First timer

sudspiv · Jan 25th, 2006, 09:12

Greetings,

Finally decided to post after logging in and reading about the great info the site provides. Of Indian descent, originally born in Fiji, grew up in Australia, England, Canada and now reside in California. Am married with (2) university age children.

We have traveled extensively, but have never been to India.

Come December, 2006 this will all change! However, as a result of reading the posts, learning what I can from mainstream media and gleaning opinions (interesting isn't it how these differ) it is perhaps not surprising that I am totally overwhelmed and frankly have mixed emotions ranging from the high of wanting to see and do it all (won't be able to until next time) and the low of the typical first time exposure to elements we're not so used to.

Have no idea where to go or what to see where to stay, etc., Have thought about Dehli, Rajasthan, Amritsar, Mumbai, Chennai (by default) and may be Pondichery.

I think at this point I probably need therapy more than a travel agent, which leads me to an important question. Do I put myself in the hands of a travel coordinator/consultant or should I do it myself?

Will have a fairly modest budget to work with and plan to be there for about 3 weeks.

Any words of wisdom would be welcome.

BTW this site is just too addictive!

Sudesh.

emjoi · Jan 25th, 2006, 09:47

Do you have relatives in India that can assist you in things like arranging travel, accomodation, and being guides?

sudspiv · Jan 25th, 2006, 10:16

There is a liklihood of my daughter's boyfriend giving us some asistance. He lives and works in Chicago but originally from Chennai - may well be that he would make himself available for the trip.

I've heard so much about this notion of hiring a driver. How does this work, are there standards and guidelines as to who we could hire and from whom?

Thanks for the feedback.

Aussie 5 · Jan 25th, 2006, 10:45

sudspiv

Welcome to Indiamike !!

I was a first-timer to India last November and, with the wealth of knowledge on this site and and the encouragement of IMers, I did not use a travel agent and everything worked out fine

.

For accommodation I searched the hotel listings at this site and also my trusty Lonely Planet guide. Booked direct with the hotels and did not have to give credit card details or pay any holding fee - Only two places were not to my usual standard (one pretty awful) - but then both of these were categoried as 'budget' accommodation in LP, while all other accommodation was 'mid-range'.

I booked my rail tickets over the net and had them delivered to the hotel where I was to stay first - They were happy to provide this service at no cost - No problems.

The thing I found most difficult was deciding where we wanted to visit and how much time at each place - but previous threads and IMers were really helpful in making this decision.

Unless you are very uncertain, I'd suggest you avoid the travel agent and plan you own trip - much more interesting.

sudspiv · Jan 26th, 2006, 09:40

Aussie5,

Thanks for the input. I'll start thinking about some form of schedule. Meanwhile, is it safe to assume that the rail system is a good way to go. How does it compare to trains, schedules and booking in Europe?
Safe, reliable, clean?

Aussie 5 · Jan 27th, 2006, 07:32

The train network is extensive and we mostly travelled by train. We travelled 1st Class Air Conditioned (1AC) where possible, but this class is not available on all trains, but most trains have 2nd Class Air Conditioned (2AC). Some trains have Non Airconditioned 1st Class (FC) but these are few and far between these days.

We limited our overnight train journeys to two nights so that we could view the scenery and train/station life during the day. I found the day travel the most interesting, night travel just gets you from A to B.

From my experience, I'd say that much of 1st Class is about 2nd Class in European trains but much dowdier, showing a lot of wear and tear and in need of renovation.

Except for the best trains - the Rajdhani with cabins (good for long distance overnight) followed by the Shatadbi which are laid out airplane style for day travel. Both of these are modern services and include meals.

We were impressed with our Rajdhani train from Delhi to Mumbai - with the following served in our 1st Class cabin for two (but note this cost more than flying!)
- orange juice on departure
- afternoon tea
- three course dinner, with each course served individually over an hour or so
- early morning tea (at the time we asked for)
- breakfast before arrival at Mumbai

Jan 25th, 2006, 09:12	#1
sudspiv Sudesh Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 9	First timer Greetings, Finally decided to post after logging in and reading about the great info the site provides. Of Indian descent, originally born in Fiji, grew up in Australia, England, Canada and now reside in California. Am married with (2) university age children. We have traveled extensively, but have never been to India. Come December, 2006 this will all change! However, as a result of reading the posts, learning what I can from mainstream media and gleaning opinions (interesting isn't it how these differ) it is perhaps not surprising that I am totally overwhelmed and frankly have mixed emotions ranging from the high of wanting to see and do it all (won't be able to until next time) and the low of the typical first time exposure to elements we're not so used to. Have no idea where to go or what to see where to stay, etc., Have thought about Dehli, Rajasthan, Amritsar, Mumbai, Chennai (by default) and may be Pondichery. I think at this point I probably need therapy more than a travel agent, which leads me to an important question. Do I put myself in the hands of a travel coordinator/consultant or should I do it myself? Will have a fairly modest budget to work with and plan to be there for about 3 weeks. Any words of wisdom would be welcome. BTW this site is just too addictive! Sudesh.

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Jan 25th, 2006, 09:47	#2
emjoi Some dude Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 134	Do you have relatives in India that can assist you in things like arranging travel, accomodation, and being guides?

Jan 25th, 2006, 10:16	#3
sudspiv Sudesh Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 9	There is a liklihood of my daughter's boyfriend giving us some asistance. He lives and works in Chicago but originally from Chennai - may well be that he would make himself available for the trip. I've heard so much about this notion of hiring a driver. How does this work, are there standards and guidelines as to who we could hire and from whom? Thanks for the feedback.

Jan 25th, 2006, 10:45	#4
Aussie 5 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brisbane Australia Posts: 278	sudspiv Welcome to Indiamike !! I was a first-timer to India last November and, with the wealth of knowledge on this site and and the encouragement of IMers, I did not use a travel agent and everything worked out fine . For accommodation I searched the hotel listings at this site and also my trusty Lonely Planet guide. Booked direct with the hotels and did not have to give credit card details or pay any holding fee - Only two places were not to my usual standard (one pretty awful) - but then both of these were categoried as 'budget' accommodation in LP, while all other accommodation was 'mid-range'. I booked my rail tickets over the net and had them delivered to the hotel where I was to stay first - They were happy to provide this service at no cost - No problems. The thing I found most difficult was deciding where we wanted to visit and how much time at each place - but previous threads and IMers were really helpful in making this decision. Unless you are very uncertain, I'd suggest you avoid the travel agent and plan you own trip - much more interesting.

Jan 26th, 2006, 09:40	#5
sudspiv Sudesh Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 9	Aussie5, Thanks for the input. I'll start thinking about some form of schedule. Meanwhile, is it safe to assume that the rail system is a good way to go. How does it compare to trains, schedules and booking in Europe? Safe, reliable, clean?

Jan 27th, 2006, 07:32	#6
Aussie 5 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brisbane Australia Posts: 278	The train network is extensive and we mostly travelled by train. We travelled 1st Class Air Conditioned (1AC) where possible, but this class is not available on all trains, but most trains have 2nd Class Air Conditioned (2AC). Some trains have Non Airconditioned 1st Class (FC) but these are few and far between these days. We limited our overnight train journeys to two nights so that we could view the scenery and train/station life during the day. I found the day travel the most interesting, night travel just gets you from A to B. From my experience, I'd say that much of 1st Class is about 2nd Class in European trains but much dowdier, showing a lot of wear and tear and in need of renovation. Except for the best trains - the Rajdhani with cabins (good for long distance overnight) followed by the Shatadbi which are laid out airplane style for day travel. Both of these are modern services and include meals. We were impressed with our Rajdhani train from Delhi to Mumbai - with the following served in our 1st Class cabin for two (but note this cost more than flying!) - orange juice on departure - afternoon tea - three course dinner, with each course served individually over an hour or so - early morning tea (at the time we asked for) - breakfast before arrival at Mumbai