With Valentine’s week in full swing, the internet is full of sweet love stories from across the world.

One such story straight out of a movie romance is of Sunil Patil and Chandana Rao.

Based out of Bengaluru, the couple met for the first time on their respective solo trips to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Hampi, Karnataka.

On  6 March 2016, Chandana took a local bus to Hampi and shared a sleeper seat with Sunil.

It was Chandana’s first visit to Hampi and Sunil’s tenth. As soon as she discovered this, she asked for the spots to visit.

Sparks flew and the couple started to bond over their shared passion for budget-friendly travel.

They exchanged numbers and soon started travelling together on trips without confessing their love for each other. Four years later, in the freezing weather of Manali, Sunil proposed to Chandana under a beautiful waterfall at dawn.

Hopelessly in love, Chandana accepted the proposal and the couple finalised their vows on 17 April 2019.

As a testament to their union, they chose to tie the knot in the historic 9th-century Bhoga Nandeshwara Temple, nestled near Nandi Hills in Karnataka.

The couple still keeps going on budget-friendly trips. Sunil believes, “It entirely depends on a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. Of course, it does take a serious amount of planning while having the courage to be spontaneous for pocket-friendly trips,” says Sunil.

Bonded with their love for budget-friendly tips, the husband-wife duo has travelled to two countries, 12 states and innumerable cities together.