itinerary help pretty please? ( a wee bit long)

she_who_is_lost

Hi,
i've been mooching aorund mike's forum for the last couple days and finding it endlessly useful but i was wondering if anyone could provide me with some concrete help as it were.

I have 20days (ish) end of june and july (i know monsoon season but its the only extended time i can get off work) and have decided that i should experience the wonders and beauty of india, but i don't really know what to limit my experiences to (considering time, travel etc) obviously the golden triangle is a must but other than that there are too many recommendations and wondrous things to look at (lonely planet india at 1000 pages long does not help to restrict things down!)

I am a 22yr old solo female traveller so don't want to go off the beaten track too much ( and would appreciate any advice pertaining to that) but i enjoy looking at Architecture, history, shopping (of course), sampling local foods, i like beaches but from other forums guess that with just three weeks best to give them a miss, mountains and hiking i would love to do but again time restrictions and i'm by myself, flora, fauna, the religions intrigue me endlessly
does that help? hope i haven't waffled on too long
any suggestions are appreciated like rain in a dry spell!
thankyou

akt

I'll start off, not with answers but a few questions:

1. The time is rough, but you already know that. It will be hot, and as if to mock our misery, airfares high because airlines know that this is the time when zillions of Indians must visit their families (blame the school calendar).

How many days can you get off from your job at other times of the year?

2. What is your budget? Are you by any chance one of those super rich 22 year olds? :-) Seriously, that will make some difference to my suggestions.

3. Can you talk a female friend into accompanying you?
Not a big deal, but would be nice if you can. Besides company, it will cut down expenses as you can share hotels and taxis.

mt.kailash

First thing is to book an open jaw air ticket-this maximises your travelling opportunities without having to double back
and enables you to experience different environments.
My suggestion book your air ticket into Mumbai and out of Delhi.(you can do this on the British Airways site,also Lufthansa but why use an indirect flight?-it's just more stress!)
Have at least 2 nights in Mumbai to help you acclimatise to India -the monsoon will be in full swing!
Prebook a rail ticket to Abu Road-(9707 Aravali Exp dep Bandra Terminus 21.00-arrive Abu Road 09.53 next day)
Take the bus to Mt Abu visit the Dilwara temples .stay at least 2 days
Then bus to Udaipur for a few days ,then bus to Jodhpur, stay, Bus or train to Jaipur, Bus or train to Agra (visit Taj,Fatehpur Sikri).then train to Delhi.
Consult your guidebook as to attractions at each place.Also you could miss out Jodhpur and take the train directly to Jaipur.
If you've anytime left at the end you could do a quick trip to Mussourie or Shimla for a taste of the himalaya though the monsoon clouds may block your views..
Resist the temptation to visit too many places.Others will write in saying go to Pushkar, Kota,Bundi,Jaisalmer ,you can fit them in.
You probably can but only if you want to exist in a whirl of places you'll not be able to tell apart in your memories.
Obviously if you want to concentrate on N.Rajastan (Bikaner,Jaisalmer etc) fly in and out of Delhi.
Good Luck!

she_who_is_lost

answers to ...
1)yes i'm aware of the unfortunate timing but i can only take a maximum of a week of between september and may (trust me i've tried to argue..um reason with them!) so alas i am stuck with experiencing the monsoon season

2) budget not including the flights i guess i can stretch to (including spending money, food, accom well everything i guess) maximum of £1000 GBP i would prefer around £6-700 but if this is not reasonable then like i said i've got something to play around with

3) alas once more but most of my female friends are poverty ridden students or happily-marrieds so am stuck travelling o solo mio i have tried to suggest to others but they only want a fortnight in faliraki and err... no thanks

does that help?
any help seriously loved and gratefully received

akt

OK, I'll be free to express my thoughts, you should be free to reject them. :-) Buy, read, carry the Lonely Planet guide, so you have a reference and discussions make sense.

I am less worried about monsoons than heat. Rains, if noting else, wash away the pollution and cleanse the atmosphere. In the May-Sep time you mention, go as late as you can. July is better than June, August better than July, September better than August.

For itinerary I basically agree with Mt Kailash. Do an open jaw ticket to avoid the wasted time and expense of returning to a distant city to catch a flight. Many airlines do London-Mumbai, Delhi-London. Get the cheapest one.

Mumabi itself will not be the fondest memory, but use it to catch some rest and make future travel arrangements. Low cost carrier tickets you can buy in India are much cheaper than what is available overseas.

Mumbai -> Mt Abu, a few cities in Rajasthan (not too many, more coming), Agra, Delhi. Next...

If interested in religion, you can do 2 days in Varanasi. However, I think a more interesting option is the twin cities of Hardwar + Rishikesh. Smaller, cleaner, cooler, more natural.

From Hardwar you can easily do a one-nighter to the hill town of Mussorie. But again, for a more daring option, I 'd suggest skip Mussorie, return to Delhi and catch a flight to either Srinagar in Kashmir or Kathmandu in Nepal! (This is the flight and return that you should have arranged in Mumbai. Everything else I have suggested can be done by train/bus. Nepal might need another visa.)

Back in Delhi, allow 1-2 days for rest and shopping, also insurance against flight delays. Don't book back to back travel and hope all will go smoothly.

For shopping, buy small local specialties as you travel (gems in Jaipur, marble in Agra), but remember you'll be lugging everything everywhere, so save most shopping for Delhi at the end. The best 1-stop shop is Central Cottage Industries Emporium on Janpath, almost across the street from Imperial Hotel. There is Tibetan market on the same road and many vendors on the footpath of the Connaught Place inner circle, all very near. Don't ever bother with shops suggested by touts and taxi drivers anywhere.

Don't give up on finding a companion. Even if not a personal friend, try to meet people via travel clubs, personal ads, even on this site. It will be better than alone, even if they can only join for part of the trip.

That's all I can think of. Good luck. Keep in touch and if any more questions, ask.

julesa

as i understand it, India can get very hot at that time of year.

i would recommend considering visiting Northern India, himachal pradesh and the like around the Himalayas.

i just returned from India, i visited in the dead of winter and as an example in Panaji (Goa) we were just knocked out and could hardly move.

i'm from melbourne australia where we get our share of 35 - 40 degree days and i notice you're from england. i doubt you'd cope with 45 degrees in Delhi and no one would blame you!

she_who_is_lost

all,

thankyou so much for your help - it has let me put time limits and directions on where to go and what to do and that is exactly what i was looking for
heatwise- i've got family in florida and have spent many summer holidays over there working on the beaches so heat (as long as there is water) is not that big a deal for me but thankyou for your concern regards that
any more questions and i'll be back on here but thankyou once more, i'm now going to sit down with my LP india for an afternoon
she_who_is_lost

mike mike

Hi Miss Lost ,
Why Do U Worry U Need To Get All Those Things In India To Get Rid Of Heat As People R Realy Worried About....!
Time Is Not A Problem In India As U Can Do Some Sight Scenes With
A/c Cabs,there R Aircondition Cabs In India.......................!
Mike Mike

bizzb

hey, Im going to be flying into mumbai on the 4rth of july.

we should chat about our plans, I kind have a sort of open itinerary of sorts as well.

im a 26 year old from Colorado. I just graduated architecture school and bought a rather intense round the world ticket. Ill be flying into India from Africa.

I have to travel to Beijing by the 7th of september so i was planning a month in India.

maybee we could meet up seeing as we're traveling alone.

blissjunkie

Sounds like your sorted, just wanted to add one last note about being female and travelling alone.
It's actually pretty hard to get time on your own if you are in areas where there are other travellers, and travellers are generally nice people.
A lone female will never find herself short of a companion, if you are willing to approach people and say hi, get chatting.
I've been doing it since I was 22, and found that it is the best way to travel and meet soo many friends.
Have Fun!