Travel: What weekend means for techies?

BANGALORE, INDIA: Project deadlines, internal meetings, reporting to manager, striving through busy roads to reach office, achieving numbers, clients meetings...the list goes on if we chalk out what we do on weekdays in our office.

To get rid of all sort of tensions and to come out of stress, a weekend at a secluded picturesque hill-station, enjoying the pristine natural beauty can be refreshing by itself. Planning for weekend trips and making it happen is another big task for any techies. Now with the economy slow down and deduction in our perks adds one more topping to choose a nearest place which is affordable and easier to access.

Sandeep, who works for Microsoft in Bangalore says: "I don't get time for personal life to spend time with my family members and I believe the two day week end is not enough. Being in IT industry from past 10 years, one thing what I have learnt is to balance both professional and personal life, which helps me to have a proper bonding with my family members."

"I am tired with the same work what I do everyday and want to relax my self with my family members for a day or two. This week, I have made my mind and promised my wife to take her out for a day trip," says Ravi Kumar, a developer in multinational company.

"I always feel like I am in a cage from Monday to Friday and want to explore the places which are in and around Bangalore. Personally I feel the companies should sponsor for weekend activities which make to refresh our mind and apply the same in our day today work to increase our productivity," adds Ravi Kumar.

Day trips are always meant to be for relaxing and rejuvenating our mind. These kind of trips makes people to get out of their element for however brief a time.

It is important for each one of us to escape from thoughts of work and responsibility. A proper planning will help us to plan our weekend to visit a friend or family member who lives just far enough away to make it an adventure.

If you are in a confused state to think of a place to escape on weekends, India's Silicon Valley, has much more to offer than being the IT hub of the country. Check out some the places where you can visit during this weekend:

*Nandi Hills:*

Situated at an altitude of 4851 ft. (1478 meters) above sea level, Nandi hills is an ideal destination for weekend. Located in close proximity to the newly constructed Bangalore International Airport, the hills is located about 20 km from the National Highway (NH-7) just after Devanahalli Town and 65 km from Bangalore.

It gets its name from the ancient Nandi or bull, which is meant to be the mount of Lord Shiva. Later developed as Tipu Sultan’s summer retreat, this hill-station was patronized by the British too. These hills are the source of the rivers Palar, Arkavati and Pennar and rolling green slopes surround the Amrit Sarovar Lake, making it a popular weekend destination.

*Yercaud:*

Yercaud, popularly known as “poor man’s Ooty” is a hill station near Salem, Tamil Nadu, India in the Servarayan range of hills in the Eastern Ghats. It is at an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) from sea level. The town gets its name from the lake located at its center - in Tamil “Yeri” means “lake” and “Kaadu” means “forest”.

Yercaud is known for coffee plantations and orange groves. Yercaud is 230km from Bangalore and you should be able to reach there in about four to five hours if you leave early morning.

*Mysore:*

Located 770m above sea level and 140 Kms from Bangalore, Mysore, the imperial city, was the erstwhile capital of the Wodeyars. Also known as the city of Palaces, Mysore has never failed to mesmerize the tourists with its ree lined boulevards, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully laid-out gardens, imposing buildings, Shimmering Silks and sacred temples.