Tours and Travel in India
Travelling to India? India – Footloose and Almost Free by Des Gettinby will help you plan your budget Indian adventure.
A humorous tale of two people each taking only 7 kg of luggage and intrepidly exploring India.
Des and Barb Gettinby are a spirited couple. Having retired from corporate life they now love to travel at a grassroots level. No more 5 star accommodation. Nothing booked; the itinerary unfolds as their curiosity prompts them – mixing with and meeting the locals, sharing time with the cosmopolitan kids of the world and always staying in en-suite rooms either in city centres or on the abandoned beaches of Goa.
At under $85 per day for two, they roam from Rajasthan’s tigers and forts to Kerala’s backwaters and rice barges. From the majesty of the Taj Mahal to the remarkable rat temple. They travel by rickshaw, by train, by plane and with car and driver.
This tale tells how easy it is to travel on a shoestring; how to make adventure travel a breeze – all the tricks of easy travel.
Can the two week tourist follow the DIY traveller’s trail?
Let’s look at both sides.
The ball-park cost of Australian 15 day travel packages to India is $4000 for two, or $267 per day (airfares not included)
The author, Des Gettinby, and his wife travelled at less than $85 per day for two. Daily cost difference – $182 per day.
Using a Tour Operator for travel to India
You peruse the colourful travel brochure and select your trip costing $267 per day (for two). Your trip is finely tuned, pre booked hotel rooms, shuttle transport, day tours – all at fixed times in your itinerary. You travel with the same group for most outings, with some free time allocated to roam as you please. A tour guide is included in the package. If you do not like your accommodation there is little or no opportunity to change. Your India Tour Operator has locked you into this booking. If the other tour guests are not to your liking…bad luck. You’re stuck with them.
DIY Budget Travel to India
This allows you to choose your hotel as you go. When you arrive at a destination, ask your taxi driver to drop you in the area you would like to stay (Lonely Planet will list some hotels in different price ranges. This is a good start. For each hotel listed there will be many more nearby. Ask at the first hotel to see a room. Like it? Haggle the price and check in. Simple! Don’t like it? Walk to the next hotel and repeat the process. This is a good example of why it is important to travel light. A small backpack and you are on your way. If you are juggling several packs, suitcases, a guitar or surfboard you inevitably need to pay for transport even over a small distance.
When travelling cheap in India you can also arrange your own transport and your times of coming and going; it gives flexibility and freedom. Stay a bit longer, leave a bit earlier. Local Tour Offices in India are friendly, helpful and can be easily found in all holiday spots. You create your own itinerary. Use a Guide Book such as Lonely Planet to set your plans then complement with suggestions from travel brochures.
All the travel tips for India are in India – Footloose and Almost Free, from vaccinations for India, the best time to holiday in India, to travelling around India on trains – or even with a car and driver in Rajasthan.
Book a cheap flight, buy a good guide book and head off. Travelling around India on a budget is fun, and Indian tours and Indian travel packages can be organised on the run.
Written with humour, this India travel story will make travelling in India cheap and easy to do.
India – Footloose and Almost Free by Des Gettinby is available on Kindle.
As befits India, this is a jewel of a story.
