The Instagram of today is flooded with couple travel accounts. Among the first Indians on the scene were Savi and Vid, more commonly known by their account name ‘Bruised Passports’. Savi tells us about their memorable trips and relationship dynamics. By Sumeet Keswani
T + L India: How have your travels shaped your relationship? Was there a particularly impactful trip?
Savi: We’ve been travelling together for almost 15 years, and it has brought us closer. Travelling to new places can be a sensory overload. The good things—trying new dishes, meeting people—come with the bad ones—falling sick, getting lost, etc. But sharing these experiences with someone familiar heightens the pleasure. The one that stands out was the month we spent in Peru. It was our first trip after quitting our day jobs and transitioning to being full-time travellers. This was scary and led us to question our decision a lot. But being in Peru and realising that we now had the time to explore new places changed something in both of us.
T + L India: What are your individual interests on a holiday? How do you reconcile the differences?
Savi: Both of us love exploring new places—looking for scenic spots, trying new food, and chatting with locals to find little gems [that] tourists might not visit. But we also have varied interests. Vid will often spend hours photographing the night sky and visiting coffee shops, while I love visiting museums, vintage boutiques, and art galleries. We give each other a little bit of space. First, we cross off things that both of us are keen on. Then, we take a couple of days to go our own way.
T + L India: What kind of places do you prefer to visit?
Savi: Every time we travel solo, I veer towards exploring big cities (New York, Paris, London), while Vid loves the countryside and the mountains (Ladakh, Iceland, Faroe Islands). Together, we enjoy exploring every type of place, from glaciers and volcanoes to beaches and mountains. Long road trips in scenic countries like New Zealand and Spain are our favourites.
T + L India: What have been your most memorable trips together?
Savi: Lake Atitlán in Guatemala is hard to reach but truly special. The highlight was practising our broken Spanish at the local markets, bargaining for the creamiest avocados, and exploring villages untouched by time. The archipelago of Faroe Islands offers unspoilt panoramas and dramatic fjords without a soul in sight. Driving through glacial valleys and cliff-top villages with less than a dozen houses is an experience like no other.
T + L India: This year, T+L is #goingplaceswithpeople. Have you had any trips where the community defined your holiday experience?
Savi: Before the pandemic, we spent a few months each year working from Ubud, Bali. We were there for only one week on our first trip, however, conversations with locals led us to some amazing hole-in-the-wall eateries, hidden waterfalls, affordable villas, and little villages surrounded by paddy fields.
T + L India: You recently shared the beauty of Shillong’s cherry blossoms. What are some other offbeat places you’ve discovered?
Savi: We’ve had some epic adventures in India recently. Some that we really enjoyed are the glacial lakes in Sikkim (especially Lake Gurudongmar), the transparent water of River Umngot in Meghalaya, and the beaches and backwaters of Bekal in Kerala.
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Top Romantic Destinations: Cape Town, South Africa; Vienna, Austria (especially at Christmas time); Lapland, Finland; Zanzibar, Tanzania; Island hopping in the Caribbean; and Alberta, Canada.
Related: “I’ve Always Lived On The Sweeter Side Of Things”: Pastry Chef Vidushi Sharma
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