Bruised Passports

Dr. Savi Munjal & Mr. Vidit Taneja, Founders

Gurugram, India

Savi at one of their computer labs in rural India.

2023

A Travel Blog That's Been Around the World (and Back Again)

Savi and Vid took a leap of faith and left their jobs to travel the world. Their 50-country journey led them to launch their own travel blog, Bruised Passports. Now, with ad revenue fueling their wanderlust, they are helping others plan their own adventures — all while expanding their mission to create a better world.

Savi holding one of the Bruised Passports books.

Passport-to-Profit

Created out of a shared love for travel, Vid and Savi launched their travel blog Bruised Passports to document their time in all corners of the world. With a keen eye for detail and a talent for storytelling they turned their travel journey into a business after visiting 50 different countries. The name comes from the fact that their passports were all battered and bruised because of the numerous visas and stamps on them. “We thrive on a location-independent lifestyle and looking at our passports all bruised gives us a sense of joy and passion,” says Savi.

To build this business and pursue their passion, Vid and Savi both made the difficult decision to leave their jobs“Starting anything from scratch is never easy but add to that the fact that it’s something that is not considered ‘normal,’ you end up facing a lot of questions from everyone around you,” says Vid. “I remember my manager telling me that we were foolish to leave our well-paying jobs to travel the world and build this business but we are so happy with the decision that took us on journey where we gained amazing experiences, a thriving business venture, and the most loving and supportive online community of Bruised Passports readers.”

“Our business has grown considerably with Google and we are so grateful for that. It enabled us to keep our website and the information detailed, professional, and issue-free.”

Unveiling the magic of content

Bruised Passports’s mission is to provide highly-detailed articles, based on Savi and Vid’s personal experiences. They aim to make independent travel achievable for as many people as possible by providing packing guides, itineraries, and useful advice. “We believe that well informed travelers make for happy travelers,” says Savi.Whether it's the Arctic Circle or remote villages in Guatemala, Savi and Vid are there step by step with their readers.

The most important aspect of creating valuable content is storytelling. Savi and Vid both have a talent for weaving together their experiences in a way that is both informative and entertaining. They share funny anecdotes, personal insights, and even the occasional mishap, all in the service of creating a story that transports their readers to the destination they’re writing about. Savi and Vid are conscious of how travel can impact the environment and try to educate their readers on how to maintain the beauty of destinations. “Content creation is a double-edged sword. But I think as creators we can help educate our audiences with our platforms. Our anti-litter posts are some of our most popular ones yet,” says Savi.

Savi and Vid in one of their computer labs.

Savi and Vid with students in a computer lab.

Finding the treasure chest

Content creation has become a full time job that allows Savi and Vid to relish their passion each day by making it financially sustainable. “Our business has grown considerably with Google and we are so grateful for that,” says Vid.“At a time when ‘Influencer Marketing’ was not really a thing, having ads on our website was a small but step in the direction of having a passive income stream that would in turn help in the maintenance of our site, and also contribute to our travel expenses. It enabled us to keep our website and the information detailed, professional, and issue-free.”

Ad revenue has enabled Bruised Passports to continue offering free content to their readers and hire employees to make sure the website is updated regularly and operates seamlessly. “When we launched our website in 2013, we were focussed on understanding the insights like who was reading our posts, where are our readers from, and which posts are popular.Integrating Google Analytics and improving the Search Engine Optimisation for our website was our first foray into the efficient world of Google products. Google products help us plan our trips better and increases the efficiency of the day to day functioning of our website and business,” comments Savi.

“Google is a key business partner. They continuously evolve and provide products and services that help us plan, execute, and document invaluable travels for our ever-growing community, which in turn encourages millions of people to travel around this world,” says Vid.

Bruised Passports has also helped Savi and Vid increase digital education in rural India. They often use the proceeds from their website to build computer labs in primary schools and provide access to digital education to children who are ordinarily deprived of it. “We hope this will open many avenues for these kids in the future,” says Savi.

Expanding Bruised Passports

Today, Bruised Passport equips millions of travelers with the tools and information to plan the holidays of their dreams. They also highlight that holidays are not a one-size-fits-all by educating travelers and encouraging visitors to prioritize their individual taste.

Savi and Vid hope to continue to make Bruised Passports into a bigger and better business. “We have many plans for Bruised Passports that include diversification into other areas like building an app and using AdMob for revenue generation,” says Savi. “But no matter what we do, the website we started in 2013 will always be the beating heart of our venture.”

About the Publisher

Digital sweethearts and travel superheroes, Savi & Vidit are forerunners of travel blogging and digital entrepreneurship spheres. They have visited over 100 countries together and their writing and photography has been credited for changing the way millions of people approach travel.

Their website has won several awards by esteemed publications such as Outlook Travel and Travel & Leisure for their work in the travel blogosphere. Their story has also been featured heavily on several TV channels and newspapers, including Discovery Channel, National Geographic, CNN, and BBC