Top Five Tips on Traveling in India

Lotus Pond, Himachal Pradesh, India

If you are planning to travel to India anytime soon, then you’d probably come prepared with a map and, in all probabilities, a copy of Lonely Planet or the likes.  You’d have found out about the top travel destinations in India and also about the cheap hotels and travel guides. I am sure your bag has a supply of medicines and a dictionary. However, let me tell you, all these wouldn’t be enough for you to travel to a place like India if you do not know some of the travel tricks to get the best out of your experience of traveling to India. What are those tricks? To make it sound a little more politically correct and appealing, let me call these “Travel Tips.” I am hoping these to be the one of their kinds, and so I use the title, “Top Five Tips of Traveling in India.” So, here you go!

1. Brush up on your Hindi to sound like someone who has been traveling in India for long. You can actually visit YouTube and watch some of the latest movies (with subtitles, of course) to get a hang of the catch phrases doing the rounds in India. If you come across as one who knows India, there are chances of people being more friendly to you rather than trying to rip you off the money, which (based on your skin color and accent) they might assume to be in plenty in your hold. This, my friend, is my first tip of traveling to India. Being an Indian, this suggestion might sound pretty rude, but the poor of the world, be it U.S. or just us in India, are always the same…they’d put their caps out and ask for a hand! J
2. The other most important tip about traveling to India concerns your travel destinations. While it is most natural to visit the most popular travel destinations, I would say that the wise thing to do is to talk to the locals of such top travel destinations and find out about the places less traveled. You’d be surprised at how much remains unexplored in this land of culture and heritage that just lies ignored for ages. What I do is this: I talk to the rickshaw pullers or the waiters at the restaurant or anyone who is ready to talk to me and ask where else can I visit (apart from the ones mentioned in the Lonely Planets and the likes). People generally share information on places that are exotic and rarely traveled. Collect such gems out of the unexplored treasure trove of traveling in India.
3. The next tip about traveling in India is to make friends. Talk to people, know them well, know their families and culture, and respect them. This way, you will get to peek inside and know the real India. Do not throw money out at every given chance; Indians do have their share of money and you do not need to feel bad for them. Make them understand that simply because your skin color is different, your economic situation is not heavenly. This way, you will avoid being an outsider and be considered rather as a friend who has a right to the interiors of Indian life and culture.
4. Traveling in India and not thinking about food? This cannot be the case. So, here is the next tip about traveling in India: get your body used to the food and water that more than half the people in this world are used to having. This way, you would enjoy the delicious Indian street food and save a mammoth amount on your travel budget. Trust me, if you tell your mind and body not to react, then they won’t. If they do not listen to you, then try out Indian Yoga; you’ll know how to control your mind and body.
5. Finally, before you travel in India, get in touch with your Indian friends. They would be delighted to have you visiting them! They will take you places and make you see things that the Lonely Planets have always been deprived of. In case if you do not know anyone in India, try Facebook or http://www.couchsurfing.org/ to find out people you relate to. If you do not find anyone at all, try us at: escapeenchanted@gmail.com and we can see how best to help you out.

I hope these tips are useful and helps in your traveling to India. For any other queries or help, please feel free to reach out at:  escapeenchanted@gmail.com. We’d be more than happy to help.

x

Top 10 Cheap Vacation Tips!

Resi Khola, Darjeeling, India

Are you looking for a cheap vacation idea that would not need you to make any compromises? Yes? Then, you are at the right page! After all, a cheap vacation is not a vacation if it is an outcome of any compromise. I will share a few tips on cheap vacations that would help you experience a complete vacation within your budget.

Here are my top 10 tips on planning cheap vacations:

1. Before you select your cheap vacation destination, gather adequate information and make proper plans. You can do this quite easily with the help of the Internet. A few hours on the internet gives you all the information that you generally need about a place and how to get there to spend your vacation. The clue is to plan everything so that you do not incur any unforeseen or un-budgeted expenses.
2. Select your destination based on its distance from where you stay and the season you are visiting in. My personal experience says that it is a great idea to visit a place when it is “off season” and almost everything is available at great discounts! To add to this bonus, you will get the entire destination free of noisy and nosy crowd. This adds color to your cheap vacation idea, doesn't it?
3. Next, look for cheap accommodations. The best options would be to find government guesthouses, tourist lodges, and other cheap hotels. Look up the government tourism Web sites to identify a place within your budget.Generally, the government guesthouses and tourism lodges do not rip you off and are decent places to stay in.
4. There are options that even the locals would offer accommodation at a much lower price than the normal rest houses. You would just need to do with the homely meals and not-so-nice-to-look-at blankets!
5. A good idea would be to check https://www.couchsurfing.org/ as well. You might just be able to arrange for free accommodation !
6. Check if there are modes of public transport available at your chosen destination. These are not only fun and cheap, but also a great way to interact with the locals and get a taste of the local culture. Maybe you are having a cheap vacation, but that doesn't stop you from enjoying to the fullest, does it? 
7. There would be occasions when you might need to take taxis or autos; so it is best to know the tariffs before hand and save yourself from being ripped off and throwing away the cheap vacation. Check out the tariffs for local taxis or autos and try to find out if you can share the transport with someone. This would make your travel costs lesser.
8. Make a list of the places to visit, the distance between places, and the things to see as well as the time required. Carry a local map so you are able to travel without being taken on a ride.
9. Plan your trip as per local transport and start early as you will beat the office rush and will get time to explore more.
10. The most important point is to know about the local food joints and prepare yourself to thrive on the local food. The more you save on food, the more you add to your cheap vacation extravaganza!

Once all these information is handy and you have the budget all sorted out…go ahead and enjoy your cheap vacation!

Welcome to the Journey!

This blog, unlike other travel blogs, is not only about tourism in India or top travel destinations in India;  rather, it's about your travel Choices, Interests and Needs!!!

Most of the places that you would encounter here are travel destinations, which are real quick getaways from the cities of India, with cheap accommodation and easy public transportation that allows you to have awesome but cheap vacations.

The most important feature of this blog is, as mentioned above, the Choices, Interests and Needs: What type of a place do you choose to travel to...far from the madding crowd or right at the heart of all activities? What interests you...folk music, colors, rock bands, flea markets, tribal art or folk culture? What do you need...a break from the city buzz, meditation, greenery, or some overdose of shopping? Based on the answers to these questions, you get to select and know the details of the different travel destinations we would present in this blog.

We would talk about places to travel to where you might enjoy the luxury of getting cut off from mobile networks and  the electrical mesh. Above all, this blog will help you in your need for a quick getaway...be it for working professionals, students with low budgets or the travel freaks always keen on cheap vacations, that are affordable, comfortable, accessible and a lifetime experience.

So, welcome to the path to escape to the enchanted travel destinations of India!