Tejas G R and his wife, Aishwarya Karkera, are engineers who, apart from their regular nine-to-five jobs, are sharing their biking adventures with lakhs of followers on social media.
Hailing from Karnataka's Mangaluru, Tejas realised his passion for biking during a ride to Bengaluru.
He started following travel channels on YouTube and soon, would start his own blog, sharing his travel experiences.
The couple’s journey started with small trips around Karnataka. They dedicated a few hours every day to filming and editing videos, and posting them on social media.
“It wasn’t a planned journey to becoming content creators; it just happened as we kept making videos and some of them went viral,” Tejas says.
As COVID-19 created room for work-from-home arrangements, Tejas and Aishwarya would find more time for content creation.
More journeys were planned, more videos made, and today, Aishwarya and Tejas have travelled to at least 497 cities on their bikes, covering over 60,000 km.
However, balancing their passion for the road with their regular jobs remains a challenging task, requiring meticulous planning.
“We manage by prioritising travel over other activities. We have supportive managers, which makes it easier to get time off when needed,” Tejas says.
Today, with over four lakh people following their social media handle (@_unfilteredstories) Aishwarya and Tejas come with a treasure trove of tips for biking enthusiasts. Here are the top five:
The couple uses Google Maps and looks for landmarks or places of interest on the way. This also helps in planning the perfect stops.
“For instance, when travelling to Kashmir, we included stops at significant sites like the 23 temples in Madhya Pradesh and the Grand Canyon of India in Rajasthan,” Tejas recalls.
While fuel costs are fixed, you can save on food and accommodation by choosing budget hotels and Airbnbs.
Riding for long hours requires a certain fitness level. Working out at the gym or having a basic fitness routine can help. To enjoy the trip, it is imperative to not exhaust the body.
Thorough planning is non-negotiable. Tejas advises newbies to start with short distances. Book your accommodations ahead of time.
“Consider the road conditions and weather, especially in hilly areas. Investing in riding lessons can be beneficial, teaching you how to handle various terrains and unexpected situations,” he says.