HarPiyTravel

Bucket List: 10 Incredible Places to Travel

August 4, 2026
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Daily writing prompt
What are your top 10 travel destinations?
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It’s no secret that we love traveling, and if we don’t go on a road trip for a couple of months, we feel uneasy. Over the years, we’ve explored many places in the USA, especially national parks. India has its own fair share, too. There are some places we go to multiple times, like Colorado, and some we wish to go to again. Here are our top 10 travel destinations so far.
1. Maldives: It’s the most amazing and beautiful place to enjoy a comfortable, luxurious vacation. I remember this is the only place where we didn’t do much activity, just chilled out. We stayed in a water villa, enjoyed the luxury of our resort, went snorkeling, played video games, walked on the beach, had a candlelit dinner, and had a special couples’ Thai massage. It’s not that expensive either. In our opinion, everyone should go to the Maldives at least once in their lifetime.
2. Niagara Falls, USA: Niagara Falls is so mesmerizing that you’ll want to visit again. I remember when we first visited the falls, we felt special to see this nature’s gift to humanity. From then on, we made multiple visits to Niagara. Whenever we are in New Jersey, we don’t miss a chance to visit this place. Again, this is something everyone must visit once in their lifetime.
3. Yellowstone National Park, USA: Do you know it’s the first national park in the world? Before visiting, we heard about it and knew it was an active volcano and all. We had this image of a mountain emitting lava, but OMG, this place is so different from what we imagined. Firstly, the place is so huge that it is covered in 3 states – Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana and it has 5 entrances. It is unique for its geysers, mudpots, hot springs, diverse wildlife, and unmatched beauty. If you haven’t visited the park yet, you are missing something.
4. Branson, Missouri, USA: Branson is a perfect place for family entertainment. It’s about a 6-hour drive from where we live. We have made at least 4 to 5 trips there so far. The city is a great entertainment center, and it keeps on adding new attractions. To name a few: the Titanic museum, Believe It or Not museum, Hollywood wax museum, car museum, aquarium at the boardwalk, Branson Landing, Upside Down, Silver Dollar City, Table Rock, and so many more. Your kids will love you for the trip. It has all kinds of entertainment, including a theater.
5. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA: Our first national park and first road trip in the USA. It has a special place in our hearts; we were newlyweds, and that trip to the park in 2017 was memorable. Since then, we have been to the park multiple times. We have explored both sides of the park: Estes Park and Grand Lake. The park is among the most popular ones in the USA and is known for its rich wildlife and unmatched beauty. The visitor center itself sits at an elevation of 11796 feet above sea level, which is the highest in the entire national park system.
6. Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming, USA: This park is often overlooked because of its proximity to Yellowstone National Park. It happened to us as well; when we first visited Yellowstone, we skipped this park thinking it would be pretty much the same. But in reality, it’s among the most beautiful parks. The park is very small and can be covered easily. What makes it unique is its snow-clad mountains, lakes, wildlife, and picturesque scenery. An interesting fact is that it’s the only park that has an airport in it. You don’t wanna miss it.
7. Glacier National Park, Montana, USA: This national park is as beautiful as any other on the list. We visited this park two years ago, and it was an unforgettable experience. The park has untouched beauty; the mountains and lakes are so pristine. If you camp there, you can also see the Milky Way at night. Words fall short of describing the beauty of this park. We also spotted a black bear during our visit; we did a 9-mile hike to the glacier.
8. Uttarakhand, India: Uttarakhand is like a jewel in India’s unique beauty. India has countless tourist destinations like Agra, Mathura, Delhi, Kerala, Mumbai, Leh Ladakh, and so on; what stuck with me was the beauty of Uttarakhand. We visited this place as a boys’ trip when I was working in India. Those pictures are still fresh in my mind. There are so many places to explore there and so many activities to do. Needless to mention the delicious food. Hrishikesh, Haridwar, Lakshman Jhoola, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Mussoorie, Flower Valley, Hemkund Sahib, to name a few. It’s like heaven on earth.
9. Chicago, USA: We are not fans of visiting cities and their downtowns. We find peace in nature. Chicago is the only place where we have been multiple times, and it always feels good. The city has so much to offer, specifically its downtown area. There are so many things to see and do. The city has great architecture and a rich history. The Chicago downtown offers Skydeck, Navy Pier, boat architecture tours, millenieum park, 360 Chicago, Shedd Aquarium, the Science Museum, and the Field Museum. The architecture of the city itself is enough to capture you.
10. Ouray, Colorado, USA: This place is known as the Switzerland of America. The place was part of my recent boys’ trip. The town is very small, but it’s beautiful. We went in summer so that we couldn’t see a snow-clad town, but we could imagine why it is known as the Switzerland of America. There is also the famous Million Dollar Highway, which connects this town to Silverthorne. My next goal is to explore this town with Harmit again.
Here are the pictures from each place in the order they are mentioned

How many places on this list have you visited so far, or are you planning to visit?

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
Understanding Socrates: The Power of Knowing You Know Nothing

August 3, 2026

Reading Time: < 1 minute
What is your favorite quote?

I love philosophy, and it’s been a pleasure to learn about some of the best philosophers history has produced. I am still a learner and need to read a lot of work by famous philosophers like Plato, Kant, Descartes, Locke, and Nietzsche. Socrates was probably the first philosopher who had a huge impact on society.

The death of Socrates itself is very thought-provoking, as it tells us that even though you can kill a person, you cannot kill his voice. His ideas can never die. The very famous prisoner and cave story by Socrates is by far my favorite philosophical story. It is so deep and so true. If you don’t know what that is, research it. It’s just amazing.

My famous quote comes from Socrates, who said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” If someone truly understands the intent of this quote, their life will never be the same. Most of us have this ego about being the smartest one in the room and that know-it-all attitude.

If we accept that we don’t know anything and start listening and learning, life will become much easier. Just because everyone thinks he knows everything, no one is ready to listen. We should be like a child who observes and learns daily. Every day is new to him, full of wonders, and each moment is special with some learning.

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
Never Quit: The Power of Decision-Making

August 2, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes
If you had to give one life-changing tip, what would it be?

The most important life-changing tip I would give someone is the pretty obvious but neglected one: “Never quit and own your decisions.” Quitting is the easiest thing to do when things are going south; the easiest way out is to quit with some excuse.

Those who stay in the game irrespective of the results emerge as winners in the long run. Life is all about decision-making; either a decision makes you, or it just breaks you. The difference between a successful and an unsuccessful person is not about talent, but their ability to make the right decisions at the right time.

So not only do you have to be in the game, but you also have to make the right decisions, as our lives are shaped by the choices we make. The most important thing is to own your decisions. I don’t like people who live in their past, thinking, “If I had done this, I could have been there.” Whatever choice you made, just own it with pride and work towards your future.

For example, one of my ex-colleagues in India was dying to come to the USA; he literally fought with the IT account manager to come here. After lots of struggle, he came here, and within a month he decided to go back as he found the country too boring. I asked him to give it some time and grow his social circle. He went back anyway.

After almost 6 months, he came again with a new perspective. This time he was prepared, and he actually liked it here. He even bought a luxury car. His spouse was still working in India, and apparently she refused to leave her job and come here as a dependent. So here you go again; he sold everything and went back.

Recently he called me for some financial aid. He was regretful of his decisions and said money is very important; I should not have left the USA. I can’t say anything about his personal choices, but as I said, life is all about decision-making, and you should own your decisions. He should be working towards his future rather than living in the past.

“Winners never quit, and quitters never win”

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
July Adventures: Family, Books, and Life in India

August 1, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes
For half of July, I spent in India due to a family emergency, and while I was there, I made sure to capture the day-to-day life in India. The vibrant, decorated auto-rickshaws, colorful shops, temples, and animals living with humans make it unique.

Most of the month was spent with my parents, walking the streets there, writing the blog, reading books, playing ping pong with my maternal uncle, and once I came back here in the USA, I started playing Pickleball and restarted my gym. I read a total of 3 books and wrote for 26 days in the month.

Here is July from my iPhone lenses:-

Out of all, which one is your favorite and why?

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
How to Market Yourself Effectively

August 1, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Daily writing prompt
What’s a skill you consider basic, that most people don’t actually know how to do?

Skills are very important to learn for constant improvement. We should live like a toddler who questions everything and spends most of their time observing and learning. Every day brings new learning, and unfortunately, most of us take it lightly.

Few skills are very easy, and few are very difficult to master. But not everything is applicable to everyone. For instance, driving might be very easy for most of you, but I struggled to master it. I failed three times to pass my DMV exam, and so far it’s the only skill that made me think of quitting. Thanks to my coach, who motivated me and made me master this skill. Now, I just love driving; if I don’t go for a long drive for a month, I feel uneasy. I always joke, that i was a driver in my past life.

Now, coming back to the question, I think self-marketing is such a skill that most people don’t know how to do. I am mainly talking about corporate; there are so many hard-working guys out there who don’t know how to showcase their efforts, and they spend the majority of their working life sitting in a corner being unknown. Marketing is very important to survive in the industry, and not only in corporate, in any field; if you don’t know how to market yourself, you will spend your life being an ordinary guy, irrespective of how talented you are, or the kind of success you deserve will be delayed.

Interestingly, I had this skill from the beginning of my career. My rule of thumb is that if you are doing work, your 40% skill should be for completing that work efficiently, and 60% should be for marketing your work and yourself. Don’t get fooled by sayings like your work speaks for itself. In the era we are living in, everything is tied to marketing.

Recently, during my India visit, I went to a famous watch repair shop and asked the guy at the counter, who was experienced and my father’s age, about a nearby food shop that was getting very famous through social media reels. I asked him whether that shop was really good. The answer stuck with me; without saying much, he said, “Theek hai, paisa hai to sab hai, paisa kharch karo to mitti bhi bech sakte ho, varna badam ki bhi keemat nhi” (Translation -> If you have money and do the marketing, even dirt can be sold; otherwise, you can’t even get value for your quality almonds)

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!