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Through the mobile lens: Couple captures travel, one Instagram post at a time

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Jagruti Verma
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ChaiHighwayAurHum

With a little over 100 posts in their kitty, the ChaiHighwayAurHum couple has been living the dream for the last two months. Here's more about their lives, travels and love for mobile photography.

Josh and Rajkiran met while working at a Bangalore IT Company, a decade or so ago. Every couple story rests on one crucial detail of what brought them together — for the ChaiHighwayAurHum couple, it seems to be travel. Until towards the end of last year, their travels included vacations they took away, together. Then came the big decision.

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@ Muzhappilangad Beach, Kannur. The only drive in beach from Asia which made the list in a 2016 BBC article for autos of the top 6 drive in beaches in the world. You will find 4 km stretch of sand to drive right on the sea. Amazing experience! Shot on #Huawei nova7i 'The best camera is the camera you have in your hand' Follow us to get more travel stories. DM if you want more info about the place and how to reach Muzhappilangad Beach. #colorsofindia #couplegoals #passionpassport #beach #sunset #travelgram #instatravel #drivezy #tripoto #instapicoftheday #instaclicks #travelcouple #beachvibes #happiness #breeze #backpackers #natgeoshot #indiantravellers #insane #instaclicks #instalove #mobilephotography #mobilephotography9999 #yourtripbox #roadtrip #traveltoexplore #driveinbeach #feelthebreeze #borntotravel #globetraveller

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To take up exploring the world, one picture at a time was long in the making. To do so with photos clicked by low-end phones, an interesting choice. "When we sat down to look at the images from our travels, we realised that the best moments were, in fact, the ones clicked by our phones, despite the fact that I had a DSLR on some of these trips," Josh tells us.

In a space where most bloggers are working towards creating a crisper experience for their followers, this choice is perhaps what helps them cut through the clutter. Josh explains, "I feel the average Indian traveller always has a sustainable budget in mind and that it is possible to travel with whatever you have, instead of splurging on these experiences."

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Delhi is cold, chilly and traffic is crazy. We are at India gate which is a war memorial to the 70,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in the period 1914–21 in the First World War. Though I felt emotional and respect for the soldiers who sacrificed their life and families to protect us, I hope we don't need to create more memorials like this. Let's make peace not war! ____________________________________________________ We are on a 90 day road trip to explore India. Request you to follow, inspire and join us whenever possible as we keep sharing our stories. Also please suggest if you know of places for us to visit. Next stop: #chandigarh Shot on #Huawei nova 3i. 'The best camera is the camera you have in your hand' . Follow us to get more travel stories. #travelblogger #photooftheday  #natgeotraveller #natgeotravel  #travelholic #couplesgoals#sunset #instatravel #incredibleindia #travelstroke #traveltherapy #streetsofindia #travellinggram #travelbloggers #backpackers #ciaz #moodyindia #storiesofindia #indiagate #igersdelhi #army #airforce #navy #salute #peace #warmemorial #delhi #wanderer @hindustan.pictures @hindustantimes @imperial.india @indiashutterbugs @lonelyplanetmagzineindia @theindiantraveldiaries

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However, in the digital space, can you really afford to be simple when everyone is chasing the edit bandwagon? "The decision to not go for specialised investments was a conscious one. All our pictures are clicked and edited on basic smartphones," says Josh, explaining that the advantage of budget phones is that they can be changed often.

In every post on their handle, the device on which the picture was clicked is mentioned. Josh feels it's an important detail. "Since the phones we use are about 10-15K, mentioning the brand details help add authenticity. It is in sync with our idea of budget travel," he says, adding that they have not partnered with any phone brand in such descriptions.

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Few years back, josh introduced me to cycling and I totally loved it. Riding slow, enjoying the breeze while admiring the surrounding was my thing. Couple of years back I had freak accident while riding and broke my arm. Since then I never really got back on the saddle. Looking forward to carrying our bikes on our next road trip and do some riding. Picture from our travel archives - Cumbria, England Shot on #Huawei P8 Lite 'The best camera is the camera you have in your hand' . Follow us to get more travel stories. #mobilephotography #travellingthroughtheworld #travelphotography? #offbeat #travelblogger #photooftheday  #natgeotraveller #natgeotravel  #travelholic #couplesgoals #cyclinglife #cycling #travelcouples #backpacking #couplesgoals #ridetoexplore #travelstroke #traveldeeper #traveltoexplore #instagood #instapic #throwback #photooftheday #travelbloggers #happiness

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So far, their efforts have been appreciated. Indeed, if you were to look at their feed, the aura is one of a couple-next-door, sharing their stories and not of professional bloggers. The choice of places is an interesting factor in their tale. "We spent a majority of our time in Southern India, so with this project, we decided the right way to go was up north."

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Hunting for magic mushroom ? ? near kodaikanal. We were in Vattakanal, also known as the "Little Israel" of SouthIndia. Vattakanal is hidden hill station near Kodaikanal where hummingbirds, thick pine forest, aroma of eucalyptus trees and magical mushrooms give you company. Some are easy to find some need little bit of hunting???? ≠=============== Shot on #canon photo credit @monika_thammaiah - The best camera is the camera you have in your hand' ≠==≠============================== #passionpassport #forest #backpackingasia #visitindia #visitkodaikanal #tamilnadu #magicmushrooms #trailadventure #trekking #travelgram #samsung #mobile_photography #couplegoals #_woi. #happiness #positivevibes #desidiaries

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"The idea is to visit places that are not as widely explored by travellers and give a glimpse of it to prospective travellers." On the topic of funding, Josh is clear that it's too soon for them to indulge in contracts. "We don't want to immediately tie-up. For now, it's a personal thing and we want to enjoy it as we grow and the handle builds up," he says.

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Repost From our recent travels to Nepal. This is Begnas Lake which is around 20km away from famous Phewa Lake. We had rented a scooter in Pokhra and decided to explore some nearby offbeat places What we found was absolutely amazing. A beautiful lake with hardly anyone except a few locals and boat men. The lake is surrounded by small villages and fields. We walked around the lake and sat down to enjoy the amazing sunset. Perfect evening to remember. Have you ever found something amazing just because you decided to explore? Leave in the comments below. Shot on #Samsung A5 'The best camera is the camera you have in your hand' Follow us to get more travel stories. #mobilephotography #travellingthroughtheworld #travelphotography? #offbeat #travelblogger #photooftheday  #natgeotraveller #natgeotravel  #travelholic #travellingthroughtheworld #instapicoftheday #instatravel #traveldepper #travelstroke #travelcouple #sunsetchaser #positive #happiness #nepal #natgeoshot #bbctraveller #tourtheplanet #globetraveller #lake #yourtripbox #takemeback #nepal #rebuildnepal

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