HarPiyTravel

When Travel Is Life!

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Harmit, Piyush, and Aayansh chase, The golden light where highways bend. A shutter captures nature’s smile, On wild trails that never end.
  • The Power of Risk-Taking in Pursuing Dreams

    The Power of Risk-Taking in Pursuing Dreams

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    What’s your biggest dream?

    My biggest dream is to be financially independent before I turn 45. I have been in the salary trap for so long and never realized those invisible chains that are preventing me from growing. Now, for the past 2-3 years, I have been working towards a bright future where I need not depend on someone else to run my household.

    The job gives us security, but it also limits our ability to take risks and to have something of our own. I read this story somewhere recently.

    Lots of trees surrounded a lake, and there were monkeys everywhere. One day it was raining heavily, the water level was high, and monkeys were hiding in the tree bushes. With the continuous lightning and heavy rain, the water turned milky. Suddenly, there was a voice from the sky: “Whoever jumps into this water right away will turn into a man”. All the monkeys were silent and thinking when one of them jumped out and emerged as a handsome man. Everyone was surprised. One of the monkeys asked the man: “How could you make such a decision so quickly?” The man replied: “ I didn’t have anything to lose; it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a man. If it would not have worked, I wouldn’t have any regret, as I would still be a monkey. I just thought What if it works and jumped into the water.”

    This story explains the power of risk-taking beautifully. Life is nothing without risks and challenges. Sometimes we miss great opportunities due to a lack of confidence, doubts, or the inability to leave our comfort zone. When you try something new, you will either be successful or fail, which will teach you how not to fail. It’s a win-win situation. The only thing is to act.

    I am working towards my goal of achieving financial independence. Have you?

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • The Power of Promise: My Long-Distance Love Story

    The Power of Promise: My Long-Distance Love Story

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    What’s a promise you made to yourself that you’ve actually kept?

    Promises are hard to keep; sometimes I really struggle to keep them. But a particular promise I made to myself and my then girlfriend and now spouse, I kept well. I am proud of that.

    We were dating back in India, and both got our H-1 B visas from our respective companies at the same time. She got the opportunity first and came to the USA, and I was going through the corporate politics.

    This long-distance relationship became frustrating mainly due to the time difference between the two countries. I didn’t want to lose our beautiful relationship, so I made a promise to her and myself that I would be with her in a year.

    How? I had no clue. I updated my profile on LinkedIn, specifying my reason for the job change. I got two offers in a month, but both employers declined to send me to the USA immediately. I didn’t lose hope, and then I got this third offer from a company that needed someone who could travel within a month. I won’t go through all the technicalities I had to go through.

    The employer kept his word and sent me to the USA within one month of my joining. The funny thing is my girlfriend roommate was very confident that I won’t be able to come as her husband was trying to come for a long time. I proved her wrong and kept the promise to my girlfriend and myself.

    This shows the power of thinking and the law of attraction. When you badly need something and put effort into it, the whole universe will help you get it. You have to believe in it.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Dinner with Michael Schofield: A Unique Insight

    Dinner with Michael Schofield: A Unique Insight

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be?

    I am not a fan of fantasy worlds like Harry Potter or Game of Thrones, or of superheroes. So as soon as I started thinking about this, I ruled them all out. I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series, but I am not a fan of any of the characters.

    One fictional character that came to mind is Michael Schofield from the Prison Break series. I don’t binge-watch; in fact, I am the kind of guy who watches one episode a day. My spouse and I started many series together, and I was the one who was left behind, and she completed them. The Prison Break is one such series that I binge-watched.

    This character impressed me a lot; his silence, patience, and photographic memory were among his traits. He was a structural engineer, and the way he tattooed the blueprint of the prison was just amazing. I respect intelligence, so spending a meal with such a character would be a treat.

    I would listen to him more than speak. I would love to read his body language and understand how he sees the world. Even in our daily lives, we neglect so many things; we don’t pay attention to what’s around us. If we do that, trust me, life would be a different experience altogether.

    Now, on a different note, I am a fan of slasher movies, so if the characters don’t harm me, I would love to spend time with Art the Clown, Jason, or Freddie to understand their psychics. Frankestine would be another character who would be a delight to have dinner with. I would hear what he has to say and what he feels from Inside.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Owning a Home: A Game-Changer in Financial Stability

    Owning a Home: A Game-Changer in Financial Stability

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    What is the best purchase you have ever made?

    A great question. Although I try to detach myself from material possessions, they are important too. Choosing the best one is not as hard as it sounds. It took me some time to reach that conclusion.

    The best possession I have is my espresso machine – Breville Barista Express. It’s the best investment I’ve ever made. I am a big coffee lover and used to spend a lot on my coffees. Every week, at a minimum, one visit was certain to Starbucks with my spouse. But since getting this, I’ve been getting quality coffee at home and saving all that money. Now, the cost is just the cost of buying fresh beans, and trust me, they are not super expensive. It’s not my purchase, as it was a gift from my elder sister. But I wanted to mention it.

    My best purchase would be my house, which we bought in 2022, when my son was born. Having your own house feels so good, and it’s no less than an accomplishment. We used to live in a luxurious apartment before this, and that was really impressive, but shifting to our own house was life-changing.

    We need not comply with any apartment rules, like washing our clothes anytime without thinking about the next-door neighbor. We need not be mindful about our kid making noise or dancing on the floor. We have a cute backyard where I grow all kinds of vegetables and fruits (raspberries, strawberries, onions, green peepers, peepers, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, mint) along with flowers. I love gardening.

    Not only that, renting is always like dumping your money in a pit. Becoming a homeowner improves your financial portfolio, and it’s not a secret that real estate is a great investment.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Traveling from India to the USA: Immigration Insights

    Traveling from India to the USA: Immigration Insights

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This Sunday I returned from India to the USA. It was a 22-hour flight journey and then another 3-hour drive home. Due to recent immigration restrictions and issues, everyone is scared and uncertain about what can be asked and how the experience might be.

    I flew from Delhi to JFK, which was my port of entry, and then from there I had a connecting flight to Dallas. Immigration was at JFK, so I had to collect the checked bags, complete immigration, and then recheck them before going to security.

    These days, almost everyone has a question about the immigration experience, so I thought of sharing mine. We landed around 6:30 AM, and the immigration line was long. The immigration officer serving my queue was taking longer than usual, and I noticed the scared faces of other passengers as they answered him. He was also asking them to show some papers. What? I don’t know. This is all I could guess by looking at them.

    When my number came up, I was ready with passports (me, my kid, and mother-in-law) and my I-797 (H-1 B) document. He asked me a couple of questions about my mother-in-law and me, asked us to look in the camera one by one, and then let us go. He didn’t ask for my I-797, surprisingly.

    Questions asked:-

    1. Why are you here?
    2. Where will you be staying?

    For my mother-in-law

    1. Is she your mom?
    2. Is she gonna stay with you?
    3. How long will she be here?

    When I said she would be here for 6 months, her return flight is in January. He asked again: Which date in January? I had to dig into the Expedia app on my mobile, and it took me some time to fetch the itinerary. I told him the date, but then he asked to show the itinerary. I showed him, and then he asked to make sure she leaves on the said date.

    After that, security and everything was standard. Overall experience was good. I am not sure about all that negative news, but my experience was smooth, and 2 weeks before my spouse came to the USA, her immigration was smooth as well.

    Tips:-

    1. Be confident; there is nothing to worry about
    2. Be ready to answer the questions
    3. Have all supporting documents related to your visa
    4. Don’t speak too much; answer whatever is being asked. I should not have mentioned January when I was asked about how long my mother-in-law is gonna stay.

    If you have any questions, feel free to post them.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!