Every year, when I sit down to pen my this photo essay of our adventures, I always tend to look back at the year with astonishment – at the amount we travelled, joy – at the people we met and the connections we made, and sadness – because no matter the year, I miss my dad every single day of every single year. (You’ll know this if you’ve been reading Bruised Passports for a while but if not, read our 2013 annual overview for more)
But 2017 was unlike any other year! It was different for both of us. It was the year we matured by leaps and bounds. It was the year when we were most at peace, and this reflected in our work too. We really took this year to take a step back, assess the things that truly matter to us, and spent time indulging those.
- Travel-wise this meant revisiting some of our favourite places time and again replaced the hunger to see only new places all the time.
- Blogging wise, this led to a shift that made us so much more productive. We’ve been blogging for over 5 years but this was the year we spent more time on Bruised Passports than EVER before! We spent hundreds of thousands of hours creating and curating content – articles, photos, videos, write-ups – that we are proud of!
- Social Media wise tens of thousands of readers joined our virtual family. In 2016 both of us were quite disappointed by the proliferation of faux travel-related accounts peddling a lifestyle they didn’t understand or destinations they hadn’t felt for themselves. But in 2017, we chose to look AWAY from it and held a Harry Potter quote quite close to our hearts “It is the quality of one’s convictions that determines success, not the number of followers“. Given our staunch belief in this, we shared the content we created with much love and care on our social media. We also chose to speak about topics closest to our hearts – gender equality, women’s empowerment, and kids’ education. The overwhelming response seems to be a reminder that we are on the right path. We spent every day of the year thanking our stars for the positive, engaged community we have on Bruised Passports. Thank YOU so much 🙂
- Lifestyle wise, it meant gradually amending the way we view life to focus on our own emotional well-being and treasuring the people around us. This has been a gradual shift, and one that makes us so happy. Our view of life looks a bit like this right now:
So now that we have that out of the way, join us on the roller coaster ride that was 2017. Let’s go:
We kicked off the year by going to Bali – as a lot of you know places like Bali and Lake Atitlan are remote offices for us. We live the slow life here – spending lots of time huddled over our computers finishing up work, working out at the neighbourhood gym, making friends with locals and learning the local language, and visiting all the healthy eateries in town. But 2017 was different – we had to cut short our trip and spent a lot of money rescheduling flights because I was struck by a series of asthma attacks in Bali and refused to get better despite visiting a doctor and taking heavy medication. I wrote about this in an article titled 5 Travel Annoyances: A Rant
But that is life – such niggles come and go. We took this opportunity to spend the month of February with our friends and family in New Delhi. A lot of you often ask us whether we miss our friends and family on the road – the answer is no, we rarely get homesick. But that is also because our current lifestyle allows us to spend a lot more time with our families compared to when we had busy corporate jobs. In fact, spending more quality time with our families was one of the factors that made us switch to a more laid-back lifestyle.
By March the travel itch kicked in good and proper. We hadn’t been travelling for almost 2 months and that is unacceptable. We kicked off the month with a long-winded roadtrip in Kerala that took us through verdant spice plantations, enthralling backwaters, and countless little villages.
March was also the month for our first ever TEDx Talk. I will never forget our first TEDx Talk – from being questioned about our decision to travel full time to being felicitated for it, it’s been quite the journey. At our talk, we spoke about travelling, professional travel blogging, digital entrepreneurship, and (most importantly) living mindfully 
😊 The talk went smoothly but there were so many Bruised Passports readers in the audience that it occasionally became hard to talk over all the cheering. It’s at moments like these that one realises just how precious it is to have a huge virtual family egging you on every step of the way. It’s true what they say – following your heart does take you to crazy places, TED stage included. We smiled from ear to ear while looking at the deluge of photos from you guys after the talk.
April was reserved for a bunch of countries and experiences that had been on our wishlist for a long time. We flew to Hong Kong and explored its culinary landscape at length. The rest of the month was spent experiencing Cherry Blossom Season in South Korea and Japan. We met lots of old friends along the way, made a bunch of new friends, fell in love with Korean food, and couldn’t get enough of landscapes in Japan.
In the month of May we wanted to shed off the woollies, so off we went to the dreamy islands of Seychelles. We had an incredible time exploring its beaches, devouring Seychellois curries, meeting lots of fun people, and spending quality time with each other. Here’s a little overview of our times in Seychelles:
We came back from Seychelles to a surprise. Bruised Passports won the Travel Blog of the Year at the coveted Outlook Traveller awards. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for Bruised Passports.
It was soon time to head to Europe for a bit of work and a bit of fun. Our first stop was Paris, one of our favourite European cities. We took the week to meet some of our friends and relish summer in Paris. After than we headed off to a couple of areas in France that we hadn’t visited yet – Foix and Chamonix. The fortnight in France was spent exploring little villages in the countryside and taking road-trips, the most exciting of which took us to a tiny country called Andorra.
We flew to Slovenia next on an assignment with other influencers from around the world. This lasted all of 4 days but we fell irrevocably in love with Slovenia. Everyone else left soon after but the two of us decided to alter our plans, rent a car, rent a cottage, and explore Slovenia. We spent over 2 weeks driving in the country and exploring its nooks and crannies. This was definitely one of the travel highlights of 2017.
We promised ourselves to explore more of India in 2017 and we hadn’t done too much of that by June. So we spent the next 3 months exploring some parts of the country we’d always wanted to visit. A work assignment took Vid to Leela Palace Udaipur and we spent the week exploring Udaipur and all it had to offer. We booked an impromptu trip to Srinagar with my mom and had the best time plucking apples from Kashmir’s famed orchards, exploring the state, and sampling Wazwan cuisine.
But that’s not all – next we went to Fratelli’s vineyards in Maharashtra. It was our first time at a vineyard hotel in India and we had an amazing time sampling every single wine on offer. This was followed by a long-winded road trip in Coorg. We love the lush green environs and the people of South India, so it’s fun to keep going back for more. Coorg was quite touristy but we loved the drives around the area!
Along the way, we met so many fellow creatives and made new friends. We love meeting fellow influencers, who aren’t scared to express their creativity and question boundaries. We also met so many of you. Everywhere we went – be it Paris, Lake Bled, or Maharashtra – we bumped into hundreds of readers along the way. Thank you to each one of you who came and said hello to us this year – there is nothing we love more than bumping into you guys 🙂
Vid snuck in a quick trip to Sydney to visit his adorable nieces. I didn’t get my visa on time, so I had to bail out of the trip. But the month of October kickstarted with a roadtrip to Sikkim, our first adventure in North East India. And adventure it was! We experienced some incredible sites (glacial lakes, cascading waterfalls – you name it!) and some of the worst roads we’ve ever encountered!
Sikkim’s roads left us completely shaken. And experiencing all these new places left us a bit jaded. We were craving the familiar – roads we know and love. So for our anniversary, we booked a mammoth month long trip to Europe to revisit some of our favourite places and discover some new places along the way. We spent November and December in Faroe Islands, France (where else but Paris!), Switzerland (a little village we loved!), and Iceland (a crazy road trip packed with panoramas and Northern Lights). We took things easy and explored at a slow pace – needless to say, this trip left us completely rejuvenated!
This was also the month we wrote 3 of our most liked and commented upon posts on Instagram. I cannot say this enough – it makes me so happy that our readers engage with real issues – gender equality, the importance of hard work, and prioritising love in life. When we set out to conceive Bruised Passports, we dreamt of bringing together people who don’t just love travelling but believe in living their best life and are endowed with positivity. It makes me so happy to think we’ve succeeded in that. Here are the 3 posts:
You know you love exploring the world when you travel for leisure, travel for work, and travel for holidays with your family. After a relatively laid-back break in Europe, it was time for back-to-back assignments in the month of December. First up : a road-trip in the Middle Eastern country of Oman. Oman surprised us in so many ways – we had not expected the abundance of natural beauty we witnessed in Oman. We drove through deserts, slept amidst dunes, swam in glittering turquoise pools in the middle of wadis (valleys), met the friendliest people, lingered over tea and dates, and enjoyed brunches in the mountains.
While everyone was busy wrapping up the year, we went straight from Oman to the beaches of Goa and the hustle bustle of Mumbai for photography assignments. Our days were packed from sunrise to sunset but we managed to take some time to explore the crumbling chapels of Old Goa, the colourful Latin Quarter of Fontainhas, and the Portugese architecture at every corner. As the year drew to a close, it was time to wind down surrounded by the ones we love the most – we spent quality time with our families over Christmas and New Year as we prepared for the year ahead.
So those were the travels of 2017 for us – 15 countries, countless adventures. We don’t know what 2018 holds but we will strive to make it a year where we celebrate our individuality, work hard to reach for our dreams, and love like there’s no tomorrow ❣️❣️ And you? What were your highlights of 2017? Tell us in the comments below 🙂
This was such an emotional read. It makes me feel so much connected to you guys.
2017 was an amazing year travel wise. From the extreme cold in Ladakh to sunrays almost penetrating my skin in Rajasthan, from the mighty mountains of Uttrakhand to the drenched road trips in Maharashtra, I loved every single adventure this year. 2017 was full of exploring different states in India. Already planning my adventures for 2018. 😊
Hey Kaveri – so happy you enjoyed reading this – poured our hearts out 🙂 Love the sound of your adventures in 2017. Happy happy travels in 2018
New year greetings to bruised passport and also to the oarents savi and vid. Your insta post with small details of the scenario around transports me to that place and visualising and enjoying the beauty through your eyes. Also love the fact that you open up ur personal self which is why when your virtual family bumps into you, they know how have u been and feel like long lost friends. Lastly, who doesnt love to travel but what motivates me more is the behind the scene hardwork put into the picture perfect insta post do my best in whatever i do and live my dreams.
Lots of love and positivity to you guys. Would love to bump into you’ll some day while travelling and take a selfie for memories.
Hi Bharat – thank you for leaving us the sweetest note ever! We truly feel like our virtual family is our real family 🙂 Hope you live out each of your dreams in 2018
Hi Savi n Vid…. What a bful way to sum up a year. We generally are so busy in our day to day jobs n chores that never think of how each day/year passes…. Your post is an insipiration to stay positive n move on in life with positivity 🙂 I really love all the awesome work both of you are doing. Keep inspiring us 🙂 May 2018 brings supperb memories for you both.
Thanks a ton Rohit 🙂 You’re right – the monotony of daily life can get dangerous – let’s hope we can all battle it in our own little ways in 2018
Such a beautiful post!! Had a really great time reading it 🙂 wishing you happiness as always!
Thanks a million Vruchi – so happy you enjoyed reading it 🙂
Hi Savi n Vid,
You are a great inspiration to many n love u guys for the lovely pics n write ups. I have gone through many travel blogs but the way Savi u put it down every minute details, the words n the flow …it just carries me away keep inspiring n wish u both a great 2018 , let it be a marvellous year exploring new places ….much 💕
Thanks a million Deepa – so happy to hear you enjoy reading Bruised Passports. Writing is my passion, so it makes me so happy to hear it reflects in our work too 🙂
It was in 2017 that I started following your Instagram page and soon fell in love with the positive vibes your pictures gives.I started following your blog too and I love reading your write ups . You mention every minuet detail about the places you visit…..following your blog has become my new hobby and I jot down the details from your blog in a small diary thinking may be one day I cud actually visit these places and these infos cud come handy.
The major major highlight for me was visiting Barcelona in April for my first wedding anniversary… it was one hell of an experience… later we also visited Maldives … it was more of a relaxing vacation from the hustles of day today life ….as beginners we are happy we cud pull of two vacations abroad … within India we had a trip with our cousins to Hyderabad,our favourite spots there was : the Golkonda fort and chowmahalla palace .. that was our deed for last year
I am eargly looking forward for your 2018 travel diaries and I hope you keep inspiring many to travel this beautiful world .. love to bruised passports ❤️
Hey Meera – so happy you enjoy reading Bruised Passports. We wanted to include minute details because we know those help out the most when someone actually visits a new place 🙂 Wishing you tons and tons of travels in 2018
This is such an amazing post..Even though I recently started following Bruised Passports, I feel like I know you guys for long. Travel wise 2017 was great for me as well… I am not a professional traveler yet but still, I managed Paris, Nice, Amsterdam, a 4-day road trip to Austria, another road trip to Berchtesgaden and ended the year with a week in Santorini. Can’t wait to explore new places in 2017
Thanks for leaving a note Prajakta – you picked some great places in 2017. Good to know you had such an incredible time 🙂
Woww !! Loved reading it as much as I like your pictures! Just hoping to travel more and spend more time at the chosen places this year.
Thanks a ton Manmeet – wish you a year packed with travels 🙂
Hi Savi and Vid. Loved the article. I think my favourite part is where you guys share the three most liked pictures in 2017 from your instagram. While I had seen the one with your anniversary picture and about Savi’s journey to her dream of doing a PhD, I somehow missed the one with Vid in it. It is so, so heartwarming to hear why exactly he left his job in Singapore. We almost never see something like that happen which is why it is even more important to talk about issues like this. It doesn’t have to be about a particular gender making all the sacrifices but about 2 people figuring out together what’s best for them and who can pull off what. Thanks Vid for this beautiful lesson about following your passion and that it doesn’t have to always do with a job. It could also be about being with a certain someone who makes you happy or anything else for that matter.
Love and Hugs to you guys. Looks like I am going to screenshot Vid’s story to forward it to some of my friends.
Hey Vanya – thanks a ton for going through the entire article 🙂 Absolutely agree with you – all of us need to question gendered stereotypes today more than ever before!
Hey Savi & Vid, You guys are the benchmark for love, happiness, and life! Love this write up. 2017 was a great year for us too. Starting from Manali in January to London in Summer, we inusherein the New year in Kerala, it was the most satisfying and enjoyable travel that we had. Thanks a lot for inspiring so many hearts!! Love you guys ❤
Thank you so much for all the love Nandhini 🙂 You year sounds amazing – wish you tons of new adventures in 2018
Hi Savi & Vid.
I’ve been reading Bruised Passports for quite some time now and I feel so connected to you guys somehow, even though we’ve never met. It absolutely warms my heart to read your articles penned down so thoughtfully and makes me fall in love with traveling even more. The past couple of years have been amazing for me, I went to one of my dream destinations in Summer 2016 – Ladakh followed by 3 trips to Goa. I bid farewell to 2016 and welcomed 2017 with my first ever International & solo trip to New Zealand, exploring Auroville & Pondicherry in March followed by traveling to Gokarna in July and Dehradun-Mussoorie in September.
Thank you both for inspiring me with your words. They truly mean so much to me. Stay happy, cheers 🙂
Dear Agrini – reading this makes us so happy. We loved hearing about your travels (they sound so exciting) but more than anything else, we loved hearing from you 🙂
Hey Savi and Vid! This is such a heartwarming post with both your stories! It is very inspiring. 2017 was great and I managed to visit 5 new countries. As an undergraduate student in the UK, Europe seemed the easiest option. Covered Amsterdam, Rome, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Paris and Brugge along with visits to India. You both are so inspiration! I recently turned 20 and have ticked 16 countries off the world map! Hope to keep the pace. Lots of love ♥️
Hey Akanksha – that sounds incredible. It’s so easy to explore Europe if you’re based in UK – wish you tons of travel in 2018 🙂
Hey savi and vid…love to read your articles every time. you guys are inspiration. looking forward for your 2018 travel journey.love you.
Thank you so much for the love Ragini – well and truly appreciate it 🙂
I have been following your blog right from the start. Absolutely love reading your articles. We visited Alaska( both cruise and land), Yellowstone and ended the year driving down Highway 1 California and celebrated New year at Disneyland.
Thanks a million for sticking with us through this crazy blogging journey Priya – loved hearing from you 🙂 Also love the sound of your adventures – we’d love to do Alaska by land and Yellowstone this year as well <3
Hey Savi and Vid,
I came across your Instagram account recently and have been following you since then.You guys inspire me a lot.I completed my graduation last year and have started my very first job. I have always loved exploring new places and now I with the job I can do that.
Last year I started my travel journey by visiting the Golden Temple, Amritsar. Next went for a trek to valley of flowers along with my cousin. Went on a weekend trip to Agra along with my friends.And finally ended the year with a trip to Udaipur along with my family, your blog on things to do in Udaipur helped me to make the trip plan better.I have already planned my 2018 travel list, hoping to explore new places and maybe bumping into you guys someday as well.Wishing you both a very a new year.
Hey Ishika – so good to hear about all your experiences – thanks for taking the time to jot them down for us. We hope we bump into you super soon somewhere around the globe 🙂
Loved reading your travel filled year story. 2017 wasn’t as good as I had expected it to be. But i am grateful that I got to travel to a few places I wanted to. Looking forward to explore more in 2018 and hope to see you somewhere down the road.
Hey glad you enjoyed reading it and really hope our paths cross somewhere down the road 🙂
Hi Savi and Vid it’s so great to hear your stories your travel sojourns are amazing. You guys are an inspiration to all the people like me who have a passion to travel arpund the globe and your minute details about the journeys make it much more easier. So in 2017 I visited coorg and ooty then went on a trip with my friends to Goa for a week and then to darjeeling and gangtok with my family. Savi you were right that spending time and travelling with family is also a very important part as it keeps us more energetic and gives a mental and physical peace to our body. Thanks a ton to you guys and I have alread decided on my travel list for 2018 which includes pattaya and dubai. I suggest you should visit croatia once so that atleast we get one more travel through your eyes episode
Hey Apoorv – great hearing about all your travels in 2017. How exciting 🙂 We’ve been to Croatia and even written about it on our website – do check it out when you get the chance 🙂
Hey savi and vid…love to read your articles every time. Looking forward for more travel journeys in 2018. just wandering are u guys planning any post on faroe islands ?
Hey Binny – yes our post on the Faroe Islands will be published this week 🙂
Me and my husband we have been following you people for a long time now and trust me you people just reflect our passion. We both love you guys immensely. Reading your blogs just send me to dreamland and I wish I could travel as much as you guys. We have just gotten married and I think last year was a great travel year starting off by travelling to Europe for our honeymoon, then a quick retreat to mussourie and ending the year by a trip to Goa in October. We hope that someday we start blogging our journey just like you guys… loads of love- Mahak and Mohit
Thanks guys – I hope you end up travelling tons this year. Lots of love right back at ya 🙂
This post like any other Bruised Passport article is tripping with love and affection for everyone who lives life to create magic.
Kudos to you guys!!!
Thanks a ton Diganta – so happy our passion for cultivating love reflects in our work too. Yay 🙂
Hi Savi & Vid, Nice article!! We are planning for a girls trip to Oman from India. i couldn’t find your itinerary so Can you please help me with the itinerary. Thank in Advance.
Hi Supriya – we will publish our itinerary for Oman this coming week. You’ll find lots of tips and suggestions there 🙂
Great article guys, love reading your articles and stories on Instagram. Really like the fact that you provide so much behind the scenes and personal stories along with your posts.. makes your blog stand out from the others. Pretty jealous of the fact that you can afford to spend so much time at each destination and savor the place, that’s one thing I always miss. It’s one drawback of travelling with a full time job, as I visited 15 countries last year as well (:P) but didn’t get to explore them in the level of detail that you guys do!
What is the destination you are looking forward the most to in 2018??
Hey Sudipto – thanks a ton 🙂 You’ve done mighty well for someone with a full time job – we’d struggle just like you when we were working full time. But that’s also the fun of it right?! 🙂
I am so surprised that I got on the “bruised passports” boat ONLY now! Well, I accidentally stumbled onto an Instagram picture from one of your trips last night, and from then have been on this crazy binge of your adventure travels. Yup, guilty as charged – spent almost the entire night!
2017 – For me was the first step towards my desire to travel (UNLIKE you guys who have already achieved this =) I want to travel to 80 countries in this lifetime) with a few countries like Austria, Hungary, and Italy. Taking that first step has left me wanting for more already!! Having said that, since you guys loved Slovenia a lot, I am sure you would totally cherish Hungary too – an absolute must!
2018 – I have lived in California for some time now BUT have almost always skipped Morro Bay, don’t know for what joy. After reading your travel diaries, that will be the first on my list of to-go.
Have a blessed year ahead guys.
Hey Poorva,
THANK YOU so much for all the love and support. Welcome to the Bruised Passports family. Here’s wishing you tons and tons of travel soon 🙂
Wow…great post! So many beautiful photos, inspring messages and a successful year of travelling so well written. I have enjoyed all your 2017 posts. This posts wraps up the year beautifully. I will look forward to following you in 2018.
Hi Gilda – so happy you enjoying reading this post. Penning this one turned out to be quite an emotional roller coaster 🙂
You guys are life/couple/travel goals seriously!! Lots of hugs and best wishes always. <3
Thanks a million Aditi 🙂
Hey Savi and Vid – always a pleasure to read your blog posts, this was no different. You guys are rockstars!! I have been following your blog almost from its inception (have to admit that I hardly post any comments but believe me I have read each and every blog posts of yours). I have been living in the UK for the last 3.5yrs and always thought of bumping into you guys randomly somewhere but never happened :(, may be some time on any of the adventures.
The following quote (one of my favourites is especially for Vid) – “The virtue of camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking”
Keep following your dreams and thank you for always inspiring 🙂
Until we meet, bon voyage for all your future travels.
Thanks for this note Vatsal. We always love hearing from you and hope we bump into you in UK super soon. PS Love that quote – it’s so true!
Sure, I will be on the lookout whenever you are next in the UK.
This article warms my heart ❤️ I’ve been following you since your Leh Ladakh road trip, and since then I’ve been absolutely hooked m- on both your amazing travels and your incredible outlook on life. Thank you so much for being such an amazing influence in my life ❤️
Dearest Adele,
Thank you so much for sticking with us and supporting us. Love you 🙂
I am an avid follower and know that Vid pursued his higher studies in Singapore. I plan to travel there in July this year and was wondering if you guys have suggestions on where to stay in Singapore? Things to do..places to eat anything to visit the city like a local?
Hey do go through our articles on Singapore: https://www.bruisedpassports.com/category/singapore for more details on planning a trip and choosing places to stay at / things to see
Wow beautiful post with lovely pictures, travel goals and a lot of inspiration. I have been following you guys since last one year and its always such a great pleasure to read your posts or see your Instagram pictures.
Love the way you guys have designed the life you wanted for yourself by putting all the hard work and passion, and its really amazing to see such content which amazes and inspires us at the same time. I live in Delhi so hope to see you guys in your next Delhi meet up hopefully 🙂
lots of love and best wishes for you both!! YOU GUYS ARE TRULY AMAZING 🙂 🙂
PS – I am in the process of planning our bali trip and lot of it is inspired by you guys so might ask a few questions if I need your help 😀
Thank you so much for the love Priyanka – hope to see you soon too 🙂