https://beforemaps.vercel.app Exploration-led journeys across India. Field notes, scouting reports, and travel stories. en-in Fri, 12 Jun 2026 22:14:05 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/icon.svg https://beforemaps.vercel.app https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/why-we-added-rishikesh https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/why-we-added-rishikesh Rishikesh is the most touristed town in Uttarakhand. So why did Before Maps add it? Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/travel-philosophy https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/travel-philosophy Solo scouting. Pilot testing. Application-based. Small groups. The operating principles behind every journey. Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/essay-travel-philosophy https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/essay-travel-philosophy Solo scouting. Pilot testing. Application-based. Small groups. The operating principles behind every journey. Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/triund-to-laka-glacier https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/triund-to-laka-glacier Everyone does Triund. Almost no one goes beyond. I followed the trail to the snowline at Laka Glacier. Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/day-in-the-life https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/day-in-the-life What does a typical day actually look like when you travel with us? Sat, 20 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/scouting-bir-billing https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/scouting-bir-billing Beyond the landing site and cafés lies a network of trails, Tibetan monasteries, and a valley most visitors never notice. Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/packing-for-mountains https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/packing-for-mountains After dozens of Himalayan trips, my packing list has become ruthlessly minimal. Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/essay-packing-for-mountains https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/essay-packing-for-mountains After dozens of Himalayan trips, my packing list has become ruthlessly minimal. Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/pricing-philosophy https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/pricing-philosophy New, unexplored destinations require weeks of solo scouting. Sun, 08 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/why-pilot-trips https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/why-pilot-trips Every Before Maps journey starts as a solo scouting trip by Uddip. Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/miyar-pilot-report https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/miyar-pilot-report After scouting Miyar solo, we ran a pilot trip with 4 carefully selected travelers. This is the honest debrief. Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/what-happens-when-discovered https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/what-happens-when-discovered We've watched it happen to Kasol, Tosh, Chitkul. Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/essay-what-happens-when-discovered https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/essay-what-happens-when-discovered We've watched it happen to Kasol, Tosh, Chitkul. The pattern is always the same. Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/gurez-road-scouting https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/gurez-road-scouting The road to Gurez opens for four months a year. We drove it in early June when the snow had just cleared. Sat, 10 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/village-no-tourists https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/village-no-tourists Not every scouting trip leads to a journey. Some villages simply don't want visitors - and we respect that completely. Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/why-we-dont-call-ourselves-travel-company https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/why-we-dont-call-ourselves-travel-company The language we use shapes the experiences we create. Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/essay-not-a-travel-company https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/essay-not-a-travel-company The language we use shapes the experiences we create. Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/hamlet-before-the-road https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/hamlet-before-the-road We found a cluster of five homes above the tree line. No phone signal. No road. Just a family that has been here for seven generations. Sat, 15 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/gear-that-actually-matters https://beforemaps.vercel.app/blog/gear-that-actually-matters After hundreds of days in the mountains, here is the gear list that survived every trip. Mon, 10 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/forgotten-trail-shoja https://beforemaps.vercel.app/field-notes/forgotten-trail-shoja An old shepherd trail connecting two villages, untouched by trekking groups. We walked it twice to verify the route. Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT