Top 5 most searched and travelled international destinations by Indians

 

Tagged to be the best places to visit in the year 2025

As 2025 has begun, many people have already blocked their calendars to travel to the most trending destinations with their families. For 2 consecutive years, Indians especially have searched and travelled to Thailand and the UAE.  The trend continues, but there are a few more countries added to the list for the year 2025.

1.  Azerbaijan – The country was earlier part of the Soviet Union and later, in the year 1991, got Independence. The place is known for its culture, rich history, and breathtaking scenery. Baku the capital city, is known to be the most travelled spot in the year 2024 and will attract more people in the coming years across the globe. The country is home to natural wonders like the Caspian Sea coastline, the majestic Caucasus Mountains, and the unique mud volcanoes. The place is a perfect blend of green spaces and modern buildings, beautifully maintained by the government and the locals. Link to the e visas – Link

2.   Georgia – It is a gem of the South Caucasus, celebrated for its breathtaking landscapes, ancient history, and warm hospitality.  The place is known for ancient monasteries, vineyards, fortresses, and UNESCO-listed sites such as Mtskheta. The most recommended time to travel is late April/May or late September /October to enjoy the hiking and the outdoor activities. With its stunning landscapes, vibrant culture, and welcoming people, Georgia is a destination that leaves a lasting impression on all who visit the place.

3.    Sri Lanka – The country is referred to as the tropical paradise famous for its pristine beaches, lush tea plantations and wildlife-rich national parks. For the adventure seekers and the travel enthusiasts, the most recommended time to travel is from Nov – March, to enjoy trekking in the Knuckles Mountain Range or embarking on thrilling safaris to spot elephants and leopards. With its warm hospitality and year-round appeal, Sri Lanka is a destination that captivates travellers with its charm and beauty. E Visa - Link

4.    Vietnam is a captivating Southeast Asian country, known for its stunning landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture. The visitors have described the place as mesmerizing beauty, which contains secluded calm beaches, a glittery night sky, charming floating villages, and many more. The place offers an array of sports activities, including kayaking, rock climbing, scuba diving, hiking, and more. The country’s history is deeply intertwined with ancient traditions and modern resilience, as seen in its historic sites like the Imperial City of Hue and the Cu Chi Tunnels. The most recommended months to visit Vietnam are between November – April. With its warm hospitality, dynamic cities, and serene countryside, Vietnam is a destination that leaves a lasting impression on all who visit.

5.  The Maldives is a tropical paradise in the Indian Ocean. The place will treat you with a mesmerizing beauty of islands, pristine white sandy beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and vibrant coral reefs teeming with marine life. The place is trending among honeymooners, divers, and anyone seeking tranquillity. You will find patches of Islands at every interval, beautifully maintained by resort owners. They will serve exceptional hospitality, fresh seafood delicacies and will create an experience of absolute luxury. Whether you're snorkeling with manta rays, enjoying a sunset cruise, or simply relaxing under the sun, the Maldives promises an unforgettable escape.

Get your passports, visas, travel clothes, camera, and your travel partner ready to celebrate your birthdays, anniversaries, and many “firsts” with your loved ones.

If you feel I should extend the list and add best 10 countries to visit this year, please feel free to write it in the comment section below. 

An Enchanting Trip to South Sri Lanka

After listening to numerous testimonies and watching images of beautiful landscapes since childhood, my husband and I planned a short visit to the country known for its rich history, treasure trove of natural beauty and vibrant culture, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a tropical paradise, with numerous beaches, and mangrove forests situated 100 miles north of the equator, nestled in the Indian Ocean. If you are someone who loves a peaceful holiday with your favourite book and a spectacular view of a beach and forest, then Sri Lanka is the place for you.  

This is certainly not a place to limit your stay to 3- 4 days, as there is a lot to explore, however if you are planning a quick get-away from your routine, then you can look at a few spots in Sri Lanka that you may not want to miss. This blog will help you choose the best spots for a 3-day leisure trip, focusing on exploring the southern terrain of Sri Lanka. This plan will suit people who have a love for art, and  monuments, love beaches, and want to enjoy a peaceful panoramic view of tropical landscape.

Day 1:

My husband and I began our trip as soon as we touched down at the small yet organized Colombo airport. We took less than half an hour to wrap up our immigration and stepped out to find many cabs and Tuk Tuks lined up to take us to our first stop, Bentota. The biggest benefit of short trips is carrying small hand luggage; so, we skipped our long wait at the luggage conveyer belt and straightway headed to our tour guide holding a placard with our names on it.

After a few minutes of greetings and photo clicks, we headed to a long ride from Colombo airport to Sheraton Kosgoda Turtle Beach Resort situated at Bentota which is close to 2-hour drive. Our first half of the drive to the resort gave us a glimpse of a few tourist spots, Lotus Tower, Victoria Building (Earlier an Eye and Ear hospital) and Town Hall of Colombo.

Travellers who love history and want to explore and spend time at these spots can get a ride on buses and autos, also called Tuk Tuk in Sri Lanka.

The most beautiful view was of Cinnamon Garden, located 3 kilometers south-east from Colombo's centre. The name is derived from the former cinnamon plantation, which was spread across 289 acres of land in the year 1789. However, currently, the wide estate consists of PMO office, National museums, foreign embassies, and many more attractions in the midst of mansions and fine trees.

Coming back to our trip, we stopped at a restaurant called Sasaa to have our breakfast and continued our ride to Bentota. Although the ride was long, I could not stop admiring the lush green trees kept untouched on both sides, for the animals and their ecosystem to flourish. On our way riding on the NH road, we saw a huge monitor lizard crossing by the road, which increased the excitement level a notch higher.  

When we reached Bentota, we saw numerous beautiful resorts constructed respecting the ecosystem and facing an exceptional beach view. One resort, which I could not help but notice was its beautiful architecture, led to a minor deviation from our trip. We halted for a few minutes at Thaala Resort and requested the front desk team to permit us a few clicks of the property. The beautiful construction was done by none other than Geoffrey Bawa, the most influential Asian architect of his generation.

     

For a brief moment, I felt we were cheating on our resort that we booked for our stay, hence we left soon after capturing a few mesmerizing views of the Thaala resort.

 As we approached closer to our resort, we stopped for 20 minutes at a turtle hatchery to learn about the various turtle species and the efforts they put to protect endangered ones. A mile from there, we reached our destination at the Sheraton resort. Our one-night stay at the resort was refreshing and helped us revive quick after a long hot bath, a walk at the beach, and a candlelight dinner serving authentic Sri Lankan food with a light acoustic music played in the background.  

 

   

Day 2:

The second day began with a beautiful view of the early morning twilight sky with a refreshing breeze and a hot cup of tea and a coffee. Soon after our breakfast, we checked out of the resort and head towards Yala National Park Safari for a 3-hour long wildlife sanctuary tour. I would recommend preparing well for a long drive without many refreshments stops, hence one must pack accordingly. While driving, you will be able to see paddy fields to lush green forests with tall trees. There are a few villagers staying closer to the roads with electric fences to protect themselves from elephants attacking their houses at night. Many have located elephant herds crossing the area looking for food, hence avoid night rides.

After a 3-hour ride from the resort to Yala, we had a brief stop at an exotic restaurant serving sea food. Soon after our lunch , we hopped on to our open safari jeep which was waiting for us outside the restaurant.

Although I was aware of what I signed up for, I was terrified to hop into an open jeep to see wild animals like elephants, leopards and crocodiles with no side covers. Our ride began at 2 PM, where for the first hour we saw crocodiles, grey langur, monitor lizards, peacocks, giant mongoose, wild buffaloes, bores and different species of birds. The second hour of the tour we entered a denser region, where our tour guide asked us to keep an eye on deer/stag herds as that indicates the presence of leopards for a kill. While we were scanning the vicinity for leopards, we saw a herd of wild elephants with 2 calves eating leaves and small branches of the trees. A group of jeeps were far behind our tour jeep when unexpectedly, the elephant herd changed their course towards our jeep to cross the road.

 I can image how my husband might have felt who is a hard core elephantophile and could not stop clicking pictures of them passing by our jeep. However, I must say a close encounter of wild elephant herd made me feel as if I have conquered a war of fears. As I was still recovering from the bone chilling experience, we had another encountered of a strong well-built leopard resting near a tree, little rattled by 5 jeeps full of people clicking pictures. Honestly, at that moment I was more concerned about irritating the cat who would shoo us with a roar or an attack, however my guide assured me, no such incidents had occurred in the past.

After 3 hours of long, scary yet exciting moments, by the end of the tour when I expressed my fear to my husband, he burst into laughter and admitted this tour to be the best in his life.

Elephant and leopard close encounter at Yala National Park

We concluded our adventurous trip and headed to our last stop for the day, to the Radisson Blu resort, where we checked in for 2 nights. We got an upgrade to the junior suite, which was astonishing. We strolled through the resort to have a few drinks and dinner where they served a feast for the senses, featuring bold flavors and vibrant colors. They had rice and curry as a staple dish, often served with a variety of vegetable curries, lentils, and meat options, along with a wide spread of sea food. The exotic food was perfectly paired up with live old soft music played by a young singer. 

Day 3:

After 2 successful days full of excitement and adventure ,I was waiting to stroll on the Galle roads and try street food, which included kottu roti, a stir-fried dish made with chopped roti, vegetables, and meat or eggs, usually served from lively street stalls.

Other than a perfect flavoured dishes, Galle is also famous for its Portuguese style hotels, restaurants and churches. However, before heading to the most renowned Galle Dutch Fort, we watched test cricket between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the Galle cricket stadium. The experience was new and thrilling watching the match live.

However, I would recommend packing an umbrella, a few snacks and a water bottle, especially during October month, as the weather can be a bit unpredictable.

After watching the game for 2-hours, we straightaway walked through the famous Galle Fort built by Portuguese and extensively fortified by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. Later after the independence, a lot of the architectural remains of the monuments were reconstructed by the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka, which turned into a highly endorsed tourist spot in this region.

Although the fort was built by Portuguese in the year 1588, it was later around 1796 when the British took over the Fort owned it till 1948, when the island became Independent.  

You will find many restaurants, Portuguese style churches, libraries, and hotels that you can’t avoid visiting. My husband and I had our lunch at a beautifully constructed hotel restaurant at Galle Fort and got convinced to stay at the same hotel for our next visit as the view was commendable.

After finishing our lunch, we did a few street shopping where you can buy authentic kitchen utensils made from tree woods, sculptures of gods, elephants, and lions and a few paintings capturing the beauty of Sri Lanka. There were many tourists who were buying clothes, kitchen utensils, and junk jewellery made purely out of mahogany wood.

Towards the end of our tour, we decided to meet an aged Sri Lankan lady who has always made my husband’s visit to Sri Lanka special. We decided to pay a surprise visit to her house, and she welcomed us with open arms. After spending some time with them, the kind lady took us to a Buddhist shrine and prayed for our happiness. The next morning, we flew out from Sri Lanka.

   

Although our trip to Sri Lanka was short, this trip has built in more urge to come back and cover the rest of Sri Lanka.

Until then Ayubowan till we meet again.

Suggested read - Top 5 most searched and travelled international destinations by Indians

A journey to the city of love and history - Ljubljana

Ljubljana, the lovely, romanticised capital of Slovenia, should be on the bucket list of all the travellers who love culture, art, literature, and history. The city is situated along a trade route between the northern Adriatic Sea and the Danube region. The city is not just known for its rich history and tradition but also for the unfulfilled romantic tale of France Prešeren, a renowned poet who fell in love with a young teenager, Julija Primic.

The city is active during the June – July month with numerous programmes, food and music festivals, however, I would recommend travelling during May, September, October and December to enjoy the real scenic view of the place.

After reading a bit about the history and weather in the month of October before our short trip made me pack my luggage with lots of sweaters, sneakers, and a map.

As mentioned in my previous trip, pack your bags as compact as possible for an easy exit from the airport to avoid a long wait at the baggage carousel. Although Slovenia is known to be the most expensive place in Europe, the beautiful classical Baroque and Habsburg-inspired buildings, and the mesmerizing view of the bridges by the lake in the evening, along with the elegant architecture of the city constructed by Jože Plečnik, will make you feel all worth it.

As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we decided to catch the local bus to our hotel, but we found a shuttle bus service counter near the exit. They charged us just 12 euros per person to drop us off at our Occidental hotel. Unlike our usual trips, we avoided pre booked trip guides and decided to explore the city by foot with the help of a map shared by our hotel manager. We also learned that the Slovenian government has allotted free tour guides who will take you to the key locations, give you a good brief of their history and recommend the list of best restaurants that are a must try.

As we reached the city quite late and it was raining heavily, we decided to conclude the day and started early the next morning.

Walked through the roads of Ljubljana to learn the history and the elegant architecture - 

The next day, we woke up around 6:30 AM and got ready for a good heavy breakfast at the hotel for the busy day ahead. While checking out the large spread of food options, we met 2 boys from Kerala, who are studying hotel management in Ljubljana. Me and my husband have always believed ourselves to be a true Keralite despite being born and brought up outside Kerala. Although we love introducing ourselves to other Malayalee populations and make new acquaintances, we have always restrained
ourselves from asking the typical line, “Naatil Evide?” Where do you stay in Kerala? Which we thought was a cliché.

My husband, who enjoys talking to new people, approached them to order 2 omelettes for us and came back with a big smile on his face. I asked why he was smiling, and he replied, "You can take a Malayali out of Kerala but you can never take Malayalam out of a Keralite.”

Coming back to our tour. Based on the instructions by the hotel manager, we reported to the Prešeren Square in front of the pink church sharp at 11 AM, where the free tour began. The lovely lady Anja was standing by the stairs with a yellow umbrella (identification). We introduced ourselves, and she introduced herself as a Slovenian by birth. Soon after she listed the names of people who were accompanying us for the tour, we began the journey by giving us a brief about the history of Slovenia from the Roman Empire rule till they received independence in the year 1991.

If you are planning to explore the real ethnic Slovenian food, buildings, and monuments, I recommend approaching a local tour guide who will take you to the best places in town. 

While talking about the history, Anja pronounced as Anya spoke about the renowned poet France Prešeren who has inspired Slovenian literature, had an unhappy love story. He fell in love with a young girl Julija Primic, while he was already married to another woman. I am sure that was a risky move, but it was a love at first sight, lured by her youthful beauty. To commemorate their love tale, the statue of France Prešeren was placed, which stands in the eastern side of Prešeren Square looking towards the sculpture of Julija, where she used to live.

          

Then the guide further took us to Urbanc House standing across the sculpture of France Prešeren. It is known to be the oldest department store in Ljubljana which was built in the beginning of the 20^th century and constructed in an Art Nouveau style architecture.  

Enjoying our guides detailed explanation of the history of Slovenia, people continued following her towards the market hall, where the restaurant owners set up an open-air breakfast table. We also saw citizens selling good quality honey and accessories to the tourists, packaging them as a souvenir to remember the city.

As the tour was progressing, the dark clouds covered the sky and started drizzling in no time. Me and my husband thought the tour might come to a halt temporarily, but Anja continued her tour, explaining further about sculptures at every junction and corner of the bridges, representing a story. Everyone at the tour did check the weather dot com before joining the tour, so all were well prepared with an umbrella in hand.

Continuing with the trip, we all walked towards the Butcher’s bridge, where we saw many locks clinging on to the railings. These locks represent/symbolize their love for their partners. People were absolutely astonished by the number of locks hanging the railings.

We further walked, crossing the large market selling flowers, sweaters, shoes, vegetables, and more. Gazing through the market, smelling fresh flowers, we halted in front of a huge brass door carved

     

 beautifully, representing the past, present and future of Ljubljana. The door was to the entrance of the cathedral of St. Nicholas, which was constructed in the year 1996. 

After passing through a few wet streets, labelled with famous wine shops, children’s books ,and clothes, we stopped at another huge building called the Town hall of Ljubljana also referred to as the Magistrate house. It is the home of the municipal government, constructed in the late 15th century. We all had a few clicks outside the building and the sculptural fountain by Francesco Robba right outside the town hall.

Wine tasting is a must at Ljubljana

We headed to our next stop, a well-known wine shop. The tour guide convinced the owner for a small cup of wine tasting for people who were par
t of the tour. They served us 2 flavors; one was made from fig and the second one from cranberries.

I must say the cranberry wine was absolutely delicious. Like a child, I convinced my husband to buy the wine instantly, however, he pacified me by ensuring to buy it after our tour was over. We further crossed a few stores and reached another bridge called Shoemakers Bridge. Earlier many craftsmen lived and worked on the bridge for the customers to avoid paying the entrance fee. This bridge was made back in the 13^th century. It is decorated with Corinthian pillars and listed as the World Heritage site in 2021 by UNESCO.

 

Architectural beauty -

As we took a right turn and saw a wide road with beautiful Roman style constructed buildings, we knew we were walking towards a classical history of Slovenia. Anya took us to an odd and unique building that had a bigger story behind it. The building was the most famous National and University library in Slovenia and stand still since 1791. However the new architecture was designed by the acclaimed architect Jože Plečnik in the 1930s and has been on the UNESCO list of world heritage since 2021. The building was almost destroyed during the second world war, but the natives reconstructed the building and made the copies of the books destroyed during the fire. For more details on the library click - Link

   

As we were getting closer to the end of our tour for the day, we took a few pictures of some of the very beautifully decked up restaurants and decided to try out the best ice-cream in the whole of Europe called Romatika ice cream parlor, claimed by the owner and the trip adviser. We ordered a delicious cup of mango ice-cream and enjoyed the view of the beautiful streets of Ljubljana.

While doing such tours, I would recommend carrying a water bottle, some snacks, a camera, and an umbrella in case it rains.

We concluded our day and planned to get on a trip to castle trip covering the rest of the city.

Watched the mesmerizing beauty of the city from the top of the castle 

We woke up fairly late, around 8 AM after a long walk-through Ljubljana city the previous day. Post our heavy breakfast meal we explored a few shops, restaurants and buildings that we saw during our tour.

We decided to begin with the pink church. The church opens its doors to the tourists by 11 AM. It was absolutely pin drop silent; and dark but well illuminated around the statues of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ.

After taking a few pictures of the church, we crossed the bridge to find something that would help us beat the cold weather. While strolling down the street, we found a toy train that took us to the famous castle, which has been standing tall for the last 900 years. Although we had only 15 minutes to explore the castle, we also covered the rest of the city, including the famous river Ljubljanica. The river passes through the south of the town of Vrhnika and flows into the Sava River about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) downstream from Ljubljana.

After finishing our tour, we bought a few things from the market hall to remember the beautiful place and headed back to our hotel to pack our bags.

If you are traveling back to the airport or any part of the city on a weekend, please preplan as the cabs and buses are not easily available. We prebooked our cab to the airport next morning and headed back to our home.

If you want to explore a larger part/area of Europe and not just Ljubljana, I recommend staying a week longer. You will be able to cover Austria, Italy and Croatia which are only a few hours away from Ljubljana.

There are a few direct and connected flights to Ljubljana which includes Flydubai, Emirates, Air France, Turkish Airlines and more.

We are certainly planning to come back to this place, exploring more parts of Europe, capturing more beautiful images for you.

Stay tuned for more updates and suggestions for your next trip to your dream destination.