Oopsie Daisy as my little nephew says, time to put forth some exaggerated fallacies about this and that, here and there. But let’s keep it simple, shall we and let’s not lie. But you promise you won’t expect huge things from this “about us”.
We are couple that loves to travel. That’s it. Really.
The long version is we set sail on 28th November 2012 (and that is a very important day for the one among the two of us) from our rented house in London to travel the world for an year. We have been out and about for an year now and nowhere close to even halfway through. But our rucksacks which we try to keep light and are now overflowing with loads of memories, stories and pictures. And they are getting heavy. So here we have arrived creating a port of transfer to unload our experiences and share them around, to send you love and inspiration if you want to kick that desk job and give what we are doing a try. Mostly we thought it would be fun to have conversations about travel with people who are far away and love traveling just as much.
So, a warm welcome to Empty Rucksack, feel at home.
Who is Vikram?
Vikram is the cool headed guy who is always in control. If you meet him you will think of him as the saint, as the enlightened man better suited under a tree than on a night bus to places. He can talk to anyone, is never shy which is amazing for me because I (Ishwinder) get self-conscious even to get my tea reheated at a restaurant. He is the most social person Ishwinder knows. For a fact, Ishwinder & Vikram had more friends at their wedding than relatives and they were all Vikram’s. He remembers everyone’s birthday, never picks up a fight and never hesitates to be the first one to call. But his cloak of coolness comes off when he has to jump into deep waters from high cliffs where he stands shivering for eternity before taking the leap. He never tires, sleeps a lot and never worries. He is the best friend anyone can have and is the best husband. (Sorry, he is taken.) A cool travel fact about him is he rode a motorcycle on the last of our Delhi to Leh trip from Jammu to Delhi with rains, bandhs, night and day all falling on the way. It was 20 hours in toto breaking his Delhi to Manali record of riding straight for 16 hours.
Who is Ishwinder?
Since it’s Ishwinder who is writing this, it is hard for her to write it. If you were here she would fumble and mumble or probably talk about something else. But written word makes it difficult to escape. Let’s switch to first person, shall we. I am the good Indian girl gone rebel. I always carried an “I will not speak to anyone” air about me through my school and college. But Vikram and travel have changed me completely. Chances are if you were sitting next to me in a cafe and looked a tad bit interesting I will strike a conversation with you and we will end up talking for hours. I am a writer working on a book which was part of the reason why Vikram and I quit our jobs. But one year hence I am nowhere near completion because I love procrastination and looking into blankness. A cool travel fact about me is that there is no cool travel fact about me except that I am the one who pushed Vikram to do that 20 hours stretch and hadn’t eaten for two full days at a stretch on that ride because I just wanted to get home. That makes me realise, I love traveling but I love home too.
Where we have been?
We have traveled to 25 countries,trekked in the Himalayas, Alps and hiked deep into Sumatran rain forests, seen the sun go down on the beaches of Greece, watched belly dances in Istanbul, crossed high passes on road trip around ladakh, stayed on organic farms in south India, trekked the grand canyon, lost money in the casinos of Vegas, got our share on pictures with the wonders of world Eiffel tower, leaning tower and Colosseum, sought the remotest and prettiest corners of Italy – cinque Terre, ate the best pizza in the world, went caving in Slovenia, gorged on the street food in Vietnam, swam with the sharks in Perhentians, lazed in the hammocks of islands along the Mekong river in Laos, but the lust for travel never ends. The more we travel the more we want to travel.
want to know us better, check out the questions they often ask us.
If you find this website interesting, share with us your travel story here or leave the link of your travel blog in comments. We would be happy to connect with you. You could also stay in touch with us by liking our facebook page or following us on twitter.
i love u both 🙂
we love you too eesha 🙂
Hope to catch up with you guys late Oct 2014 and then once and for all, we can answer the oft asked question, who really is the cool one, Vicky or Ish?
Its me its me its me its me all the way
Cool!!!! Great site! You guys rock.
Come on! Ask our parents, they would prefer us to be a doctor anyday 😀
I am in love with you guys tooooo Such a huge inspurationnnnnnn
thanks…we may be getting off the road soon…but still not willing
Great professional work, enjoyed reading your post, lot of Educational information about Food, People, and Places, Will Share & follow your post in all platforms.. Cheers to You and Yours Happy Travelling :-))
Rohit Jobanputra
Travel Punter
Rohit recently posted…Visit Gdansk – Danzing
Rohit,
Thanks a lot for the encouragement, it is the encouragement from fellow travelers that motivates us to share our experiences and things we enjoyed.
We visited your blog, is it being worked upon? some of the links did not open up.
what all countries have you been to? 38 countries with an Indian passport is a big task.
-Empty Rucksack
What can I about Vick, have known this booger since he was born…knows all his mischiefs, his achievements, his mistakes and know that we don’t get to talk much.. he and I still know ones where about what one is upto etc and it makes me so proud to say that my baby brother is all grown up and is now a world traveller..and I am still to meet Ishu.. Hope to see you both soon…love you guys!!
Hello to both of you..and thanks for dropping in at Backpacker..lovely site you have here and am enjoying your adventures..
Lakshmi recently posted…The Little Plum People of Nuremberg
Thanks Lakshmi, We follow your blog quite regularly.
Great blog, love your spirit for travel and adventure!!
Apu recently posted…Cinnamon Walnut Logs | Cookies for Christmas
Thanks Apu for checking our blog! Look forward to sharing some great travel experiences with you!
Oye Ishu, kya mast blog hai 🙂 I am jealous and proud of u my dear
Thank you Durba.
Masti Baantne se badhti hai.
Ish and Vicky, A love story I will tell to my grandchildren!
Snehal bhai: hum hi suna denge 🙂
Awesome guys…you inspire me. I read this and then made my hubby read it and said ‘hum kab’? 🙂 🙂 Love what you’re doing! Keep travelling, exploring and spreading the love!
Aditi recently posted…‘You’
Thanks a lot Aditi. Hum Kab ka ek hi Jawab hain, Jab chaho tab. 😀
We enjoy travelling more than anything else, want to do it forever.
Empty Ruck Sack recently posted…Rajasthan Road Trip Leg 1 Delhi Pushkar
I know what you mean about trying to keep the rucksaccks light. I often start out with about 9kg, but end up carrying something really stupid around with me (like a giant silk wallhanging I bought in Malaysia). Thankfully memories are light though! Keep blogging!
Katie Featherstone recently posted…Sydney and its surroundings… a medley
Katie,
Well. We learned the hard way, 2014 onwards, we are down to one rucksack. We have agreed to carry only one rucksack amongst the two of us. Surprisingly all we had to leave behind were the extra clothes we had gotten used to carrying, the kindle also helps.
-Empty Rucksack
Empty Ruck Sack recently posted…Rajasthan Road Trip Leg 1 Delhi Pushkar
Lovely blog, Vicky & Ish! Thanks for connecting with us on Twitter! Keep up the great work and travel safe! Oh… and a happy New Year! 🙂
Hitch-Hikers Handbook recently posted…2013 Year Review
Thanks Hitch-Hikers,
Thanks for dropping by, and we are glad to be connected on twitter. A very Happy New Year to you too.
-Empty Rucksack
Empty Ruck Sack recently posted…Rajasthan Road Trip Leg 1 Delhi Pushkar
Thanks for connecting on Twitter! I love your site and the photography is excellent (I really like the B&W shots from Pushkar). Can’t wait to see more from you in the future 🙂
Nathan Anderson recently posted…The Beauty of Being Still
Nathan,
Thanks a Lot. We enjoyed visiting Pushkar, it was one of our favourites in Rajasthan.
-Empty Rucksack
Hi Vic and Ish! Love this blog :)! Definitely one of my new fav’s. Will keep following you guys! Cheers, Manouk
Manouk for Bunch of Backpackers recently posted…Bunch of Backpackers Glossary – Your guide to backpacker jargon!
Thanks Manouk, we are so glad enjoyed our blog! Hope to stay in touch with you.
guys any plan of visiting bangalore
Samaresh,
No plans for bangalore at the moment. Maybe later in the year.
-Empty Rucksack
We done you guys. I “saw” you on the website of Nomadic Matt. Happy travels!
Victoria recently posted…ITB Berlin: 10 things to do if you’re a new blogger and what I learnt.
Thanks a lot Victoria.
Hey guys… love your stories…being a flight attendant myself i had a chance to travel to 45+ countries and would really like to share some of my experiences with you and your readers. Tc
Hey Aman,
We would to share your stories with our readers.
Tell us a little about yourself and then we will discuss on what we can share on our website.
Thanks
Empty Rucksack
Some day.. some day.. I will follow your footsteps. For now, I will just focus on recovering from my bout of total sickness and boredom 🙂
Deepika,
That day will come very soon. We hope it does and we would love to hear more from you.
Empty Rucksack
thanks for your wishes. For now I am off to Pench 🙂
We have never been there, do tell us how it was when you get back.
Thought we would throw a little joy and happiness your way.
We have traveled extensively using conventional methods and are inspired by other travelers to keep going.
We are planning to start a sailing travel adventure in November and are busy prepping now. We hope to set sail soon.
Mark and Cindy
s/v Cream Puff
http://www.creampuff.us
Stumbled across your blog…and you remind us of….err…aheemmm…us 🙂
Following you…and hoping to hear plenty more!
Ticking the Bucketlist recently posted…Kuala Lumpur: Veg Foodies’ Delight!
Hey Guys, Nice to meet fellow Indian Travelers on the blogging circuit. Blogging is such a nice way to meet like minded Indians 🙂
Proud of you both.
Proud of you both.
hi
I was seeing the website of nomadic matt, there I saw your experience written from there I jumped into your website. I was thinking that only westerners will travel all over the world till I saw your website hats off to you both being in India you have travelled nearly 25 countries with Indian passport in spite of the visa problems. please write a blog on how to get visa for developed countries it would be helpful for us. I like to travel a lot now seeing you guys I got hope on travelling all over.
thank you guys
travel safely
with regards
Basha A.K.
Hello Vicky and Ish! It’s lovely to blog-meet you guys! Here’s all the best for a lifetime and more of love, health, happiness and awesome travel!
You guys are the real inspiration for the travelers. I also love traveling a lot and recently started a blog about my travel stories and experiences with my husband – http://www.planforatrip.com