Happy Trails

When we travelled to India several years ago we used an agent to book our air fares and decided on joining a small group led by Intrepid Travel to take us through Delhi, Agra,  Rajhastan, Mumbai and Goa.  We had a wonderful trip and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

The next trip we took with Intrepid was through Turkey.  Again it was a great experience.  A small friendly group, with a leader who spoke the language and got us on and off the right buses, trains and ferries. 

We have just booked another trip to India but this time we are ‘going it alone.’

While we enjoyed our trips with Intrepid there were places we would like to have stayed longer in and others we could have passed through.  Fairly normal feedback when you are travelling in a group I expect.

I was envious of people who were getting on and off the local bus clearly choosing where to stop and how long to stay.  All aided by the very reliable and friendly transport system in Turkey.

So having booked our flights to Kochi in the south of India via KL and our exit via Bangalore I am now planning at least the first ten days of the holiday and then leaving the rest to chance!

At weekends I have already travelled many miles on the computer.  I have researched the towns and major tourist attractions, looked at places to stay and found out what the local cuisine is in each region.

Trip Advisor has been invaluable.  Just before I booked a house boat on the Kerala backwaters I read a traveller’s comments and decided to book a reputable resort instead.  The image of that couple fighting off an army of large cockroaches all night put paid to any romantic notions I had.

We are staying in 3-4 star local hotels so reader’s comments and Trip Advisor ratings have been a wonderful reference to help us decide where to stay in those early few days.  

Every weekend we share new information we have found out about where we are going.  The sense of excitement is building and the unplanned part of our holiday only adds to the excitement.

We will have our IPAD with us so we can research places yet visited and look for accommodation.

To get around we have the option of trains, buses or hiring a car and driver which costs less than $A50 a day and many of the “home stays” have a driver’s room at no extra charge.

We have taken out insurance that provides for emergency evacuation and will have all of the needles our doctor recommends.  Plus one suitcase each that is easy to get on and off public transport.

Fortunately we make good travelling companions so bring on the holiday!!