Sadie_Ward

HI,

I am travelling to India in the middle of September. I am a 24 year old female and I'm going it alone.

I arrive into New Delhi first where I'll probably stay a day or two just to recover from the flight! I can see that it would make sense to book a hotel/hostel before I arrive, but having said that I am most definitely on a budget and feel like I may be able to get it a lot cheaper on foot. Can anyone recommend anywhere mid range i suppose, comfortable enough but still quite cheap! I'm guessing about £10 a night is mid-range is that correct?

After that I'm heading up to Uttarakhand, I know this is the region I want but again I have done very little research. Can anyone recommend A; beautiful, safe and not overly touristy places to go B; best travel methods & rough costs C; rough daily living expenses in the region. D; rough climate in the area?!

Any input would be greatly appreciated as I'm starting to become very aware of my lack of preparation and don't want it to spoil my trip!

Thanks

Sadie

Kathie

You have lots of time to read and research this area before you go in September. Start by buying or borrowing several guidebooks. Do a search here and on Thorntree for Uttarakhand. Check weather on one of the weather websites, I usually use www.weatherbase.com

Once you have done some research, come back and ask specific questions. At the price point you quote, I'd call that budget not mid-range, and you'll find more people who can recommend places to stay over on Thorntree.

thursdaysd

I agree with Kathie, that is definitely a budget price point, although not totally unreasonable. You can probably forget AC and attached bath, though.

I'd recommend the Lonely Planet and Footprints guidebooks, and checking both Lonely Planet's thorntree and indiamike.com. For info on Indian trains see seat61.com.

Have you applied for your visa?

Sadie_Ward

I have not as yet, any idea how long it takes? and am i to assume £10 is very cheap? I'd mostly be looking at hostels suppose?

thursdaysd

No, not hostels in India. You need to go do some research and then come back with more specific questions.

The answer to your visa question depends on your countries of residence and nationality, you should consult the relevant embassy websites.

Sadie_Ward

Kathie, I have been reading some of your reports and they're all fascinating and well written. Excuse me if this appears rude, but I cannot help but wonder what age bracket you fall into?

Kathie

Hi Sadie, I'm 61 and have been traveling for a lot of years. I'm glad you enjoyed some of my trip reports.

Before every trip, in addition to reading guidebooks and planning my route, I read everything I can find about the area I will be visiting - novels, memoirs, histories. I find it really deepens my understanding of a place.

Have a wonderful trip!

pgill26

Hi Sadie.

When you get off at the airport. take a taxi or rikshaw from there(both are cheap), ask someone at the aiport, maybe at the taxi stand desk, they can send you to the cheap hotel chain which is not far from the hotel. you can stay there and rest for your couple of days. its not going to anything near luxuary but it will be cheap.

Don't try to find a hostel in India, there are not many and even if their are, its probably not safe. If you do want to find a travelers asharam or something, it will require a lot of research.

I have not been to Uttarkhand and to be honest not heard of many people who go there. The places that I would recommend to you are the following

1. Rajashtan its a state and has royal cities like Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur. These are the royal cities, I was just there in December of 2011. They are absolutely beautiful. You would also wana see the Taj Mahal. Now this route could be one trip for you. New Delhi to Agra to Jaipur to Udaipur to Jodhour and back. It als depends on how many days you have. You could take the train which is very cheap and then also take buses.

2 Kerala - it is absolutely beautiful. It nice, peaceful and calm. I havn;t been there so don't knwo much about the prices. but from New delhi its far away, you would have to take the train of fly there.

Your expenses would be your living expenses, food and travel.
Try finding a cheap place, but your on a very low budget so it will be a challenge. Food is fairly cheap just don't go to upscale resturants. travel by rikshaw or taxi within the city and train or bus from one city to another, prfereably train.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any more questions if you have. You will have to do some research though to make your trip worthwhile and keep it within budget

thursdaysd

Ignore the Rajasthan advice. Yes, it has some cities with some beautiful buildings (most in Jaisalmer), but it's where almost all first-timers go. It was very touristy when I was there in the winter of 2001, when there were hardly any tourists, it will be much worse now. You have a plan to go somewhere a bit different - stick with it!

Kathie

I find pgill's advice rather... ill-advised. In India, I would never ask at the taxi stand for them to take me to an unnamed hotel. You'll want to do your research and make a reservation and ask to be taken to the place you've reserved. Otherwise, you'll be taken someplace where the driver gets a kickback.

There are inexpensive hotels, B&Bs, etc in India, but you will have to do your research. There are ashrams, if that is what you are looking for.

I also don't know why pgill is advising you to go to Rajasthan when you are clear to want to go to Uttarkhand. pgill is recommending the most touristed places in India - nothing wrong with that if that is what you are looking for.

pgill26

I said aiprot taxi stand desk. They will be very safe coz they are government owned. right at the airport and they will give you a fair pice

Also I'm suggesting Rajasthan and Kerla as an option not forcing you to go there, its merely an opinion now its upto you if you want to take it or not. I don understand what the harm is in recommending?

Im giving my opinion and I don't think anyone should have a problem with that. take it if you like it and if you don't leave it.

Sadie if you wana go to Uttarkhand, please go. I was just advising you some different places so you could look at more options thats all.

thursdaysd

Kathie is right - even if you give the name of a hotel you may still have an argument with the taxi driver about going there instead of a place he (always men in India) will get a kickback.

pgill26 - you said your recommendation was based on not having heard of people going to Uttarkhand. And then you recommend one place that is over-touristed and another you've never been to!

pgill26

I'm gonna be civil and leave this argument now. Once again it was just a recommendation. If you like it you may take it and if not then not. I hope you have a great trip. I would love to hear about it. Good luck!

Jaya

As a female traveling along, I would NOT recommend a rickshaw and only used licensed taxis. It's fine to travel on a budget, but you need to keep safety in mind too. Some super cheap motels are in areas you don't want to be in and may not be clean to your standards.

Flying between cities is the best choice, second is first class A/C train. Don't use local busses - ever! Don't travel by road after dark (roads are poorly lit and you should be at your next destination before it gets dark).

You have a lot of planning to get together to be ready in three months. I was suggest you not arrive in India and expect to make your plans on to the go. Plan ahead and have your reservations done. Also be aware that September is still quite hot.

thursdaysd

Well, I agree that you should not be on the roads after dark, but otherwise, not.

I am a female traveling alone, and I certainly take rickshaws (although I board with a map in the rare event the driver uses a meter, and negotiate the price up-front if not). I also think trains are preferable to planes and 2AC or 3AC to 1AC, which is twice the price. If you're staying in budget accommodation you can probably get by without advance reservations (although you should have them for your arrival and departure cities). Calling ahead a day or so in advance should be adequate unless you are definitely set on a particular place.

Sadie_Ward

Thank you all for your advice.

I am certainly open to recommendations but would like to avoid the more touristy areas. I am expecting to travel mostly by train, but part of the reason I have not done too much research is because I have always loved the idea of jumping on a train and seeing where i end up. Of course I am aware this is pretty risky, but the whole point of this trip is to experience things I might not if i were following a guide book...I want a really unique experience! But this is all becoming quite daunting and I'm thinking its possible that i will regret romanticising this once it all happens. But perhaps that could be character building or not....

Does anyone have any idea what a train ticket from new delhi to the southern part of uttarakhand would cost?

ggreen

For your first night at least, I would make sure to have a place booked! You will have traveled to get to India, and landed in an unfamiliar city with so much going on around you. And IME as a young Western woman solo, getting a taxi driver to respect you and take you directly from Point A to Point B is no small feat.

In Mumbai, I stayed at the YWCA International Center, and I highly recommend it. Rooms were clean, breakfast and dinner included were good, and most of all the staff was excellent. It looks like the YW also has a location on Parliament Road in New Delhi. Since the YWCA of India is a national organization, they might have lodging in other places as well.

Kathie

Sadie, I highly recommend you do lots and lots of research in advance, as that is what will allow you to be flexible as you go. The idea that you will have a unique experience because you don't plan is simply silly. Doing your research is what will allow you to go places you want to go seek out the experiences you want.

thursdaysd

"the idea of jumping on a train and seeing where i end up."

This is a bad idea in India, unless you're willing to sit up all night in overcrowded third class carriages. Indian trains are very popular with Indians, and the better trains and accommodation fill fast. Do go to seat61.com and read the section on Indian trains.

You can price train trips at cleartrip.com and http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/

For what you have in mind you might consider an Indrail pass and the tourist quota, and there is the tatkal quota, seats released 24 (used to be 48) hours before departure, but I wouldn't want to count on it if it will cause you problems to miss a train.

ggreen

<i>I want a really unique experience! But this is all becoming quite daunting and I'm thinking its possible that i will regret romanticising this once it all happens. But perhaps that could be character building or not....</i>

IMO, just being in India *is* a really unique experience. And character building! Not to mention, it's not a small country so there's potentially a lot of ground to cover. Prices for some things can be really cheap, and others as bad as here in NYC.

But I get not wanting to plan too much! Since you have time before your trip, you can do the research so you know your options. Book a few key things, like your first nights' hotel in New Delhi and your ticket out of there. Have list(s) of places to stay and to eat, things to see, etc., so that you'll have solid options once you reach any given place.