Hi! we’re Agni & Amrita
A creative couple, explorer and the team behind Tale of 2 Backpackers.
Those close to us, describe us to be an eccentric, adventurer, travellers and storytellers. To us, life is indeed a thrilling episode and meant to be lived fully and happily.
We are always on the lookout for adventure, be it tasting new food, exploring a new place or trying to find history behind our heritage! When not in civilization, you might find us with our backpacks and camera, trekking in the wilderness of Himalayas, enjoying some colourful festival or in some obscure and nondescript place in the heartwarming company of a gracious host.
About the Blog
Tale of 2 Backpackers is simply our labour of love. Created out of passion, the blog aims to give you useful information along with valuable tips and tricks to travel in India and around, both touristy and offbeat from an insider’s point of view.
Along with all the serious tips, we also love to tell you untold stories about people and places and share with you our (mis)adventures on the road. After all, what is life without a bit of spice?
Through this blog, we aim to help you to travel smart with proper planning and budgeting. We believe that the cheapest way is not always the smartest way to travel and it is important to create an optimum balance between time, money and energy.
What kind of travellers are you?
We are neither hardcore backpackers nor luxury travellers. We are also not long-term nomads. As much as we love to wander around in the wide-open world, we also like the comfort of our snug home. So yes, we have a full-time job and we also find enough time to travel.
We have been travelling together for the last 12 years and gradually discovering the whole wide world. As much as we love to explore some offbeat villages in the Himalayas, we also would not miss visiting the Taj Mahal!
As for the choice of travel, we are as different as chalk and cheese. Agni loves mountains and nature and I am obsessed with history and heritage. And this becomes a topic of many of our heated discussions.
How did you start your blog?
It was during Roopkund Trek in 2014 when one of our friends casually mentioned, “Why don’t you guys start a blog”? Once we were back to civilization, we researched about blogs and finally started our blog.
It was definitely not an easy road. The first couple of years were difficult. Hardly anyone read our blog. But we kept working hard. During the day we had our jobs and the evenings were dedicated to our blog. While I do most of the writing, Agni is the technical person behind the blog. It took some time to get there, but it was a remarkable journey.
What is the blog about?
- Travel Guides and Tips about India and around that will help you to plan your trip.
- Unique Festivals and cultural insights.
- Ancient and medieval heritage of a place. After all, it is the route to know your roots.
- Ways and means to sustain yourself through travel blogging.
- Tips and ways to travel smart.
She Writes. He Clicks
Agni
Agni is the flamboyant, creative and affable one. He can simply melt a heart with his smile. He loves to capture the beauty of nature and wildlife through his lenses and wants his photographs to tell stories.
Agni is also a connoisseur of local cuisines. He simply loves his food and makes it a point to taste local cuisine and drinks wherever they visit.
He is the technical one among us. He can do some cool designing. The design of Tale of 2 Backpackers is completely his brainchild.
Amrita
Amrita is the nerdy, moody and quirky one always looking out for adventures. She is fascinated by mountains, heritage, architecture. She looks for experiences while travelling and seeks personal connections with the people and culture. Amrita loves to write and has a weakness for books and dark chocolates.
Amrita confesses she is bad with technology. She is terrible at Google Maps and often gets lost on the easiest roads. But with that, she finds a new place, a unique experience to explore.
Our Story
She said ‘Hi’ in 2003, ‘Yes’ in 2006 and finally they said, “I do” in 2011. And the rest, as they say, is history!
We first met at University and it was a crazy ride thereafter. And we bring the best out in each other.
Our first trip together was to Darjeeling. Our next trip was to Ooty where we travelled without taking any winter wear. The moment we got down from the bus, we were shivering in cold.
In short, we made a lot of wrong choices and plenty of mistakes. Sometimes situations went out of our control. We had once got stuck in a riot in Jammu, which was totally beyond our control. Nevertheless, travelling taught us a lot. It made us responsible travellers from mere tourists. It made us grounded and open-minded.
A trek to Roopkund acted as the catalyst to transform us. We realized that life is meant to be lived by a compass and not by a clock!
When we faced the hailstorms of Himalayas, we realized what minuscule space we occupy in the world.
When we did scuba diving 12 metres below sea level, we were amazed by the beauty of and balance of the ecosystem.
When we came across the icy waterfalls and got frozen at Chadar Trek, we wondered at the magnanimity of nature.
When we got stuck in a riot near Jammu, our faith in the goodness of human beings was reconfirmed.
We prefer walking for days in the mountains to partying (it’s not that we don’t love to socialize once in a while). And we are perfectly fine being this eccentric!