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.
  • Best and Worst Airports: My Travel Stories From Cody to Atlanta

    Best and Worst Airports: My Travel Stories From Cody to Atlanta

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    What’s the best and worst airport you’ve been to?

    I can’t call an airport the best or worst; it all depends on the experience. If I recall my various air trips, two airports stand out.

    Good–

    When we went to Yellowstone National Park for a family trip, we landed at Cody Airport, Wyoming, which is close to the park’s eastern entrance. It was a cute airport. There was not much hassle; the baggage drop was easy, and so was the security checkpoint. The airport was small and cozy. They had just two boarding gates, and even after that, everything went quickly. That was a great experience.

    Bad–

    When I think about the bad experience, Atlanta International Airport comes to mind. It’s the busiest airport; even if you arrive well in advance, there’s a chance you might miss your flight due to long security queues and multiple concourses, which sometimes require underground transportation.

    I missed my domestic flight once at that airport. I left my friend’s house on time and took the metro to the airport. The metro connects to the airport. I checked in on the metro and didn’t have to drop my bag because I was traveling light. When I reached security, the queue was the longest ever. I waited patiently and didn’t ask anyone to let me advance; I don’t feel comfortable with that, unfortunately. After I cleared security, I had to take the train to my concourse, and when I arrived at the gate, my flight was gone. I had to wait at the airport till midnight to catch another flight, not a good experience.

    Worst–

    There was a worse experience as well; I think it was at the same airport, but I can’t say for certain. I was returning from India; that was a 14-hour flight, and then we landed at that airport, and guess what: the electricity was out, and there was chaos everywhere.

    All connecting flights were canceled, and passengers were waiting cluelessly at the airport. I was already so tired and uncertain about when things would go back to normal. I slept on the ground. When the power was restored, there were long queues for rebookings, and it was a circus.

    KFC and one other vendor provided free food to passengers, but as a vegetarian, I couldn’t avail of it either. I spent a long time in the queue, hungry and waiting for my turn, and got a booking for the next day. There was another racist episode that I don’t want to talk about, and that increased my stress level. I slept at the airport, and the next day, when I reached my destination, I went to my house without my checked bag. I was so tired that I completely forgot to collect my bags. I booked an UBER and came home.

    After coming home, I realized I’d left my bags, so I went to the airport again and got them back. Thinking about that night is making me sick. But that doesn’t make the airport bad; it was just a bad experience.

    What’s the longest you’ve ever been stuck in an airport — and what made it unbearable?

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Living in the Now: Memories, Travel, and Choosing Today

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    If you could relive one year of your life, which one would it be?

    A year to relive? That’s too much to ask. I am the kind of person who lives in the current moment. The past is past; however it was, good or bad. Rather than relive it, I would love to enjoy today. The past is for learning; today is for acting; tomorrow is for seeing the impact of today’s efforts.

    Of course, revisiting the memories feels good, whether it’s the time we spent together when we dated, the day we got married, the day we went to Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time on our first post-marriage road trip, or the day Aayansh was born and we became parents. The day my parents visited the USA for the first time and we visited Yellowstone National Park, or when we went to Disneyland with Aayansh and had a blast. All memories are special.

    We will create more such memories , and in fact, we are on a trip right now. I will share pictures from this trip.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Success Comes From What You Do When No One Is Watching

    Success Comes From What You Do When No One Is Watching

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching?

    Working on myself consistently, without thinking about the results, and maintaining accountability for my efforts.

    The only difference between a successful person and a not-so-successful one is the consistency of their actions. Being in the game is important; skills will be developed over time through refinement.

    Just do it even when no one is watching, when you are not getting results, or when you are not in the mood to do it.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Between Dream and Reality: A Terrifying Nighttime Experience

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Between Dream and Reality: A Terrifying Nighttime Experience

  • Overprotected as a Child: The One Thing I’ll Do Differently

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    What’s something you do completely differently from how you were raised?

    I am proud of and grateful to my parents for the way they raised my siblings and me. My father worked hard to make sure we never felt a lack of anything; whatever we needed was made available to us.

    My parents always shielded us from the outside world so that we would not be under bad influence or in bad company. At that time, I used to feel bad about those restrictions, but now, when I reflect, they helped the three of us do our best in our respective careers.

    My father was the family’s breadwinner, so he took it upon himself to do everything on his own. He never sought help from us and asked us to focus on building a career and a good life, not to spend time buying groceries or other important household items. He wanted to take care of that part so we could focus on building something for our future.

    My mother never went to the market and bought anything by herself; whatever she needed, Dad used to bring. Same for us. His intention was good, but I won’t do the same for my kid. This exposure is very important, as it makes the person street-smart and improves their social skills.

    I came out of my cocoon during my master’s when I stayed in a boys’ hostel. That was the place where I learned how to save money and where to spend it. I struggled more when we rented an apartment in the final semester. I knew nothing; cooking was new, I never washed utensils, never purchased a gas cylinder, never paid the bills myself. Everything was overwhelming.

    My mother struggled recently in her old age when Dad was diagnosed with cancer. Since Dad is ill and unable to do much, Mom had to take on responsibilities she never had before; she had to learn everything from paying bills to booking a taxi online and whatnot.

    So overprotection does more harm than good. I want to change only that one thing. Otherwise, I am grateful for how I was raised.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

    Were you overprotected as a child — and how do you think it shaped who you are today?