About Me

Sai Karthik Reddy Mekala from Romancing The Planet at Trashi Chhoe Dzong in Thimphu, Bhutan

In Bhutan, Trashi Chhoe Dzong in the backdrop

Who Am I?
I am Sai, an Indian passport holder. I completed my MBA in 2012, but unlike other students I was never interested to find a day job. I love to travel, eat different foods from various cuisines, experience different cultures, make new friends and meet other travelers. That what happiness means to me.

What was my first overseas trip?
The first time I travel overseas was when I was 22. I have been to Thailand.

Why I want to travel?
The question that many people ask me but I have no answers, but there is some ecstasy within to learn and meet new people, spend some time of my life with them. I would rather want to stand in paddy fields of Vietnam then stand in front of my managers giving them excuses about the in-completion of work. I would rather want to travel on a tuk-tuk in Bangkok than have BMW in my garage. I would rather want to eat the local street food than to eat authentic food at a star hotel.

How this blog would help you?
When I first travel to Thailand, I had no idea of what to do and where to go. I got into tout’s words and ended up spending more than I needed to. If you are looking for travel advice or travel stories, this is the place. Being a photography enthusiast I will post as many pictures I can, so that if you are not able to travel, you can see the world in photos. I also write about travel tips and suggestions that will make your travel easier, cheaper and better. I will also send you travel tips/suggestions to your inbox, if you subscribe to our newsletter.

Am I running away from life and responsibilities?
The answer is no. I am not rich, I have to make a living myself. I am responsible for myself and my financial needs. I would never run away from responsibilities. In fact making a life from travel is much more difficult than a day job.

Travel Highlights



Sai Karthik Reddy from Romancing The Planet

In Kerala, India

Where have I been? Armenia(1), Azerbaijan(1), Bhutan(2), Cambodia(6), China(1), Georgia(1), Hong Kong(2), Indonesia(5), Laos(1), Malaysia(5), Mexico(1), Myanmar(1), Nepal(1), Peru(1), Philippines(1), Qatar(T), Saudi Arabia(T), Serbia(1), Singapore(2), South Korea(1), Sri Lanka(4), Taiwan(2), Thailand(7), Turkey(1), UAE(1), UK(T), Ukraine(T), USA(3), Vietnam(15)
The number inside () indicates the number of times I have been to that country. T means that I had only a transit through the country and not really traveled there.

States Traveled In India (since November 2018)? Andhra Pradesh(1), Goa(1), Karnataka(2), Telangana(L), West Bengal(1)
The number inside () indicates the number of times I have been to that state. L means that I have lived in that state.

Favorite place? Bhutan, a country that could have only existed in my dreams

Favorite food? Bun Thit Nuong

Favorite Wine? Terre Allegre Sangiovese, Puglia, Italy

Favorite Beer? Taiwan Classic

Weird food I ate? Crickets in Dalat, Mouse in Mekong Delta, Stinky Tofu in Taipei, Shirako in Singapore, Scorpions in Siem Reap, Kokorec in Istanbul and what not

Travel bloggers I follow? Mark Wiens from Migrationology and Samuel Jeffery from Nomadic Samuel

A travel quote that inspires me?There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Travel book I admire? Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple



Favorite country to travel? Vietnam had the greatest influence in my life

Least favorite country to travel? Nepal, the people, culture and places are beautiful, though I do not like the chaos on the streets

In the exotic city Istanbul

Favorite airlines? Qatar Airways followed by British Airways

Number of flight journeys? 147 (Updated  07 May, 2019)

Number of different airlines? 36

Airlines Traveled
One World – Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, British Airways, American Airlines, LATAM, Sri Lankan
Sky Team – Saudia, Vietnam Airlines, China Eastern
Star Alliance – Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Air India
Other Airlines – Spice Jet, VietJet Air, Jet Star, Air Asia, Tigerair, Malindo Air, IndiGo, Jet Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, Pegasus, Southwest, Volaris, Frontier, Silk Air, Scoot, Thai Smile, Philippine Airlines, Azerbaijan Airlines, Buta Airways, Georgian Airways, Ukraine Airlines, TruJet

Number of different beers tasted? Lost the count

Number of different wines tasted? Lost the count

Distance traveled that has been recorded? 250,000+ miles (Stopped counting after reached this landmark)

Preferred mode of transport? I <3 flight journeys

What people taught my name was? PSY, ZoZo Caslan, Kar-dick, Say, Syed, India 😐

One thing I am proud of? Trekking Taktsang Goemba

One thing I am not proud of? Letting people go off too easily

Year in Review2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016

Do I book accommodation and flights online? Yes
For flight booking I use Fare Buzz, Yatra or Expedia.
For hotel reservation I use only Agoda.

If you want to ask me more questions, leave the question as a comment.

98 Responses

  1. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Thảo says:

    ‘I would rather want to stand in paddy fields of Vietnam then stand in front of my managers giving them excuses about the in-completion of work. I would rather want to travel on a tuk tuk in Bangkok than have BMW in my garage. I would rather want to eat the local street food than to eat authentic food at a star hotel”…
    i like this part

  2. Ravi Krishna Reddy says:

    Great going….I like your posts. Enjoy your travels.

  3. C Balachander says:

    Just read your travel experience of Bhutan… I plan to travel solo to Bhutan, and have done the bookings to bagdogra from Chennai.
    Is the ride from Phuentsholing to thimpu too tiring. And is vegetarian food available in thimpu.

    • The ride from Phuentsholing to Thimphu is not very tiring. Though land slides may cause long delays and could be frustrating. Yes, vegetarian food is available in Thimphu. A lot of Indian restaurants. So, not to worry about the food.

  4. Gajendra Hembram says:

    I am going to Bhutan next 25 may. i have booked train tickets .

  5. Bharath says:

    Great going chintu, I like ur lifestyle, traveling n sharing things which makes u really happy .,:D, keep going be in touch, best wishes.

  6. Bidisha says:

    Love your spirit and zest for life! I am an MBA too grappling with deadlines & work pressure and travel is what helps me escape…do keep sharing your experiences and all the best for your future endeavors!

  7. KrishAyyan says:

    Hi Karthik,

    Some interesting blog you have here and loved reading some of your posts. I am sending the message to just let you know that the India section under south Asia seems to be not working. To be precise the below link.

    https://romancingtheplanet.com/category/asia/sub-continent/india/

    Tried in both Chrome and IE but no luck.

    Thanks and visit your blog again soon 🙂

  8. Vineeta Sharma says:

    Good to know about you,
    This undoubtedly verifies: Life Life, Its For Once!!!
    🙂

  9. Bassa Satya Soudamini says:

    Weird food I ate? Crickets in Dalat, Mouse in Mekong Delta…Freakzzzzzzzzzzz :D….Terribly Wierd

  10. Rashmi B says:

    Best of Luck , Enjoy your journey !

  11. Preksha says:

    Hi kartik, i am 18 years old and studying in a law school but my passion and dream is travelling as many beautiful places as i can because whenever i travel there is a new, different and happy me. The problem is i need a direction and a lot of grooming like communication skills and be smart enough to tackle any problem. I know u must be busy in travelling but if u reply it will be a great help.

  12. Vijay Baskar Reddy says:

    Hello Karthik,

    Currently I am working as a software engineer. I am 23 yrs old. As you said travelling is a most amazing thing to do. I want to become a traveller and adventurer. I wanna quit corporate life and wanna go explore the world. I will be happy if I do that. But I have no idea where to start and how to start and How it is going to be. Can you please help me or guide me with the same.

    How to finance my needs for traveling and any tips that you followed. If you find any free time please respond to the same comment or please give me your email Id. I will get in touch with you.

    Thanks in advance and happy traveling bro… enjoy….

  13. Rekha says:

    Hey Karthik, I have been following your blog for quite sometime, and your journey has been impressive. Last year I was planning for a trip to HK & Bangkok and your blog was of immense help. I like the design aspect more than anything.Its very soothing. Taking your inspiration, here is my attempt , please check it out and let me know your thoughts. http://www.theunconventionalgirl.com

    Regards,
    Rekha

  14. I am a pictorial and travel photographer over 25 years of experience and based in Hyderabad. Love to share my pictures for your use.

  15. Abhishek Kachchhwa says:

    Hey karthik sir, i have been exploring world through your blog and photography and exploring india through your motivation, i am 19 and travel enthusiast and traveling northern and southern part of india. Please tell me what kinds of major problems you faces while traveling across india. Problems with accommodation and transportation.
    Love to hear from you soon.
    Thank you for your traveling motivation to youth.

  16. Adnan Alam Khan says:

    hey brother i need to talk to you about travelling can we have a chat?

  17. Prithvi Raj says:

    Hola I am a travel enthusiast and have this crazy dream just like yours but the only difference is you made it reality. So help me out in doing so! I am in class 12th currently and have no interest in engineering so should i rather choose journalism so to join any travel magazine such as Lonely Planet, Conde Nast or Outlook Traveller?

  18. Anonymous says:

    I must say you have very interesting content here.

  19. traveltoes85 says:

    Bhutan was never on my bucket list. But it is now:) Thank you.

  20. sarang says:

    Hey Karthik , Sarang here i want to discuss in collabration with bussiess with you . where we can chat ?

  21. Nilanjan Bhadra says:

    what is your occupation?? how u earn money??by using AdSense?

  22. Mohd Abdul Sufiyan Hafeez says:

    How much money u have earned till now…??

  23. Abhinav says:

    Is it possible to enter Bhutan through Phuntsiling and exit through Sandrup Jhonkar. If yes, please let me know the pros and cons of it.

  24. Hi Sai,

    I am an Indian travel enthusiast backpacker, MBA from Goa Institute of Management which I completed last year in 2016, who share the same ideologies as you do. The link given in the website section above is my first travel blog.

    I need your guidance with regards to having a full time career in travelling, which as you said is a much more difficult job than your daily 9-5 job but it is what makes me happy. I want to know how you managed to finance your trips, your motivation behind opening this blog, and how you managed to tie up with all these foreign brands which pay you for travelling. We need to have a chat.

    Thanks,

    Shivam

  25. Coolpams says:

    Nice Information 🙂

  26. Juzhar singh plaha says:

    I had travled four contries.. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia.. at that time i have no idea about what makes myself more me. And i am planning a trip to thailand in few months.. and want to make that travel memorable as i am thinking to share it with others being a blogger.. it will be a great help if you give me a path to work on…
    Desperately needs help..

  27. Juzhar singh plaha says:

    I want to make living by traveling.. i have bussiness but i cant find myself in a regular schedule anymore.. as the only dream i saw is to see the world and eat each every typeof food in the world..

  28. Ayush Gupta says:

    Hi dude,

    You really inspire to travel. I to blog about my travel experience and hop that I will be a globe trotter soon. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Regrads

  29. Jessy Andrew says:

    first time I read your blog.Really inspire to travel experience

  30. Kunal says:

    Interesting way to present you self great 🙂 Keep Travelling

  31. Kumar Saurabh says:

    You are an inspiration Karthik!!!…specially for a person like me whose dream is to discover every corner of the world. I am somehow trapped in the 9 – 5 routine….and badly want to get out of this, on a journey to explore the world. Any ideas my friend, how do I start about it? …any ideas on how I could make travelling my profession….?

  32. Netheesh reddy says:

    How do you earn by travelling bro?
    I wanna travel too..
    But how to start and where and what??

  33. Vaishnavi says:

    Loved your Blog 🙂

  34. Aneesh Kar says:

    hello sir !!
    i am in love with your blog !
    its really inspiring and motivating …can i contact you ? please ? is there any way ?
    i too wanna travel…around the world …see different places ..meet different people .
    yeah am young , 18
    and as of now i have been to Thailand only .
    i know i have a long way to go ….but travelling has always been attracting me . Apart from my studies i usually browse the internet — learning new things , exploring new places,
    reading blogs ..etc
    sir can you please give me some tips and advice
    i desperately want to realise my dream of being a traveller some day.

    can i contact you to learn more ?
    

  35. Pratyusha Mada says:

    wow! you inspire me so much. I love to travel too. your blogs give all of us positive vibes about life and travel . Previously I used to think, only people with a lot of money can travel a lot.

  36. Manabadi says:

    Great experience really loved your blog. Thank you for sharing informative travel experience

  37. sahithi says:

    What amazing stories from a fabulous life!

  38. mahesh Jain says:

    Thanks for sharing information

  39. R.A. Frank says:

    Hi Sai. Being a journalist and a travel lover myself… I would like to know what do you do for a living considering the number of places you traveled in the last five years.

  40. This is by far the best ‘About Me’ i have ever read. Such inspiring & motivating. Just make me feel leave this shitty world, go out and explore.

  41. sushmita kapoor says:

    cheapest hotel you ever stayed?

  42. Kay Naidoo says:

    I wish to travel. Share me on how to earn on my travel..?

  43. Semon Sehal says:

    Thanks I really like this blog. Your trip description is very good. You explain every movement very nice. Enjoy your trip.
    Thanks.

  44. meena goyat says:

    Hey..I just want to know from where did u get the money to travel…?

  45. Medicomart says:

    I am going to Bhutan next 25 nov. i have booked train tickets .

  46. Yogesh Chaturvedi says:

    wow ! sir nice can you give information about Kenya visit

  47. Matthew A. says:

    hi sai,
    i like your post, so different and easy to understand.
    hope someday you can back to Indonesia, and exploring more

    cheers
    Matthew

  48. Anny Sharma says:

    Hi Sai,
    I am just start mt travel blogging in the end of 2018 and i saw your blogging tips and travel blog. they are inspire to me. your blog gives me positive vibes.
    Thanks for Sharing 🙂

  49. shifali says:

    inspirational and inviting blogs you have. keep it going

  50. vishal Ch says:

    Hi sir,

    Iam Vishal from andhra Pradesh. I always like to travel and explore things all over world from childhood but my position is not capable to afford me but I won’t want to quit my passion and dream.

    Please let me know and give some ideas to know and how to start travel.

  51. rakeshkota says:

    inspirational.. keep going brother..

  52. K K Maurya says:

    Thank you Sai for giving travel advice in inspirational way

  53. Nadia says:

    “I would rather want to eat the local street food than to eat authentic food at a star hotel.” I agree with you 100%! Star hotel food mostly never taste authentic anyway; they take into consideration the foreign palate when creating their menus.

  54. Simran Kaur says:

    Love reading your blogs! Really you are an inspiration to most of us and yes it’s true that making a life from travel is more tough than a 9-5 job. Appreciate your efforts and also your beautiful authentic content! Keep up the amazing work! Good Luck 🙂

  55. Esha says:

    Great going….I like your posts. Enjoy your travels.

  56. Govind says:

    Thank you very much for sharing your story. I have also made my blog on travel but due to so much competition in a travel blog, I only give information related to trains. Because I love traveling by train. Thank you so much for becoming one of my inspirations.

  57. Arman says:

    i also want to travel because working for the whole life would not work because what i see is life is all about exploring new places, getting the experiences which are going to help me a lot ahead…watching you really give me the travelling vibes

  58. Pravesh kumar says:

    I sponsor my travel from my other job travel heals

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