# Anyone done India? (Non-TS, non-tour?)



## hibbeln (Jun 12, 2011)

We're looking to do India next April (first week-ish) for about 13 days with our two sons, ages 17 and 14 (how did they get so OLD?!).   I'm a little stumped with where to begin and I'm looking for help from anyone that has been before and had either good or bad experiences.

We've never done the tour thing, always travelling independently instead.  And we have no desire to do a group tour type of trip.  Part of the reason is that we don't want to waste time doing things we don't want to do, and want our time more tailored to what we want.  We also want time to poke around and explore and have our own adventures.  ALSO, we see vacation time as being our chance to really have one on one time with our kids.  Really high quality family time and we don't want to share that with 12-40 other people!

But looking at India....wow, where to start?  I'm just in the early planning stages, but don't think the timeshare route would work well as we will probably move around a fair bit instead of staying put in one place for a full week.  Tours have the distinct advantage of being cost efficient (I think) and also handling the details in what might be a difficult country to make plans (or is it?).

So for anyone that has travelled in India, is it really that difficult to plan?
Is it really that difficult to move about?
How overwhelming is it to maneuver and sightsee on our own?
Are trains between cities/towns convenient and efficient, or would we do better hiring drivers?

I was looking online and also running through a Frommers guidebook, and my initial thought (due to our limited time) is to probably do the golden triangle area + Taj Mahal.  I would love to find a company that would (economically) put together an airfare + lodging + transportation package.  And I'm also thinking to hire guides in the cities we are in for at least part of the time (it seems like that should be fairly cheap for the guides).

One thing that concerns me (and I don't know if this would be right) is getting caught up in the tourist-route of teeming urban areas and not finding any of the charm of India.  Sort of like seeing Tijuana and thinking that represents Mexico, or going to Tangiers and thinking all of Morocco is like that.  Know what I mean?  Typically we like to hike and see historical things and love both manmade and natural areas of beauty.   While we enjoyed Rome on our recent spring break trip to Italy, we loved even more the town of Sorrento and the island of Capri (not the super-touristy part of Capri, but the hiking and natural beauty) and hiking the Sentiero Degli Dei trail along the Amalfi Coast, and visiting Herculaneum.  We aren't much for sitting around (we just can't do resorts, we get bored so quickly!).  We like to stay either in friendly, family run places or rent apartments, or something historic or unusual.  (But hot water in the shower, clean and no bugs!!!)    So that kind of gives you an idea of what we like.

What do you think, is this reasonable to expect in India?

So if anyone has ANY thoughts, I would love to hear them!!!!!!!!


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## Margariet (Jun 13, 2011)

O dear, where to start?   India is so huge and your questions are still general! We have been to India a couple of times, both with timeshare and with hotels as well. We liked it a lot. We have been to Mumbai, Kerala. Rajasthan and Goa. Like you we are not the tour group types. We prefer to travel on our own. Normally we always rent a car but in India we always rented a car with a driver or took taxis. It is relatively cheap. I don't like trains, especially not in India. So for longer parts we just took a plane. India is quite different from other places. I don't know if you are familiar with traveling in Asia but prepare yourself for a culture shock. You will see many religious people and many poor people. If you like historical palaces, colonial places, natural parks, watching wildlife, backwaters, Indian music and dance, Ayurvedic massages and good food you are in for a treat. Indian food is amazing. You will taste the best. It is hard not to fall in the tourist trap. Travel agents and guides always like to bring you to the touristic places which are not always the best ones. Best to be prepared and insist on going to specific places, shops and restaurants. Enjoy!


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## Judy (Jun 13, 2011)

I can't claim to have done India non-timeshare and non-tour.  DH and I did it both ways, but in order to get to/from the timeshare and tour, we did some traveling on our own.  I'll give you my suggestions for what they're worth.


hibbeln said:


> We're looking to do India next April (first week-ish) for about 13 days


 If you have only 13 days to see such a huge and diverse country, you'll have to plan carefully and make reservations in advance.  Start by reading _Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure_ by Sarah Macdonald.



> what might be a difficult country to make plans (or is it?).


 Not really, if you start early and use reliable sources.  My favorite booking site is www.cleartrip.com .  They handle train, plane, and hotel reservations.  One of the biggest advantages to this site (besides being reliable) is that you can pay with your credit card (be sure to use one that doesn't have a charge for international purchases).  I found it difficult to pay deposits directly as vendors asked for a bank transfer.



> Is it really that difficult to move about?


 We found trains to be reliable, except when they're hit by landslides as ours was.  Be sure to reserve one of the upper classes unless you're fond of pushing your way through crowds.  One of the major guidebooks (it might be frommer) has a good explanation of the indian rail system.


> Are trains convenient,


Yes. 





> or would we be better hiring drivers?


 Do this if you want a great adventure   Whatever you do, don't try to drive a rental car, unless you have a death wish.

Don't miss the Taj Mahal. and Varinasi   Everyone raves about Goa. I wasn't impressed.


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## Margariet (Jun 13, 2011)

Hire a driver who drives his own car. Since it is his own car and house and investment he will drive extremely careful and defensive! Believe me.


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## Judy (Jun 13, 2011)

Judy said:


> One of the major guidebooks (it might be frommer) has a good explanation of the indian rail system.


No, that's not where I saw it.  I found my notes.  It's here:  www.seat61.com/india


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## hibbeln (Jun 14, 2011)

Thank you, everyone!  This is really helpful information, and very encouraging!   I will have to check out clearsite!

Which guidebooks did you all find to be useful?

I've lived in a 3rd world country before (in North Africa) so I have some idea what to expect, but absolutely want my kids to see the reality of how some people live!  They have an inkling from watching (don't laugh!) Amazing Race segments on t.v. where they travel through India.


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## Judy (Jun 14, 2011)

hibbeln said:


> I will have to check out clearsite!


 cleartrip



> Which guidebooks did you all find to be useful?


 I checked every reasonably current guidebook I could find out of the library and read them all.  The only ones I bought were _Lonely Planet Goa & Mumbai Regional Guide_,  _Frommer's India_ and _India (Lonely Planet Country Guide)_.  I took the Goa and Frommer's books with me.  The Lonely Planet Country guide was just as helpful as Frommer, but much of its information duplicated what I already had in the Lonely Planet Goa and Mumbai guide.


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## hibbeln (Jun 15, 2011)

Thanks, Judy!   I saw an itinerary that looked interesting in Lonely Planet.


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## Margariet (Jun 16, 2011)

Good luck with your itinerary! Don't hesitate to post any questions.


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