https://www.scmp.com/rss/515492/feed Teja Lele is an editor and writer based in India writing on travel, architecture, food and lifestyle. Her work has appeared in The Times of India, Indian Express, Mint, Forbes, National Geographic Traveler, Outlook Traveller, Mumbai Mirror, YourStory and The Hindu. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Teja Lele Teja Lele “The world is a book,” 4th century theologian St Augustine is believed to have said, “and those who do not travel read only one page.” But what if the journey and an actual book were combined? Rejecting checklist-driven tourism, destination book clubs curate escapes that bring together literature lovers in locations that are themselves characters in their respective tales. And appealing to those craving such connection, companies like Books in Places, the Enchanted Book Club and Avalon... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3320124/book-inspired-holidays-follow-footsteps-authors-agatha-christie-marquez?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3320124/book-inspired-holidays-follow-footsteps-authors-agatha-christie-marquez?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 11:00:15 +0000 Peace and quiet have become major casualties of a modern world that moves at an ever more frenetic pace, with its myriad distractions. In Silence: In the Age of Noise (2016), Norwegian adventurer and polymath Erling Kagge writes that “an abundance of activities leaves us with a feeling of experiential poverty”. Studies have linked noise to stress and a range of health problems, including depression and cardio­vascular disease. Research also shows that spending time in quiet natural surroundings... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3285266/5-silent-tourism-retreats-visit-digital-detoxing-monastery-canada-meditation-and-yoga-ice-sweden?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3285266/5-silent-tourism-retreats-visit-digital-detoxing-monastery-canada-meditation-and-yoga-ice-sweden?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Nov 2024 02:15:07 +0000 Apart from their love of the written word, American authors Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64), Henry David Thoreau (1817-62), and Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) have something else in common. All of them made their home in Concord, a small town in Massachusetts, in the United States. Established by English settlers in 1635 as Musketaquid, an Algonquian word meaning “grassy plain”, the town was renamed Concord later that year, suggesting peaceful agreements with Native... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3274771/why-small-town-northwest-us-home-so-many-authors-emerson-alcott?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3274771/why-small-town-northwest-us-home-so-many-authors-emerson-alcott?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Aug 2024 23:15:11 +0000 Paithani, Patola, Kanjeevaram, Chanderi, Banarasi, Jamdani, Gadwal, Sambalpuri … whatever the style, India’s love affair with the sari is unwavering and dates back centuries. The unstitched garment, made of woven fabric between six and nine metres in length, is worn draped over a woman’s body and is ubiquitous across the country, especially during weddings. One in four of the world’s weddings takes place in India, according to Timothy Chi, CEO of The Knot Worldwide, which runs the tech platform... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3249313/mysore-varanasi-aurangabad-kanchipuram-patan-sari-clusters-where-indias-brides-spend-big?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3249313/mysore-varanasi-aurangabad-kanchipuram-patan-sari-clusters-where-indias-brides-spend-big?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jan 2024 03:15:10 +0000 Cruising may be considered a holiday option best suited to senior citizens worldwide but, in India, Gen Z, millennials and young working professionals are displaying a strong appetite for voyages, often as part of multigenerational groups, according to the India Holiday Report 2023, published by travel companies Thomas Cook India and SOTC India. “Cruises represent a unique value proposition for Indians: an all-inclusive holiday without the hassle of multiple check-in/check-out and transfers,”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3238056/indias-nascent-cruise-industry-sees-increase-customer-appetite-raising-fears-ecological-damage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3238056/indias-nascent-cruise-industry-sees-increase-customer-appetite-raising-fears-ecological-damage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Oct 2023 04:45:22 +0000 The birthplace of Ayurveda, India is aiming to make the traditional system of medicine its next big tourist draw. The government recently introduced a new category of visa, the Ayush, to facilitate travel for foreign nationals seeking treatment according to traditional systems of medicine. Ayush stands for Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy. (Unani is Islamic traditional medicine derived from the teachings of Hippocrates in ancient Greece; siddha is southern Indian... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3232554/wellness-tourism-india-ayush-visa-promotes-yoga-and-treatment-traditional-medicines-and-tropical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3232554/wellness-tourism-india-ayush-visa-promotes-yoga-and-treatment-traditional-medicines-and-tropical?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Aug 2023 08:15:07 +0000 Rohit Dev, a banking professional living in New Delhi, has booked his flights. Mumbai-based writer Ismat Amin has reserved a hotel. Rakesh Patel, founder of The Bharat Army, one of the largest Indian cricket supporters groups, is sitting in London waiting for confirmation of match tickets. In a time when politics and religion divide the country there’s one thing that unites India: cricket. The passion for the sport is so pervasive that the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 (October 5 to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3230633/why-ahmedabad-host-india-vs-pakistan-world-cup-match-well-worth-visiting-besides-cricket?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3230633/why-ahmedabad-host-india-vs-pakistan-world-cup-match-well-worth-visiting-besides-cricket?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Aug 2023 03:15:08 +0000 Did Tibet’s highest spiritual leader sexually assault a child? This question was sparked after a video showing the Dalai Lama asking a young boy to “suck” his tongue went viral earlier this month. In the clip, the Dalai Lama is approached by a boy – whose identity remains unknown – for a hug. He then asks the child to kiss him on the cheek, holds the boy’s chin and kisses him on the lips. He then says “suck my tongue” and sticks his tongue out. The crowd laughs and the leader hugs the child... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3217863/dalai-lama-asking-young-boy-suck-my-tongue-tibetan-tradition-or-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3217863/dalai-lama-asking-young-boy-suck-my-tongue-tibetan-tradition-or-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Apr 2023 03:30:16 +0000