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• Why This India Travel Blog Will Never Cover Anything But India

  In Op Ed / By Chris Chopp / 17 September 2012 / 5 comments

  

  I’ve noticed a trend lately in travel blogs. Country specific sites lull you in with the idea that they are all things France, or everything you want to know about Italy, only to find articles about the writer’s recent trip to China, or San Francisco, or Iceland. This discovery came off the heels of scouring the internet for exciting new travel blogs. Nothing provides more inspiration than to see where [...]

   

• Is TripAdvisor a Friend or Foe to Indian Travelers?

  In Op Ed / By Chris Chopp / 8 April 2012 / 2 comments

  

  TripAdvisor’s popularity exploded onto the travel scene (much like all social media has in the past 5 years) for one basic reason: people love recommendations from other people. A movie recommendation from a friend on Facebook is more likely to get a person to see said movie than a 30 second advertisement on TV. Tweet about a product and you’re followers are more likely to go out of their way [...]

   

• India Has No Culture, Part 2

  In Culture, Op Ed / By Chris Chopp / 2 January 2012 / 4 comments

  

  As I continued to wander the streets of Pondicherry, once again sweating profusely due to the intense mixture of direct sun and coastal humidity, my eyes caught the attention of another gift shop. Tucked inside a courtyard which doubled as the dining area for an adjacent restaurant, the small, intimate store selling a little of this and that was under construction. It’s owner stood under the door-frame waving for me [...]

   

• India Has No Culture…Part 1

  In Culture, Op Ed / By Chris Chopp / 30 December 2011 / 0 comments

  

  I remember walking the streets of Pondicherry one hot day. It was a terribly humid day with no breeze. The air hung in the sky as the sun broiled anything that dared to move along the cement streets. Sweat had drenched most of my shirt making it resemble more like a used towel after a shower rather than a cotton button down oxford. One particular gift shop caught my eye [...]

   

• What it Means to Be Away From Home on Thanksgiving

  In Culture, Op Ed / By Chris Chopp / 23 November 2011 / 0 comments

  

  As a traveler I’ve only been away from “home” on Thanksgiving once. It was during my first trip to India, an exciting yet bittersweet time. I remember looking for any references to the American holiday on television and in the newspapers. Nothing. India was busy minding her own business, recovering from it’s own over-the-top Diwali celebrations just weeks earlier. And besides, who eats turkey in India? As the days rolled [...]

   

• Real India: When Does a Tourist Get Involved?

  In Op Ed / By Chris Chopp / 3 November 2011 / 3 comments

  

  I remember the day vividly. It was hot, so hot. Humidity was bringing sweat to the surface of my body in a way I had never experienced before during other travels of India. I felt somewhat out of sorts walking around Arjuna’s Penance of Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), as the day had been such a flurry of rushing in order to reach the beach side community of Tamil Nadu before late afternoon. [...]