Latest news with #Bhagwan
The Hill
17 hours ago
- The Hill
What is ‘shoulder season' and why do some travelers swear by it?
(NEXSTAR) – Summer is winding down but there's still plenty of time to take advantage of the so-called 'shoulder season,' a vacation strategy that comes with major perks, travel experts say. If you've never heard the term before, it refers to the period before and after a destination's peak travel season that are like the 'shoulders' on either side, according to AAA. Prices tend to be a little lower and the crowds more sparse, but the weather is still comfortable. U.S. national parks, for instance, have shoulder seasons in the spring and fall when children are in school and demand dips, offering 'less crowds, but also cooler weather and fewer services,' the Park Service notes. 'Shoulder season differs for destinations but for the most part, for most of the popular places you are trying to visit, shoulder season is between April and early June and again in September and October,' Sonia Bhagwan, owner of Dreaming of Sun-Dream Vacations, said in a TikTok. 'Destinations that see savings in shoulder season are as follows: Western Europe, the Caribbean, parts of Mexico, Southeast Asia and all of the coastal cities of the United States.' Tennessee theme park named best in US – above Disney, Universal: Tripadvisor awards When it comes to late-August and September travel, experts with booking site Expedia recommend the following five shoulder season destinations: Asheville, North Carolina Sedona, Arizona Vancouver, British Columbia Lisbon, Portugal Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada A poll by travel search engine Skyscanner for its 2025 Smarter Summer Summer Report found that one third of Americans were looking to travel during the off-peak season this year to save money and dodge the crowds. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, that number was 42%. Some of the cheapest destinations for travel in late August and September were, according to the report: Domestic Buffalo, New York Portland, Oregon Orlando, Florida Chicago, Illinois Las Vegas, Nevada Miami, Florida Denver, Colorado San Francisco, California Boston, Massachusetts Fort Lauderdale, Florida International Tokyo, Japan London, England Rome, Italy Buffalo, New York Tirana, Albania Along with cheaper flights, shoulder season also means discounted trips to theme parks. September had the cheapest average admission to Disney parks, according to a Nerdwallet analysis that ran through October 2026. Peak seasons vary by destination, so it's always good to do a little research before booking. As for when to book, Bhagwan advises against procrastinating. 'Just because you're going to be saving money because you're traveling during the shoulder season does not mean that you should be planning these trips at the last minute,' Bhagwan said, adding that booking four to six months in advance is ideal.
News18
4 days ago
- News18
'My 40-Room Hotel Swept Away Like A Leaf': Uttarakhand Man Narrates Dharali Tragedy
At around 1:40 pm, chaos erupted in Dharali as a massive mudslide struck, causing widespread panic. Dharali village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district was severely impacted by a cloudburst on Tuesday, causing devastating flash floods and mudslides. One of the casualties of the disaster was a 40-room hotel owned by Jai Bhagwan, who narrowly escaped the calamity as he was visiting a nearby temple at the time. On the day of the disaster, Bhagwan noticed that no guests had arrived at his hotel located in Dharali's market area. He decided to go to a nearby temple to celebrate a local festival. At around 1:40 pm, chaos erupted in Dharali as a massive mudslide struck, causing widespread panic. According to The Indian Express, Bhagwan, who was at the temple during the incident, described the scene, stating, 'First, there was a thunderous sound, followed by screams from the nearby village. People were whistling, but we didn't understand what was happening. Then massive waves of mud, water, and rocks came crashing through." Realising the severity of the situation, Bhagwan rushed home only to discover that the floodwaters had reached there as well. He then hurried on foot to Harsil village for safety. His four-storey hotel was completely washed away in the mudslide, a scene he later saw in a video. 'In the video, my hotel is seen being swept away like a leaf. It was a 40-room hotel," he said. For the next few hours, Bhagwan constantly checked on his family, but lost contact with them after 4 pm on Tuesday. Luckily, due to the low tourist turnout during the monsoon season, the hotels in the area, including Bhagwan's, were largely empty. 'During other months, especially during the Char Dham yatra, my hotel is fully booked. Fortunately, neither my staff nor my nephew, who manages the hotel, were present," he mentioned. Rescue Ops On In Dharali Rescue operations in the flood-affected areas of Uttarkashi continued into their third day on Thursday. So far, 190 people, including 11 army personnel, have been rescued from Dharali. However, over 50 people remain missing. A massive rescue effort is being carried out in Dharali, with multiple agencies working in coordination, including the Army, NDRF, ITBP, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Uttarakhand Police, and local administration. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
‘My hotel flowed away like a leaf': Uttarakhand man who was at temple when tragedy struck
Uttarakhand's Dharali village was one of the worst-hit areas when a cloudburst led to flash floods and mudslides in Uttarkashi on Tuesday. Among the many structures that were swept away in the floods on Tuesday — several horrifying videos of which are making rounds on social media — was a 40-room hotel run by a man named Jai Bhagwan. He narrowly escaped being caught up in the tragedy as he went to visit a nearby temple. A view of the flash flood that struck Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil following a cloudburst, in Uttarkashi on Tuesday.( File/ANI) On Tuesday, when no one turned up to his hotel in the market area of Dharali, Bhagwan went to a nearby temple to celebrate a local festival, reported The Indian Express. Around 1.40 pm, all hell broke loose on Dharali while a massive mudslide hit the town leading to panic and chaos among people, all the while Bhagwan was at the temple. Also read: Uttarkashi flash floods: 50+ still missing, 190 rescued amid devastation | 10 latest updates Describing what he witnessed to IE, Bhagwan said, 'First, there was a thunderous sound, and then I heard people screaming from the village nearby. They were whistling too, but we were clueless. Then came massive waves of mud, water, and rocks.' Unaware of the magnitude of the disaster, Bhagwan rushed to his home only to find out that the water had reached there as well. Later, he hurriedly went to Harsil village on foot. His four-storey hotel was washed away in the mudslide, a video of which he saw later. 'In the video, my hotel is seen being washed away. It was a 40-room hotel, but it flowed away like a leaf,' he said. Also read: Battered infra hobbles rescue ops in Uttarakhand; many missing Over the next few hours, Bhagwan kept calling his family to ensure that they were safe, however, they became unavailable after 4 pm on Tuesday. Fortunately, the hotels in the area were mostly empty due to low tourist footfall amid monsoon, which are otherwise usually booked during the Char Dham yatra, according to Bhagwan. 'In other months, my hotel is completely booked when the Char Dham yatra is going on. Even my staff and nephew, who manages the hotel, were not present, fortunately,' the report quoted him as saying. 190 rescued, over 50 missing in Uttarkashi The rescue operations in the flood-hit areas in Uttarkashi entered their third day on Thursday. So far, 190 people, which includes 11 army personnel, have been rescued from the Dharali area, according to officials. Over 50 people are still missing. According to the NDRF North India Command Head Gambhir Chauhan, dog squads and veterinary doctors are being sent at the disaster site along with satellite phones as communication remains a challenge there. 'It was a huge tragedy. SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, Army and local administration are involved in joint rescue efforts,' he told PTI.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
‘My 40-room hotel flowed away like a leaf': Uttarkashi hotelier cheats death because he was at nearby temple
As he watched no one turning up at his hotel on Tuesday, Jai Bhagwan, a hotelier at Dharali, decided to go to the temple nearby for a festival commemorating the naag devta. Some distance away from the market, the temple was one of the structures unharmed in the floods. Around 1.40 am on Tuesday, Bhagwan was attending the mela when a commotion was heard. 'First, there was a thunderous sound, and then I heard people screaming from the village nearby. They were whistling too, but we were clueless. Then came massive waves of mud, water, and rocks,' he recalled. Dharali village was struck by flash floods and mudslides, taking with it buildings in the market in the village. As operations continued to search for those missing, estimated to be over 60, the government said two bodies were retrieved so far. Bhagwan's four-storey hotel was one of the structures swept away in the deluge. 'We did not immediately understand what was happening. I tried to rush to my home, some metres away, but in 20 minutes, the water reached our house,' Bhagwan said. He later rushed to Harsil on foot. He saw the video much later, and the magnitude of the incident dawned on him. 'In the video, my hotel is seen being washed away. It was a 40-room hotel, but it flowed away like a leaf,' he said. He spent the next few hours after fleeing from Dharali calling his family members, ensuring their safety. 'I could contact them till 4 pm on Tuesday, after which they became unavailable,' he said. Bhagwan said that most hotels were empty due to the lull in tourism in the monsoon season, and the market had fewer people on the day the tragedy struck. 'In other months, my hotel is completely booked when the Char Dham yatra is going on. Even my staff and nephew, who manages the hotel, were not present, fortunately,' Bhagwan said. Rescuers say there is 50-60 feet of muck, almost like quicksand, at the site, which is near-impossible to move without heavy machinery. Aiswarya Raj is a correspondent with The Indian Express who covers South Haryana. An alumna of Asian College of Journalism and the University of Kerala, she started her career at The Indian Express as a sub-editor in the Delhi city team. In her current position, she reports from Gurgaon and covers the neighbouring districts. She likes to tell stories of people and hopes to find moorings in narrative journalism. ... Read More
News18
4 days ago
- Science
- News18
What Really Causes Earthquakes? Expert Links It To Human Actions And Nature's Balance
While the science of plate movement explains how earthquakes happen, an expert at the Visakhapatnam Meteorological Centre points out that human actions are adding to the problem Earthquakes are one of the most powerful and unpredictable natural disasters. While they are often considered purely geological events, experts say human activity might be making them worse. According to Krishna Bhagwan, former duty officer at the Visakhapatnam Meteorological Centre, the Earth is made up of three major layers—crust, mantle, and core. The crust, which forms the outer shell of the Earth, is broken into large pieces known as tectonic plates. These plates are constantly moving. When they collide or shift suddenly, massive amounts of energy are released beneath the Earth's surface. This energy travels as seismic waves, causing the ground to shake—what is called an earthquake. While the basic science of plate movement explains how earthquakes happen, Bhagwan points out that human actions are adding to the problem. In the quest for development, forests are being cleared, mountains are being mined, and natural landscapes are being altered at a rapid pace. These changes can disrupt the Earth's natural equilibrium. He explains that areas once covered in lush greenery are now stripped bare. Forests not only support biodiversity but also help maintain soil strength and temperature balance. Without them, the land becomes hotter, drier, and more vulnerable to natural stress. According to him, this environmental degradation may be contributing to the frequency and intensity of earthquakes. Another concern is that despite advances in science and technology, earthquakes remain difficult to predict. 'Unlike rainfall, which can be forecasted a few days in advance, we still don't have technology that can pinpoint exactly when and where an earthquake will strike," Bhagwan explains. Scientists can assess risk zones and say which regions are more likely to experience seismic activity. However, they still cannot give real-time warnings like they can for weather events. That's why protecting the environment becomes even more critical—it is one of the few things within our control. Thus, earthquakes are driven by natural forces deep within the Earth, but human actions on the surface might be making them worse. Planting more trees, preserving forests, and respecting the planet's natural systems could reduce long-term environmental stress — and possibly minimise the impact of future quakes. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
