Best Travel Magazines in India & why you should still read them
We love travel magazines. Some might feel travel magazines or magazines in general are a thing of the past, but we strongly disagree. In today's world where we keep getting bombarded with information from all directions or simply do a google search to get the information we need, magazines may seem a little less relevant to few. But there are so many like us who continue to see the benefits in subscribing to magazines and find it extremely useful. You may choose a digital version of the magazine if that is more convenient, but there is no denying the fact that magazines still have their place in today's world. In this article, let's dive into why you should still read travel magazines and see some of the best travel magazines in India.
Why you should read travel magazines? or any magazine?
How we consume content media today has evolved rapidly over the last couple of decades. But what has also evolved is what kind of attention we pay to each form of media. If you monitor your screen time on digital devices, you might find that a lot of time you spend goes into skimming and scanning through your feeds, be it social media, news, YouTube or Netflix. The nature of these forms of content is bound to be less targeted and less immersive for most of the audience. We tend to use these media forms less intently while dividing our attention through other means. Given that most of these forms are free and designed for general audience's consumption, we tend to browse them more and soak in less. Note that these observations may not apply to all and may not apply to an individual all the time, but apply to most people most of the time.
Let us contrast this with the experience of subscribing and reading magazines. Firstly it starts with choosing the right magazine. It is then followed by payment. And this leads to consumption. The entire journey is far more intentional, based on trust on the quality of content you would receive and is topped with a feeling of guilt if you do not really consume it. The magazine too is designed for a specific target audience and is hence far more relevant than any form of broadcast media. The focused and leisure driven nature of consuming a magazine is far more enriching than skimming through any sort of feed. Lastly, magazines are self-orienting. The time you spend reading a magazine is 'your time' and the more time you spend reading, the more satisfied you would feel. Consuming magazines is associated with well-being compared to broadcast media forms which would make you feel exhausted after extended consumption.
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How can you buy/Subscribe to Travel magazines in India?
So if you feel the urge to give it a shot, let's dive into some travel magazines in India. These travel magazines have both print and digital versions. We recommend getting digital versions as it is the more responsible way to consume it. Digital magazines save paper and do not require any fuel to reach you. However, if you are one of those who love the smell of paper and stores all magazines, go ahead and subscribe the print versions.
You can buy one issue of a magazine or become a gold member in Magzter and subscribe to 5000+ newspapers/magazines for a month/year/longer. Magzter is the world's largest digital newsstand and has the biggest collection of current and past issues of newspapers & magazines of all types. Becoming a gold member of Magzter is definitely worth it as it gives you unlimited access to every category of magazines. Your interest and hobby of reading is not going anywhere so we recommend going for the 3 year plan which reduces your per month cost. Check it out now -
Best global Travel Magazines in India
Some of the best global travel magazines available across the world and in India are :
National Geographic Traveller
In the world of magazines, National Geographic is definitely a legend. And in the world of travel magazines, National Geographic Traveller is slowly becoming that legend. While the original National Geographic magazine started since 1888 focusing on Science, History, Geography, Culture etc., they started a travel-specific version in 1984 known as National Geographic Traveller. Owned by Disney now, National Geographic Traveller has become a source of immersive travel experiences and authentic storytelling. It covers destinations in interesting ways and focuses a lot on culture, sustainable travel and stories. It is published across the globe, but UK and Indian edition are the most popular.
Frequency - Monthly
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe -
Lonely Planet magazine
The story of Lonely Planet's origin is very inspiring and relatable. A couple - Maureen and Tony Wheeler travelled across Europe and Asia by land and arrived in Melbourne in 1972. This paved the way for their first book - 'Across Asia on the Cheap' and establishing what would become the empire of Lonely Planet. Over the years Lonely kept publishing travel guides for destinations across the world focusing on helping travellers plan their trips. In 2009, they started the Lonely Planet magazine which has earned an equal reputation as their guide books. Lonely Planet magazine covers inspirational articles as well as informative ones answering basic questions such as how to reach, where to stay, what to eat, things to do etc. It currently has 8 International editions to suit needs of different locations across Asia, Europe & US.
Frequency - Monthly
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe -
Condé Nast Traveller
Condé Nast is a 100+ year-old global mass media company named after its founder Condé Montrose Nast. It houses several famous magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired etc. Condé Nast Traveller came into the picture in 1987 with a focus on luxury and lifestyle travel. As one would expect, most people read it for its aspirational value and create a wishlist. The pictures here would be vividly instagrammish with a flair of its own and the content is primarily targeted towards premium customers. It has 9 different international editions spread across Asia, Europe and the US.
Frequency - Bimonthly
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe -
Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure magazine came into the picture around 1971 in its current form. It was transformed from a 34-year-old travel photography magazine to a general travel magazine. Currently, Travel + Leisure is owned by Meredith Corporation which also houses a couple of other dozen magazines such as People, Better homes & gardens, Health, Fitness etc.. Travel + Leisure also targets higher class and features high-profile luxury, lifestyle and niches such as wellness travel. You would often find articles written by non-travel journalists cutting across various poets, novelists, artists etc. It is known for using celebrities and models to make the destinations much more desirable. Their yearly issue on Weddings & Honeymoons is also worth checking out.
Frequency - Monthly
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe -
Business Traveller
Business Traveller as the name suggests focuses on today's frequent fliers and corporate travellers. Started in 1976 in the UK, it quickly gained popularity due to lack of competition in this niche and currently has 14 editions worldwide. Intending to cater to its niche, Business Traveller covers information on airlines, airports, hotels, car rental etc. along with industry trends, weekend guides, climate etc. There is also a heavy focus on reviewing travel products, accessories, gadgets, loyalty programs, offers etc.
Frequency - ~10 issues/year
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe -
Best Indian Travel Magazines
All the above magazines have various country-specific editions which include an edition for India. Let us now look at some homegrown brands and see travel magazines in India which were found and are distributed only in India:
Outlook Traveller & Outlook Traveller Getaways
Outlook traveller is travel magazine from Outlook publishing house famous in India for some other magazines such as Outlook, Outlook business, Outlook Money etc. Part of Rajan Raheja group of companies, Outlook traveller started around 2005 and has since become one of India's most popular travel magazine. The focus varies from industry trends to practical advice and is usually simple and crisp in its writing. They also branched into creating travel guide books known as Outlook Traveller Getaways which focuses on a single topic, could be - a destination, a festival, or other allied travel themes.
Outlook Traveller Frequency - Monthly
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe -
Discover India Magazine
Discover India magazine prides itself in being India's oldest magazine launched in 1988. Since then it has made a reputation for itself in terms of exploring and showcasing India. The magazine is currently owned by the Indian arm of The Hubert Burda media group, Germany, which also publishes Travel+Leisure India, AsiaSpa, Architecture + Design to name a few. Irrespective of the nature and background of the traveller, if someone is looking to explore India, Discover India would be the best option.
Frequency - Monthly
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe -
Few other relatively lesser known travel magazines in India focusing on different niches and worth checking out are :
Discover India's North East
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe - Discover India's North East
The Luxury Collection
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe - The Luxury Collection
India outbound
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe - India Outbound
Hotel Business Review
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe - Hotel Business Review
The Traveller Trails
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe - The Traveller Trails
Adventure & Wildlife
Buy latest digital issue or subscribe - Adventure & Wildlife
Airport/Airlines magazines in India
A compilation of best travel magazines is incomplete without including Airport/ Airlines magazines that you would come across every time you are out flying. They do largely focus on promoting themselves which is kind of a turn-off, but they do have some interesting stories as well. Did you know that these magazines are also available online if you want to check them out? Check out some travel magazines in India published by Airport/ Airlines:
Airports India by Authority of India
Checkout the free digital issues - Airports India
Go-Getter by Go Air
Checkout the free digital issues - Go-Getter
Hello 6E by Indigo
Checkout the free digital issues - Hello 6E
Shubh Yatra by Air India
Checkout the free digital issues - Shubh Yatra
Spice Route by Spicejet
Checkout the free digital issues - Spice Route
Trujetter by Tru Jet
Checkout the free digital issues - Trujetter
Vistara by Vistara
Checkout the free digital issues - Vistara
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How was this compilation of best travel magazines in India? Have you read some of these travel magazines? Is there any magazine we missed out? Do let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
All magazine pics credit: Magzter and respective airlines/airports authority of India.
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