we need an tourplanner for india!

ambient61 · Dec 9th, 2008, 01:09

hello together!

we are 2 persons with a flight to trivandrum and want to make

*) a roundtrip to visit kerala.

*) a roundtrip at the golden triangle (if possible with the discover india ticket).

our budget is about usd 150,- per day for both!

could anybody give me an advice for a good travel-agency!

thx,
ambient61

Aishah · Dec 9th, 2008, 09:15

Mod Note: I have moved your post into India Travel Itinerary Advice where it is more appropriate.
-
I can't suggest a travel agency - all agencies I know of make a large amount of money out of your bookings. Namaste India Tours seems to be one that's suggested quite a bit on this Forum, so maybe they don't.
It is always better to do it on your own. You then get full value for your money without a middleman.
What I think you might do, is map out a suggested itinerary for yourself - plan where you want to go and how long at each place, then post again and ask members for advice.
What is the 'discover India ticket' - I haven't heard of this one before?

Hal · Dec 9th, 2008, 09:23

Leaving that sort of budget and all your planning in the hands of a travel agent may not be your best investment. I'll second Aishah's suggestion to do a bit of research.

The Golden Triangle is best done by car or car and train, not plane, so the Discover India ticket wouldn't be a good deal.

snonymous · Dec 9th, 2008, 12:17

USD 150 per day is more than a decent amount, so I agree with Hal and Aishah, check prices on hotel websites and so forth to get at least a rough estimate of what your trip should cost. Renting a car with driver is a convenient and good way to see Kerala at your own pace. An AC Indica will cost you about INR 2000 per day including drivers allowance, petrol etc. This is comfortable for 2 people. If you go in for a higher vehicle such as a Tavera or Innova estimate around INR 2500-3000 per day.

In which month have you planned your visit? May, October and December are seasons, so it would help to book hotels in advance.

You will find a list of hotels in Kerala at keralatourism.org; hotelskerala.net and similar sites, also check reviews here at the IM Hotels section. You can either book direct or through an agent, some of them are quite reasonable. We used inspirekerala.com in May whom we sourced through the message board on keralatourism.org [It is quite a useful site to get a general overview of Kerala]. He did not charge us more than what we would have paid had we booked direct, I presume they make their profits through booking commissions, not sure how that works. Be sure to bargain as they will all reduce their prices a bit, and do insist on a customised itinerary of your choice.

desertinn · Dec 9th, 2008, 12:57

with that amount can get what you might be looking for . mate 150 USD FOR a day is very good [though much more than a good amount].
would be much better if go as the wind blows.do some google search instead of getting stuck to someonne's plan.

as far as golden triangle is matter is must be done by car as you got good budget rather than travling by train or buses. though they too seems pretty well over this route but off the tracks will miss some places like bharatpur birds sanctuary which just can be see by the mean of car. a taxi will enbale you to have each and every place covered as per your choice..

dhans · Dec 9th, 2008, 14:20

Hi Ambient,

Follow the links below for some tips on arranging the trip.

Our kerala contact (Jenny) will surely be able to help you.

Hans

ambient61 · Dec 10th, 2008, 17:59

thx for your suggestions!

this is our plan and because of highseason we can´t plan it without a tourguide!

*) our journey starts on 20. dezember 2008 to trivandrum.

*) til 28. dezember 2008 we want to visist kerala.

*) from 28. dezember 2008 to 05. januar 2009 we are at guesthouse in pulinkudi

*) from 05. januar til 11. januar we visit the golden triangle.

greetings from austria,
gebhard

machadinha · Dec 10th, 2008, 19:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aishah

What is the 'discover India ticket' - I haven't heard of this one before?

It's an Air India pass (or a variety of them), see http://www.indianairlines.in/scripts/op_schemes.aspx .

Dec 9th, 2008, 01:09	#1
ambient61 Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Austria Posts: 2	we need an tourplanner for india! hello together! we are 2 persons with a flight to trivandrum and want to make ) a roundtrip to visit kerala. ) a roundtrip at the golden triangle (if possible with the discover india ticket). our budget is about usd 150,- per day for both! could anybody give me an advice for a good travel-agency! thx, ambient61

Dec 9th, 2008, 09:15	#2
Aishah She-who-must-be-obeyed! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jaisalmer Posts: 7,568	Mod Note: I have moved your post into India Travel Itinerary Advice where it is more appropriate. - I can't suggest a travel agency - all agencies I know of make a large amount of money out of your bookings. Namaste India Tours seems to be one that's suggested quite a bit on this Forum, so maybe they don't. It is always better to do it on your own. You then get full value for your money without a middleman. What I think you might do, is map out a suggested itinerary for yourself - plan where you want to go and how long at each place, then post again and ask members for advice. What is the 'discover India ticket' - I haven't heard of this one before? __________________ "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

Dec 9th, 2008, 12:17	#4
snonymous xxx Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,693	For the Kerala part of the trip USD 150 per day is more than a decent amount, so I agree with Hal and Aishah, check prices on hotel websites and so forth to get at least a rough estimate of what your trip should cost. Renting a car with driver is a convenient and good way to see Kerala at your own pace. An AC Indica will cost you about INR 2000 per day including drivers allowance, petrol etc. This is comfortable for 2 people. If you go in for a higher vehicle such as a Tavera or Innova estimate around INR 2500-3000 per day. In which month have you planned your visit? May, October and December are seasons, so it would help to book hotels in advance. You will find a list of hotels in Kerala at keralatourism.org; hotelskerala.net and similar sites, also check reviews here at the IM Hotels section. You can either book direct or through an agent, some of them are quite reasonable. We used inspirekerala.com in May whom we sourced through the message board on keralatourism.org [It is quite a useful site to get a general overview of Kerala]. He did not charge us more than what we would have paid had we booked direct, I presume they make their profits through booking commissions, not sure how that works. Be sure to bargain as they will all reduce their prices a bit, and do insist on a customised itinerary of your choice.

Dec 9th, 2008, 14:20	#6
dhans Uru Buru member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,842	Hi Ambient, Follow the links below for some tips on arranging the trip. Our kerala contact (Jenny) will surely be able to help you. Hans __________________ Tips for trips to India with (young) children: India with kids Stories about our travels in India: Journal

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Dec 9th, 2008, 09:23	#3
Hal . . . _ _ _ . . . Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 2,275	Leaving that sort of budget and all your planning in the hands of a travel agent may not be your best investment. I'll second Aishah's suggestion to do a bit of research. The Golden Triangle is best done by car or car and train, not plane, so the Discover India ticket wouldn't be a good deal.

Dec 9th, 2008, 12:57	#5
desertinn Account Closed Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: jodhpur Posts: 43	with that amount can get what you might be looking for . mate 150 USD FOR a day is very good [though much more than a good amount]. would be much better if go as the wind blows.do some google search instead of getting stuck to someonne's plan. as far as golden triangle is matter is must be done by car as you got good budget rather than travling by train or buses. though they too seems pretty well over this route but off the tracks will miss some places like bharatpur birds sanctuary which just can be see by the mean of car. a taxi will enbale you to have each and every place covered as per your choice..

Dec 10th, 2008, 17:59	#7
ambient61 Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Austria Posts: 2	thx for your suggestions! this is our plan and because of highseason we can´t plan it without a tourguide! ) our journey starts on 20. dezember 2008 to trivandrum. ) til 28. dezember 2008 we want to visist kerala. ) from 28. dezember 2008 to 05. januar 2009 we are at guesthouse in pulinkudi ) from 05. januar til 11. januar we visit the golden triangle. greetings from austria, gebhard