Tales From The Road: Planning A Trip To India
Guest post by Dominik von Werdt
Getting there is half the fun
Besides the desire to meet new people, cultures and experiences, two things are essential for a proper backpacker – a lot of time and a little money. I happen to have a four week break from university starting mid-February, and some money’s left on my bank account as well. What better thing than backpacking could I possibly do!
The first things that come to mind when I think of India are food, beaches, temples and streets filled with people – reason enough for a visit.
A year ago, I did an extended trip around the world with a focus on Thailand and Laos, but I didn’t have enough time left for India. I learned two things about myself back then: I love exotic places that really hit you in the face when you arrive, and I don’t like tight schedules. I guess India qualifies for the first.
It’s impossible to ‘see’ India in a month, even if bustling from tourist attraction to tourist attraction sounds like fun to you. I’ll rather stick to a few places, soak up the experience and see where it gets from there.
To make sure that I make the best out of my four weeks in India, it’s important for me to know a bit of what to expect, and the Internet is an amazing resource for that.
I love those nights in front of my computer, searching the Internet for stories of people who’ve already had their great experiences in India, and browsing through photos on Flickr.
To me, personal recommendations matter a lot more than guidebooks, and bonfire pictures give me a better impression of a place than travel agency posters. After a couple of these so-called ‘anticipation nights’, I know roughly where I want to go and which places I can leave out without missing too much.
My favourite resources for planning my trip:
– Flights: eBookers.com
– Travel Blogs: Travelblog.org
– Photos: Flickr.com
– General Info: Lonely Planet
( Photos: ‘Food in Rajastan, India’ by Dirk Huijssoon, ‘Mahabodhi Temple’ by Hideyuki KAMON )
Ed’s Note: This post is not a stand-alone, it’s the first in a series, written from the road. Keep your eyes peeled for next week’s update on Mumbai Madness.
Posted in Destinations, From The Road, General Travel, Travel Tips & Planning, Travel Tools
February 23, 2007 at 2:01 am
I work in ebookers and I am an Indian, so was quite happy to find this blog about India and mentioning ebookers.
Anyway, my two bits about India –
February in my mind, is the best time to be anywhere in India. The weather ranges from somewhat wintry in the North to very mild on the southern coasts. This is probably the best time to go to the Delhi and Rajasthan. The tourist peak season is around Christmas, so it is less crowded.
Since you are in Bombay, you could go south by Train to Goa and then again by Train to Kerala. If you plan your train times, try to cross as much of the Konkan ghats in the day time as possible. It is one of the prettiest journeys I have been on.
Get off in Mangalore (station kankanady) and try some Mangalorean food – rice cakes and pepper chicken!
Kerala is just a bus ride away – Take a State transport bus (slower and mor rickety, but safer than the private bus driving maniacs)
Once in Kerala, try to soak up on the back waters and get some cool Ayurvedic massages.
Thats is for now!
February 23, 2007 at 4:46 am
Hey Mr. Travel Worker!
Thanks for your advices, this is pretty much what I’m planning to do anyway, seems like one of the more popular routes. The bad thing is I won’t be able to do the Konkan Railway by day, since the day trains were full for the next few days and Goa is calling! This is why I’m taking the night train tonight at eleven p.m. – next entry will be from Goa!
Cheers,
El Dom
February 23, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Nice links. Rajasthan is really beautiful and colorful.
Another link i would suggest for offbeat places would be http://www.amitkulkarni.info/pics/
Nice places specially Hampi and Lakshadweep.
Lakshadweep is pretty cheap for the heavenly place it is. A tru backpackers paradise.
February 24, 2007 at 5:42 am
Hey Sanjeev,
I also thought about going to Lakshadweep, but all the places I found were far from pretty cheap, they were all far above 100 USD a night which is just way beyond my budget – or can you recommend a budget place?
Cheers, Dominik