The Blog Post Your Boss Should Never See.

By Alap Parikh.

If you're a traveller, this post is for you. Regardless of whether you started out happy, indifferent or dreading the year 2014, it is about to change for the better. We've listed all major long weekends in 2014, so you can start planning out your leaves and make this a year of travel!

FEBRUARY

Holiday: Mahashivratri, Thursday 27th

Suggestions: Spend a few days lounging around in a hammock on a private island by the backwaters in north Kerala, occasionally looking up to spot kingfishers or eagles, venturing out for a swim in the backwaters (they are that clean!), and taking a kayak out to a virgin beach across the coast. It really doesn't get better than this.

A sneak peek of the island.

MARCH

Holiday: Holi, Monday 17th

Suggestions: Visit Prakriti farm and experience Hola Mohalla, a grand display of traditional martial arts, mock fights, and genius with the sword; a photographer's feast!

Laze around in the sheer beauty at Ramgarh Villa near Manali, with a scenic view of the Himalayas right before you.

Discover an 'organic' life at a farm stay in Coorg - explore the coffee plantations, bike along quaint Coorgi villages, visit lesser known Tibetan monasteries, and much more.

Paddy fields at Coorg

APRIL

Holiday: Good Friday, Friday 18th

Suggestions: Make your way up to Uttarakhand and welcome the beginning of summer at a beautiful home stay in Peora or Bhimtal.

In Bhimtal, stay at a colonial home stay steeped in history; the head of the family escaped the Nazis in the 1930's and fled to India, and married a descendant of the famous Tipu Sultan!

Or unwind in Peora at The Dak Bungalow, a quaint British bungalow in the midst of forests and mountains, with great opportunities for photographers, adventure enthusiasts and wildlife lovers.

Smetacek's Colonial Home stay at Bhimtal

JULY

Holiday: Ramazan Id, Tuesday 27th

Suggestions: Head over Bamboo Village in Wayanad, and experience a festival that celebrates the monsoon - Splash festival. Introduced by the Wayanad Tourism Organisation five years ago, this festival celebrates rain tourism, a real adventure for rain lovers!

Road in Wayanad

AUGUST

Holiday: Independence Day, Friday 15th

Suggestions: Experience Goa in the monsoons if you haven't already! Stay at a traditional Goan-Portuguese home stay in the sleepy postcard village of Aldona, by the backwaters of North Goa. An experience that will make you forget everything you've known or heard about Goa.

Entrance to the Aldona home stay

OCTOBER 

Holiday: Gandhi Jayanti, Thursday 2nd; Bakri Id, Monday 6th

Suggestions: The perfect time to (re)discover Delhi on the Untravel Delhi trail; hike to a secret cluster of pristine mountain lakes, get a glimpse of life in rural India at a traditional pottery village, discover the 'other' side of the Yamuna, and cycle through the by-lanes of Old Delhi. Fall in love with the city again!

Lakes near Delhi?

NOVEMBER

Holiday: Muharram, Tuesday 4th

Suggestions: Get back to the basics, grow and cook your own food. Relax, watch birds, read, write, cycle, appreciate the little joys again! Visit organic farms in Punjab, Rajasthan or Coorg, and experience what life on a farm is like.

Pick your vegetables and eat them fresh at Prakriti farm in Punjab

DECEMBER

Holiday: Christmas, Thursday 25th

Suggestions: You can't let the year go by without unearthing the Best Kept Secrets of Kerala! Leave behind the tourist circuit, and get a taste of life in the scenic hill country of Wayanad, mingle with locals in a scenic farming village, catch the dying art of Theyyam in Kannur, and pamper yourself at God's Own "Island" in the Kasaragod district!

Bird watcher's paradise in the backwaters

Some additional, smaller holidays that might be helpful to you (depending on where you work):

• April 8th (Tuesday): Ram Navami
• April 14th (Monday): Dr Ambedkar Jayanti
• August 18th (Monday): Janmashtami, Parsi New Year
• August 29th (Friday): Ganesh Chaturthi
• October 23rd (Thursday): Diwali
• October 24th (Friday): Diwali
• November 6th (Thursday): Guru Nanak Jayanti

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Tell us, where are you going this year?

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For more ideas on offbeat and responsible destinations in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please see our contribution guidelines and send your story ideas to blog@indiauntravelled.com.