondering why my life suddenly resembles a customer care department that never closes.
Honestly, I deserve a customer satisfaction award. The only dissatisfied customer, however, is me. 😂
Perhaps this is one thing I wish my younger self had known: people change, and so do you.
The things you once did without a second thought may eventually feel like obligations you can no longer carry so easily. Your priorities change. Your energy changes. Even your understanding of what it means to be a good person changes.
And that’s okay.
People Pleasing: You Cannot Control Everything
You cannot control how people react, what they think of you, or whether everyone approves of your decisions.
You can explain yourself with the precision of a lawyer presenting a case in the Supreme Court, and someone might still misunderstand you.
Congratulations! You’ve just wasted three hours preparing a defence for a crime you didn’t commit. 😂
I wish I had understood earlier that saying no doesn’t automatically make you rude, selfish, or a terrible human being.
Sometimes, it simply means you have other things to do. Sometimes, it means you’re tired. And sometimes, it means you’d genuinely prefer to sit quietly with a cup of coffee rather than add another item to your never-ending to-do list.
A revolutionary concept, I know!
Learning to Say No Without Feeling Guilty
Old habits are stubborn little creatures, especially the ones people have grown accustomed to.
When you’ve always been the person who agrees, even a perfectly reasonable no can feel like a shocking plot twist.
And perhaps that’s the hardest part—not learning to say no, but accepting that someone might not like the new version of you.
Still, I have a soft spot for my younger self, who said yes so easily.
She wasn’t foolish. She was trying to be considerate, to be helpful, and to make things easier for everyone around her. She just hadn’t figured out that she was allowed to include herself in that everyone.
I wouldn’t scold her for it. I’d probably give her a hug, offer her a cup of coffee, and gently suggest that the next time someone asks for a favour, she try saying, “Let me think about it.”
Baby steps. We’re not performing miracles here. 😂
And if I ever master this skill, please don’t expect an announcement. I’ll be too busy learning how to say no to the people asking me to explain why I’ve suddenly learnt to say no.
Some habits are hard to break. Especially the ones that come with excellent customer service, a generous heart, and absolutely no cancellation policy. 😂🤍
P.S. If you’re reading this and thinking of asking me for a favour, please allow me at least three to five business days to consult my brain before my mouth responds.
Let’s Talk! 💬
Are you also someone who says yes before your brain has had a chance to review the terms and conditions? 😂
Have you ever agreed to do something and immediately regretted it?
Tell me in the comments. Let’s see how many of us are running an unpaid customer care department without even knowing it!
And if this made you smile, share it with someone who needs a gentle reminder that saying no doesn’t make them a bad person. 🦋🤍
The Weirdest Movie I Watched: Within just 15 minutes, and My Brain Said Goodbye! 😂
The weirdest movie I’ve ever watched left me wondering what on earth was going on! 😂 I started watching it because I genuinely liked the heroine’s acting. Fifteen minutes later, my brain was ready to say goodbye!
The story revolves mainly around a newly married couple. An arranged marriage, a husband and wife trying to navigate life together, and a whole lot of behaviour that had me wondering whether I had accidentally entered a parallel universe.
But the plot? The behaviour? The whole atmosphere?
Kuch toh gadbad hai, Daya! 😂
The characters seemed to be operating by a completely different set of rules. Their reactions were bizarre, the situations were strange, and I kept waiting for something to make sense.
Was this experimental cinema? Was there some deeper meaning I wasn’t getting? Or had logic simply decided to take a vacation without informing anyone?
I genuinely couldn’t figure it out.
And before anyone asks, yes, I know that unusual films can be brilliant. I enjoy stories that are different and unpredictable. But there’s a difference between being intrigued by a movie and sitting there thinking, Bhai, yeh chal kya raha hai? 😂
After fifteen minutes, my patience packed its bags and left. I switched it off.
Perhaps the movie gets better later. Perhaps there’s a brilliant explanation waiting in the second half. Unfortunately, my curiosity wasn’t strong enough to survive the first fifteen minutes.
My evening was too precious to spend decoding what felt like a very strange experiment in human behaviour.
Some movies deserve a standing ovation. Others deserve a remote control and an early exit.
This one got the remote control.
Now, Can You Guess the Movie? 🎬
I’m keeping the name a secret. Let’s see who can crack this cinematic mystery!
Here are your clues:
Clue 1: I started watching it because I genuinely like the heroine’s acting.
Clue 2: The story revolves mainly around a newly married couple and their rather unusual married life.
Clue 3: An arranged marriage, an awkward husband, an unhappy wife, and some seriously bizarre behaviour.
Clue 4: Within 15 minutes, I was wondering whether I was watching a movie or witnessing a collective breakdown of logic! 😂
So, can you guess which movie it is?
Drop your answers in the comments. No Googling, please! Let your filmi instincts do the work. 😜
What’s the Weirdest Movie You’ve Ever Watched? 🎬
And tell me, what’s the weirdest movie you’ve ever watched? The one that made you stare at the screen and wonder, “What on earth is happening here?”
I’m waiting to hear your stories. Who knows? Maybe your weirdest movie will make my fifteen-minute experience look perfectly normal!
Special Mention: The featured image is inspired by scenes I came across on social media, which made the dark comedy look interesting. The actual experience? A different story altogether! 😂
Disclaimer: I watched fifteen minutes, so this is my personal experience, not a review of the entire film.
My Morning Routine: A Little Bit of Everything, and a Little Bit of Me
My morning routine doesn’t come with a snooze button for responsibilities. Monday or Sunday, the day begins, and apparently, the universe expects me to show up. 😂
But somewhere between the sunrise and my first cup of coffee, I often catch myself doing something wonderfully unproductive: simply enjoying the moment.
The sky turns beautiful, the morning light sneaks through the window, and for a few minutes, the world seems to have nowhere urgent to be. If it rains, the little girl inside me wants to fold a paper boat and set it sailing. No deadlines, no destinations, just a boat, a puddle and an imagination that doesn’t need Wi-Fi.
Of course, I am also an adult. So the paper boat has to compete with a rather impressive list of responsibilities. Childhood was so much simpler. We could spend an entire afternoon making a boat out of paper. Now we need to schedule the nostalgia! 😄
Healthy Morning Habits: Taking Care of Myself
My morning routine also includes a little exercise and my homemade wellness potion: ajwain, jeera, saunf, methi, black pepper, ginger and lemon, all boiled together. It’s my way of reminding myself that looking after my health cannot always be postponed until a more convenient day.
We make time for so many things and people; surely, our own well-being deserves a place on that list, too.
This is something my mother-in-law taught me, and it’s a lesson I’ve come to value more with time: taking care of ourselves shouldn’t always come last. ❤️
Then there’s my creative mind, which apparently has no concept of office hours. A thought for a blog post pops up while I’m doing something else. I rush to note it down before it disappears into the mysterious black hole where forgotten ideas live. An illustration starts taking shape in my head, and somewhere in between, a very practical question interrupts the artist in me: What on earth am I cooking today?
Creativity is wonderful, but apparently, it doesn’t exempt anyone from deciding what’s for lunch. 😂
Finding Peace in My Morning Routine
After the school rush and seeing my husband off to work, I finally get a little time for myself. Pooja, meditation, and a few moments of quiet. No elaborate plans to transform my life before breakfast. Just a little pause to breathe, gather my thoughts and feel grounded before the day unfolds.
I’ve come to appreciate these little rituals. Exercise reminds me to care for my body. Meditation gives my mind room to breathe. Writing and illustration allow me to explore the thoughts and ideas that make me feel like myself. And those quiet moments in between remind me that I am more than the things I do for everyone else.
Perhaps that’s the secret I’ve been discovering in my ordinary mornings: a full life doesn’t have to mean a life lived in a hurry.
Finding Joy in Everyday Life
We often imagine that happiness will arrive when the work is finished, the house is in order, the responsibilities are taken care of and we finally have some free time.
But have you noticed how the to-do list seems to reproduce when nobody is watching? Finish one task, and two more appear. It’s practically performing mitosis! 🤣
If we keep waiting for everything to be done before we allow ourselves to enjoy life, we might spend a very long time waiting.
My morning routine reminds me to find little pockets of happiness right in the middle of everyday life. To notice a beautiful sunrise even when the day is busy. To follow a creative thought instead of dismissing it as something I can do later. To make room for healthy habits, quiet moments and the occasional ridiculous idea involving a paper boat.
Because life isn’t happening after the responsibilities are over. It’s happening while we’re living through them.
And maybe we don’t need a completely different life to feel happier. Maybe we need to pay a little more attention to the life we already have.
Maybe a beautiful life isn’t one where we have nothing to do. Maybe it’s one where, amid everything we have to do, we still find things that make us feel alive.
And tomorrow morning, if you happen to see a paper boat floating in a puddle, don’t judge the adult who made it.
She might simply have remembered how to be happy without a reason. ☀️❤️
❤️ A Little Question for You 🦋
What makes your mornings special? Is it that first cup of coffee, a quiet moment to yourself, the sunrise outside your window, or something entirely unexpected?
Tell me in the comments. I’d love to know about the little things that make your ordinary days beautiful.
And if this post reminded you to slow down and enjoy life’s little moments, share it with someone who might need that reminder, too.
What’s the best way to meet new people while travelling?
I have a very simple theory.
Smile.
Yes, that’s my entire strategy. No networking skills, no carefully rehearsed conversation starters, no “How to make friends while travelling” Google search. 😄
My Very Complicated Travel Strategy 😄
Although, being an introvert, I do need a little courage before I actually use this strategy.
Put me in a new place, surrounded by people I don’t know, and suddenly my mind becomes extremely busy.
Should I say hello?
Will they think I’m being too friendly?
What if they don’t respond?
And then my brain helpfully adds:
Maybe just look at your phone. That’s socially acceptable.
How I Meet New People While Travelling
But I’ve noticed that a smile makes the first step much easier.
I smile at the person sitting beside me, someone I meet at a café, another traveller looking at the same view, or even a stranger whose eyes happen to meet mine.
And quite often, they smile back.
That little exchange changes something.
There is suddenly a tiny bit of familiarity between two people who knew absolutely nothing about each other five seconds ago.
Sometimes it becomes a conversation.
Sometimes it becomes a recommendation for a lovely little place.
Sometimes it becomes a shared laugh.
And sometimes… it remains just a smile.
That’s okay too.
You Never Know Where It Might Lead
I don’t think travelling is about coming home with twenty new friends. I’m not running a friendship collection centre. 😂
For me, it’s about those unexpected little connections that make a journey feel more human.
A smile doesn’t ask questions. It doesn’t expect anything. It simply makes the other person feel a little more comfortable.
And perhaps that matters when you’re somewhere unfamiliar.
Because when everything around you is new, a little warmth feels strangely familiar.
So, if you ask me how to meet new people while travelling, I’d say:
Don’t try too hard to meet people.
Look up from your phone.
Make eye contact.
Smile.
Let the moment decide what happens next.
Maybe nothing will happen.
Maybe you’ll have a two-minute conversation.
Maybe you’ll meet someone whose story stays with you long after the trip.
That’s the fun of it.
You never know what a tiny smile might start.
And honestly, for an introvert, that’s about as adventurous as socialising gets. 😄❤️
What about you?
When you’re travelling, are you the one who happily starts a conversation with strangers, or do you also need a little courage—and perhaps a smile—to break the ice? 😄
Tell me in the comments: what’s your favourite way to meet new people while travelling?
What’s a personal mantra or philosophy you live by?
If you ask me about my personal mantra or philosophy, I don’t have one big, impressive answer.
Over the years, I’ve simply collected a few little rules that make life easier—and me a little less likely to lose my mind. 😂
1. Stay busy, mind my own business.
This one has brought me a surprising amount of peace.
I like being busy with my own things—writing, creating, learning, trying something new, going somewhere, or simply enjoying my day.
The busier I am with my own life, the less interested I become in what everyone else is doing.
And honestly, that works beautifully for me.
I don’t need to know who said what, who is upset with whom, or why someone suddenly stopped talking to someone.
My own life already has enough plot twists. I don’t need to audition for somebody else’s. 😂
I’ve learned that not everything needs my opinion, my reaction, or my involvement.
Sometimes, minding your own business is simply choosing peace.
I don’t think we’re ever too old to learn something new.
2. My Personal Mantra: Keep Learning, Keep Creating, Keep Moving
There is always another skill to pick up, another idea to explore, something to write, something to create—or something that makes me say, “Okay, I clearly have no idea what I’m doing.” 😂
But that’s part of the fun.
I’d rather be curious than convinced that I already know everything.
I’d rather try something and get it slightly wrong than never try it at all.
Keep learning. Keep creating. Keep moving.
Not necessarily fast.
Just don’t let yourself become a permanent resident of the comfort zone.
3. Don’t compare your behind-the-scenes with someone else’s highlight reel.
This one took me some time to learn.
We see people travelling, achieving things, looking fabulous, building businesses, celebrating milestones—and sometimes it feels like everyone else is doing wonderfully while we are still trying to remember where we kept our phone. 😂
But I remind myself:
I know my whole story. I only see a tiny part of theirs.
I know my difficult days, my unfinished plans, my mistakes and my doubts.
Someone else’s social media post doesn’t show me all of that.
So I can admire someone’s life without feeling behind in mine.
I can be happy for someone without turning their success into a measurement of my own.
Everyone’s timeline is different. And thankfully, there is no universal deadline for having your life figured out.
4. Never forget a small kindness.
This one is close to my heart.
Sometimes someone does something very small for us—a phone call, a little help, a few encouraging words, or simply being there when we needed someone.
Maybe it took them five minutes.
Maybe they didn’t even think twice about it.
But perhaps those five minutes meant much more to us.
I believe those things should be remembered.
Big things are easy to remember.
But the little kindnesses people show us when they have no reason to—and expect nothing in return—deserve a special place in our memory.
Never forget the person who made your difficult day a little easier.
And whenever you get the chance, pass that kindness forward.
My Personal Mantra: And a Little Bonus Rule… 😉
Don’t trust anyone blindly.
Be kind. Be warm. Be there for people.
But keep your eyes open too.
Trust is beautiful, but it doesn’t mean handing someone the keys to your life and hoping they remember where the brakes are. 😂
Trust people—but let time, consistency and their actions earn the deeper levels of it.
So, these are my little rules.
Stay busy, mind my own business.Keep learning, keep creating, keep moving.Don’t compare your behind-the-scenes with someone else’s highlight reel.And never forget a small kindness.
And as a bonus:
Be kind, but don’t be blindly trusting.
I don’t follow all of these perfectly. I’m still human. 😂
But these are the little reminders I come back to whenever life gets noisy.
What about you? What’s one personal mantra or life philosophy you’ve learned from your own experience?
Tell me yours—I promise I’ll read it while minding my own business. 😂
My answer is simple: make a plan, and then be prepared to completely ignore it. 😂
I have noticed that exploring a new city rarely goes according to the itinerary. You may have saved ten places, marked five cafés and decided exactly where you’ll be at 11:30. And then you see a beautiful little street and suddenly your carefully planned schedule becomes completely irrelevant.
That, to me, is the fun.
Walk around. Take a wrong turn. Stop somewhere because the smell of coffee is stronger than your common sense. ☕ Sit down, watch people, and let the city introduce itself.
If you really want to explore a city like a local, don’t just chase famous landmarks. Visit a neighbourhood market, sit in a small café, notice the old buildings, listen to the sounds around you and observe how people live their everyday lives.
The best things to do in a new city are sometimes the ones nobody recommended.
Eat the local food, even if you cannot pronounce its name. In fact, especially then. 😂
Because local food and culture can tell you more about a place than a dozen glossy travel brochures.
I also believe in travel without an itinerary once in a while. Not completely, of course. I still need to know where my hotel is. Getting lost is romantic only until your phone battery reaches 3%.
But there is something beautiful about discovering a new city slowly—one street, one conversation, one cup of coffee and one unexpected detour at a time.
Take photographs, but don’t spend the entire trip looking at the city through your phone.
Look around.
Sometimes the best memories are waiting in the place you never planned to visit.
So, explore a new city with curiosity, comfortable shoes and a little sense of humour.
And if you get lost?
Congratulations.
You’ve probably found the adventure. 😄
What about you?
Do you prefer exploring a new city with a carefully planned itinerary, or do you enjoy getting a little lost along the way?
Tell me in the comments—I’d love to know how you discover a new place.
If you enjoyed this post, have a look around Nihshabd for more stories, thoughts, and little observations about life.
