Lost and confused about itinerary.. what to see and what to give up

Preeti

thank you all for contiually helping me plan this! it helps so much to have someone help me structure the plan!

a question that I realized I should have asked before is what should be a reasonable price for the tour compnaies to quote me (including plane rides from delhi-varanasi and delhi-aurangabad, driver, hotels, and anything else we might have forgotten).

I know food (except breakfast for the majority of hotels isnt included) and neither are monument entrance fees...

if someone could please give me a rough estimate, i will be most greatful!

thanks!!

Preeti

Namaste everyone!

First and foremost, im so sorry for double posting! if you would like to merge with my previous thread, no problem! I just wanted to get some responses on the following...

a question that I realized I should have asked before is what should be a reasonable price for the tour compnaies to quote me (including plane rides from delhi-varanasi and delhi-aurangabad, driver, hotels, and anything else we might have forgotten).

I know food (except breakfast for the majority of hotels isnt included) and neither are monument entrance fees...

if someone could please give me a rough estimate of what they feel is fair, i will be most greatful!

Thank you everyone for all of your help... I feel like I have family looking out for me! I LOVE IM!

thanks!!

Preeti

Oh no! No responses..

if anybody has any idea of a rough estimate, throw them this way... i'll really appreciate your help!

When I calculated an approx rate for the trip myself, i figured maybe $1000 cdn would cover the cost of the trip (internal flights, hotels, driver, admissions, food, any train rides) for my mother and myself. Am i being too optimistic?

The quotes I have been receiving start approximately around $800 per person, without the cost of admissions and food...

please tell me what you guys think! thanks so much...

(i hope im not getting too annoying by now , im soo sorry too keep pestering like this! )

puchoo

Delhi - Varanasi : flight rate around 4200 per head one way on Indian. There are cheaper options as well which would be around 3300.

Delhi- Aurangabad : Cheapest is 5249 per person one way.

*fares will go up depending on when you eventually book.

For hotels it all depends on your preference, budget/mid etc..wont be able to make a guess without that input...

__________________
Cheers!

Sidharth

puchoo.wordpress.com

steven_ber

There is no way you'll get to see Ellora caves, the fastest way from Varanasi to Aurangabad is via Mumbai, and the fastest flight combinations still take 8.5 hours, arriving in Aurangabad at 19:40, this included a 6 hour wait at Mumbai and the cost per person for the flights will be Rs 8654

A flight from Varanasi to Mumbai, then an overnight train to Nanded seems like a better use of time.

Train 1401 (Daily), Mumbai CST 16.35, Nanded 05.05 (2A, 3A, SL.)
Train 7057 (Daily), Mumbai CST 21.05, Nanded 08.35 (1A, 2A, 3A, SL.)

Available for Rs4555 and rising to Rs6500.

Use http://www.ixigo.com/ to search for flight options.

__________________
.
How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions.



Train information.

capt_mahajan

To the OP,

You are leaving in May. I would suggest book your travel arrangements yourself as soon as the dates and plan are firm.

Not too many cities, so you could subsequently book accomodation, too. With your mother along, and holiday season, this is a good thing to do.

I say this because it will probably be cheaper, and give you more flexibility in case you change anything later. Bookings done through an agent have to be cancelled through the agent, with resultant irritants.

__________________
.
Humpty Dumpty was pushed.
Indiamike moderating team ..ich bin ein oneliner

Preeti

Thank you everbody for your replies!

In regards to the hotels, we are not looking for anything fancy- just something that is safe and clean. Also, becasue my mom will have a hard time squatting/bathing with a bucket, we are looking for a modern bathroom. I dont know the price ranges for hotels (we were thinking of going to Hotel Sheetal in Agra) so maybe something around that price range? Maximum I guess would be 40?

The following is the tour itenerary (the cheapest rate i found) suggested by the agent we are talking to: (he said that he feels that this still might be too rushed for my mother...he also said that it will be cheaper if I were to do it on my own, but then it may not be safe and people may try to get more money out of me...eek!)

Day 1: Fly Spice Jet S G 114 @ 1435hrs & Arrives Varanasi @ 1550hrs. You will still arrive in time for the evening Arati. Overnight in Varanasi

Day 2: Morning visit the Ghats and spend the day around Varanasi. Overnight in Varanasi

Day 3: Morning free and take the first flight back to Delhi with Jet Airways 9 W 724 at 1440hrs, arriving at 1600hrs and drive directly to Agra. Overnight in Agra

Day 4 : Day in Agra for Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Sikandra. Overnight in Agra

Day 5: Excursion to Fatehpur Sikri. Late afternoon drive to Delhi and stay overnight with your Aunt (if you drive up the next morning you will need to start by 8am to reach by the 12 noon check in)

Day 6 : transfer to the airport to Indian Flight I C 887 @ 1300hrs & Arrives Aurangabad @ 1640hrs. You will be transferred to railways to board train @ 1800hrs & Arr Nanded @ 2205hrs. Overnight in Nanded

Day 7 : Full day in Nanded & later you can take evening train @ 1730hrs & Arrives Aurangabad @ 2150hrs. Overnight at Aurangabad

Day 8: the only connecting flight back to Delhi by Indian Flight I C 888 @ 1720hrs & Arr Delhi @ 2055hrs, so you will have the whole day to include a visit to Ellora Caves (closed on Tuesdays). You will arrive back in Delhi at 2055hrs.

Hotel Used - 3 Star Standard Hotels

Varanasi- Meraden Grand

Agra- Taj Home Stay

Nanded - Hotel Classic Amrut (Please note this is basic accomadation)

Aurangabad - Quality Inn The Meadows

Total Tour Cost
Per Person: 525USD


The Above Cost includes

Ø Accommodation at mentioned hotels

Ø All accommodation as Twin Room with Breakfast

Ø Air Conditioned Car for all transfers & sightseeing as per the Itinerary

Ø All expenses related to the transport is included (Fuel & Parking)

Ø Boat Ride at Ganges

Ø Rickshaw ride to Ganges

Ø Air Conditioned Train tickets from Aurangabad to Nanded & Back

Ø All applicable government Taxes



The Above Cost does not include

Ø Lunch & Dinner at the hotels

Ø Monument Entrances (65USD Per Person Approx)

Ø English Speaking guide at Varanasi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri & Aurangabad (75USD Per Person Approx)

Ø Internal Flight Fares (295USD Per Person Approx


i would really appreciate it if you could kindly tell me what you think.

After seeing that price though, I am leaning towards doing it on my own and booking the flights/trains/hotels from here and then making sure I have a great map! Guess im just scared of messing it up Having someone take care of it is just comforting... but, once we get to the locations, is it advisable to hire a driver?

Thanks for the input!

All my love,
Preeti

steven_ber

First thought....I wish I was a travel agent.

I was reading through the whole thing and was pleasantly surprised at the price, I was then left with my mouth wide open as I read the things that were not included in the price, almost doubling the original price.

Is an overnight train something you'd consider?

The Varanasi-Agra section is such a waste of money and time, an overnight train would be better in my opinion.

The Aurangabad airport-train connection is very tight and risky.

Preeti

Tell me about it Steven!!!!! At first, when I received the email, I was so ecstatic that I finally found something that sounded just right...then I scrolled down

I wouldnt mind an overnight train, but the reason we couldnt take it is because of Mum. Asides from the fact that she would be scared the whole way through (i've been told it's safe, but she wont believe me), she is not the type that would be able to sleep on the train. If she doesnt sleep, the following morning and day will be difficult for her. But, if I was to convince her, and maybe she took something to sleep, how much would you say the train would save us (both time and money?) Also, I find it hard and confusing to piece an itenerary, would you kindly suggest a very quick guidline? Thanks

also, with the aurngabad connection, by risky did you mean unsafe, or the possibility of missing the train...or both?

Thanks so much for your help! You're such a great help...everyone here is!

by the way, with admission fees to monuments, is that quote a bit much? i thought only taj mahal requires a fee... does everything else as well? I think we can get by without a english speaking guide, so we'll pass on that (unless that isnt a good idea?). Also, should I be looking into drivers for the day?

Im so sorry about the 101 questions Thanks again!

NeeliAankhen

Does the agent's proposed plan include a hotel in Delhi at the end of the trip?

How many hotel nights does it include? I am being a bit lazy and not re-reading to see if you are staying with people for some nights.

If I were you I might

1.make a list of the places you expect to stay overnight and need to pay for accommodation and

2. hunt for the first low-priced one I felt okay about at each place - look at hotels on this forum, read TripAdvisor reviews.
Agent suggests homestay at Agra, which is a nice idea possibly for other places too.

3. see what it would seem to cost you to do it yourself, just the hotel part. Add 20% (for no reason), overestimate everything else and see what you have.

As you don't want your own car and driver, that knocks out some of the reason to have an agent. Another reason is if he's good at strategizing, based on knowing more than you do about how you get form here to there etc. And if it gives you peace of ind to know there is someone you can (supposedly!) call if you need help.

If you don't have agent, you might want to come up with a reliable way to get your srivers for all your transfers and things. Alternatively, maybe you can choose some of what agent offers, including his hiring these drivers.

They will cost more, but that might give you peace of mind about getting you and mom from here to there.

Or - see if you will be at the kind of hotel that will reliably help with that, get you a driver they know. In a 3 week trip we had two instances of taxis breaking down -- we were never on such a tight schedule that it mattered but you might be.

Preeti

thanks for the help neeliaankhen! no, the price does not include a hotel in delhi- originally, we were planning on staying at my aunts and exploring delhi on our own, but it seems that my aunt will not be there when we come by- but im sure i can find a good hotel on IM.

lol, no worries on not reading earlier posts! His plan includes 6 nights at hotels (agra, varanasi, aurangabad, and nanded), but it would have to be 7 (since we wont be staying at my aunts)

we are interested in getting a driver for the added convenience and comfort...im just worried that maybe the hotel wont pull through, or there will be last minute problems.

oh my, perhaps i am making this more difficult on myself, more than it has to be, I just never did planning like this before and dont have the faith in myself to pull it off... but i guess we all have to start somewhere eventually!

please feel free to provide any input, every bit helps me!

Aishah

I think that agent is making more than 50% profit. If you want to give him this then fine - the train ticket is not going to be expensive and he's not booking your flights. As neeli says the hotels where you stay can help with good drivers and cars. If you feel up to it, I would say do your own. You are practically there with all the research you've been doing now. The one thing to make sure of is when you arrive in Delhi to have a hotel booked and arrange for them to pick you up with a car and driver.

__________________
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

NeeliAankhen

India travel planning is complicated for everyone I think.

When I think about your trip one thing I keep coming back to is this - your mother's anxiety level might be an important factor. If you have a little flexibility about money, I suggest you spend more on any measures that will make her feel safe -- travel agent, driver, if these afford a feeling of being less burdened or nervous. I believe this will also allow you to enjoy your time in India more.

I probably wouldn't put the train into the mix -- my guess is that her worrying about it can eat into her time (and yours) before the train trip, as well as maybe making it stressful in itself. Though you and she know how things really are and -- I don't!! just thinking along with you.

steven_ber

The Aurangabad connection is risky because of the times, nothing else, the quickest I could imagine getting out of any airport would be 30 minutes, then you need to get to the train station, I've no idea how long this would take, but airports are usually outside of towns and train stations in the middle of towns, now, add a possible 30 minute delay to your flight and the train connection is gone.

The admission fees quote is accurate, The Taj Mahal takes up most of that, then the caves are also a world heritage site, so they'll charge a fee.

Tell me, is cost an issue?

I ask because it would be a lot cheaper to fly Delhi-Hyderabad, then a train to Nanded, than to fly via Aurangabad, however, you'd need to get a train from Agra (about 20:30) to Delhi (about 22:30) and stay in a Delhi hotel for a morning flight.

Preeti

Thanks all for the continued help! I cant imagaine doing this without you!

Neeli, thank you for thinking about my mom's interests- I completely know what you mean about keeping her comfortable so we can both enjoy the trip!

I calculated the cost of the trip using the hotels suggested by the agent, the flights ( i purposely used the maximum price), as well as monument fees which I searched on IM for, as well as the train connection, meals, drivers, and misc. charges...at the most, and this is at the very max, i calculated $1400 cdn (this excludes delhi though), so it seems that my hope to this under $1000 might not be possible However, the hotels he suggested average from $50 to $85... I have been able to find much cheaper hotels that will hopefully bring the cost down...

steven, thank you so much for reminding me of that- I completely disregarded the checkout time and whatnot! Price is somewhat of an issue, but by this I mean, I cant go for luxury, but as long as something is reasonable, then it's fine. How much cheaper would it be to go through hyderabad? I guess we were hoping to get a look at ellora (maybe by extending the trip by a day?), this is why we were planning on going through aurangabad. Maybe, the day we land at auranagabad, we should spend the night, then take off to nanded the next day? Im not sure how much time we might waste like this...I keep trying to revise the itenary, but I cant seem to get things to time out nicely or properly! if someone can advise me on this, i will be sooo grateful!

gosh, my head feels like its whirling!

all my love,
Preeti