Staysion

Travel Journal

Stories from real places

Destination guides, honest hotel picks, and travel writing that actually helps you plan.

Kerala Travel Guide: Backwaters, Beaches, and When Monsoon Works

13 April 2026

india

Kerala Travel Guide: Backwaters, Beaches, and When Monsoon Works

Kerala has two monsoon systems and one of India's most functional tourist infrastructures. The backwaters, the hill stations, and the beaches are all accessible without the logistical friction of many Indian destinations.

Henrik Vinter

Rajasthan: How to Plan a Two-Week Trip Through India's Desert Kingdom

12 February 2026

india

Rajasthan: How to Plan a Two-Week Trip Through India's Desert Kingdom

Rajasthan is one of the few places in India where the historical setting is as dramatic as the guidebooks claim. The Mehrangarh Fort above Jodhpur, the lake palaces of Udaipur, the sand dunes outside Jaisalmer, the pink-walled City Palace of Jaipur — these are not overrated. They require planning to experience well, because the distances between them are significant and the heat from March onwards is severe. A two-week Rajasthan itinerary moving through the four major cities is the standard circuit, and it works because each stop has a distinct character and the logistics between them — train, bus, or private car — are straightforward if booked ahead.

Henrik Vinter

Goa vs Kerala: Which Part of South India Should You Choose

4 February 2026

india

Goa vs Kerala: Which Part of South India Should You Choose

Goa and Kerala are 400km apart and almost completely different destinations. Goa is a beach holiday: colonial Portuguese towns, nightlife, beach shacks, and established tourist infrastructure. Kerala is a cultural and ecological experience: backwaters, tea plantations, ayurveda, and a food tradition that stands apart from the rest of India. The question "Goa vs Kerala — which is better" has no answer because they solve different problems. You can visit both in a two-week trip; you shouldn't try to combine them into a single experience.

Henrik Vinter

India's Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur for First-Timers

1 February 2026

india

India's Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur for First-Timers

Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur form India's most-travelled circuit because the three cities are connected by express trains, separated by 3–4 hours, and contain the country's most recognisable monuments. This understates what first-time visitors encounter. Delhi alone has 32 million residents, traffic that moves at walking pace during peak hours, and an air quality that can affect breathing within hours of arrival. The sensory intensity — noise, crowding, smell, visual chaos — disorients many travellers who've never been to South Asia. Agra exists almost entirely around the Taj Mahal. Jaipur is more manageable but not small. The circuit takes a minimum of seven days to do with any depth; ten days is comfortable. Going in knowing the actual conditions — the scams, the crowds, the heat — prepares you far better than the standard framing of this as an "easy introduction to India."

Henrik Vinter