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.

Dinner with Michael Schofield: A Unique Insight

July 24, 2026

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

July 23, 2026

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

July 22, 2026
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!!!
Top Apps Eating Your Screen Time: A Personal Reflection

July 21, 2026

Reading Time: < 1 minute
What app eats up most of your screen time — and do you even feel bad about it?

There are several apps on my mobile phone that battle with each other to gain the upper hand. The top qualifiers are YouTube, WhatsApp, Jetpack, and Google. Based on my goals, interests, and schedule, their ranking keep on changing.

I was in India for three weeks and my most used app was Jetpack which I use to interact with you all through my blog posts and why would I feel bad about it. I actually love writing.

Now I am back in the USA, and whenever I get time, I use YouTube to watch entertainment and knowledge videos. I listen to self-help and finance-related videos during my office travel, and once home, I watch reels to kill time. Sometimes I regret it and feel ashamed of not doing productive work. At other times, I feel like a slave to watching reels. But from time to time I control it.

Whether we like it or not, we have become slaves of technology, and it’s unavoidable. Living without a mobile phone sounds interesting, but it would disconnect you from the world, which is not ideal in the era we live in. The idea is to have moderation.

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!
Traveling Through Books: Inspiring Journeys and Stories

July 20, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Daily writing prompt
What’s a movie or book that inspired you to travel?

Those who follow this blog closely know we love traveling. When there comes a gap of 2-3 months without a trip, I feel uneasy. The feeling is hard to describe, but I just want to go somewhere in case of a gap like this. Colorado is our favorite neighboring state, so when we want to go somewhere without anything specific in mind, we head there. So far, we have covered 3 of Colorado’s 4 national parks and multiple towns, including Colorado Springs, Montrose, Denver, Glenwood Springs, Telluride, Ouray, Estes Park, Grand Lake, and many more.

My most recent trip was to India; I actually came back to the USA yesterday, but it was for a personal emergency. Just 2 weeks before that, I did a boys’ trip to Ouray. Before that, we did a family trip to Utah and covered 3 national parks. Now that September is approaching and the next long weekend is coming up, we will be planning something for sure.

Coming back to today’s question, my travel journey is not inspired by any particular movie or book. I started traveling very early on, when I was working back in India. My friends and I used to go trekking in Maharashtra, and then we slowly started visiting other tourist places in India. I love reading and read all kinds of books. A particular book that excited me and increased my hunger to travel is West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. I read this book in 2021; check this post. It’s a beautiful story about two Giraffes being transported from New York to the San Diego Zoo, becoming the first giraffes of the famous zoo. The story that unfolds and the road trip is like a dream for any traveler. I should read it again.

Another Book/Movie mention would be Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis. I didn’t get a chance to watch the movie yet, but I loved reading the book. Firstly, the plot is very interesting, as it’s about the romance between two cannibals who are trying to accept their reality and find comfort in each other after learning about each other. Then there is this road journey they do together to run away from their past and find the peace they need. It’s a great read.

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!