Travelbug13

Hi there,

I'm a solo female traveller, and I just bought my ticket to India a few weeks ago and I am already struggling with my itenerary. So any help from the experts who've been to India would be great.

I fly into Mumbai. My plan initially was to focus on the south, but then I realized, that I just couldn't go to India without seeing the Taj Mahal, and a few other fun places like Jaipur. I am not sure when I'll get back, and I think I'd come to regret it if I didn't do the "golden triangle." So hence, the reason for landing in Mumbai instead of Delhi.

So now my dilemma of course is moving my way north of Mumbai towards Delhi. My loose plan for now is to arrive in Mumbai on November 3rd (very late at night) and spend a day or two in Mumbai to acclimatize then head
-north to Udaipur (are there night trains to this destination)?
-Spend a few days in Udaipur
-Take a train to Jaipur (again is the night train best)?
-Spend 2 or 3 days in Jaipur
-Take a train to Agra, spend a day and night here (I've been told that should be enough).
Take a train to Delhi spend a day or 2 here (all I need I think)
Then my idea was to fly from Delhi to Goa (Palolem) and spend 5 or 6 days in this area to get a little of the south that I initially wanted.

So I would spend 2 weeks or about 11-13 days doing the north (should I include and do I have time to include Varanasi)? Apparently is is not to be missed. But I do not want to pack too much in if I don't have to. And I want to leave room for mis-haps.

Then spend the last 5 or 6 days in Goa before taking the long night train journey back to Mumbai for my flight home.

I've had some issues finding train information that goes Mumbai to Udaipur etc...There seems to focus on a Delhi departure.

Sorry for the long post. I am good at researching and am doing a lot of reading, but sometimes getting specific questions answered is so much easier!

Also is there anything I shoudl see and other places I should skip?

Thanks in advance!!!

S.

agtoau

I think you should cut Goa out of your plans (you seem to vegetate on a beach - you can do that in Europe or America). You have too much on your plate and that is not a wise thing to do concerning travel in India. I would suggest the following broad sketch:

After a couple of days in Mumbai, take a flight to Udaipur. From Udaipur drive to Jodhpur. Then drive to Jaipur. From Jaipur either train or car to Agra (Taj Mahal). Then train to Delhi. Then fly to Varanasi. Back to Delhi. Fly to Mumbai for your return flight. Again, cut out Jodhpur if things get too tight.

Travelbug13

I should note that I am a backpacker, and want to do this on a cheaper budget, flying all over the country is not what I want to do, and taking the one flight from Delhi to Goa is just to allow me more time. I can afford one domestic flight.

Plus I am not sure I am willing to give up going to Goa, but I am willing to give up one of the areas such as Jodhpur and Varanasi.

I know I can do beaches in Europe and other places, but I get 3 weeks vacation a year (I'm using it all on India), so I was hoping to combine a little beach and relaxation and amazing culture in this trip. And from what I hear Goa is worth it.

I want to keep an open mind and welcome all advice, but I also want to be honest about where I stand and what I am looking for on this vacation.

Oh and I do not think I want to drive in India. Heard that can be a bit risky. If you mean hire a driver, well not sure that is in the budget either? Unless the prices are reasonable on shorter distances (such as Agra nad Delhi)?

thursdaysd

Travelbug - have you looked at Lonely Planet's guide to India? If you're doing budget travel that's the best place to start, although I would add Footprint for more sightseeing info and alternative accommodations.

For train info you need to go to www.indianrail.gov.in, but it will only show you direct trains. For Mumbai-Udaipur you'll need to change trains in Ahmadabad. Although I'm a train fan, I would consider doing this leg by plane. For info on the (many) classes on Indian trains, visit www.seat61.com.

There is plenty to do in Goa besides lying on the beach, although you might want to check on the weather - you don't say when you're going. But given a choice between Goa and Varanasi I'd go for Varanasi - maybe you can cut one or two days from Goa?

I spent 10 weeks in India back in 2001 - solo female with a backpack - you can read about my trip at www.wilhelmswords.com - hope you have a great time!

thursdaysd

Oops, realize your title says November - Goa should be fine. Also, no-one in their right mind plans to drive in India - you would need a car and driver. But this, if arranged in India, can be surprisingly cheap (especially if don't also want a guide). I can recommend www.rajasthantravelservice.com, who gave me great service, and who I think may be cheaper than some of the outfits other posters here have used. And even with your own driver, don't arrange anything that requires driving between towns at night.

JohnFitz

S. , Allow plenty of time .It is a huge country and travel takes time especially if not by plane . We used Jet Airways and they are reliable and had very good inflight service .
The beach and water at Goa are lovely particuarly at Palolem . There is old Portugese Goa to see , lots of other backpackers if that is what you want .Hut son beach are cheap .
Cool at night up North so have a jumper / jacket . Stay around Colaba in Mumbai as it has the most touristy but also really interesting street life. On the down side , hotels were expensive but we were not looking at Backpacker level so there may be some good value places around that will suit you . Eat at Cafe Leopold in Colaba , Mumbai and lots of other travellers go there as well so you may meet people worth talking to .Cheap and lovely food like Pomegranate juice .Happy planning and keep us posted of how you get on with these plans please .

Travelbug13

Thanks so much for all the info!! It is much appreciated. And although I am on a backpackers budget per se, I have the money to splurge on a few things. I am not a student and have a good job, I just prefer to travel cheaply most of the time, so I can do it for longer and more often.
I know Mumbai might be more expensive, so paying a bit more for comfortable amenities is fine.

Also, I don't mind splurging on a few flights, and have checked out jet airways. It is wroth a few more bucks to be able to see a little bit more IMO.

Thanks Thursdaysd for the private driver link, I am going to look into it, it might be worth it for the smaller distances. I am going to read your blog too, from one solo girl travller to another it will surely be an invaluable read!

And JohnFitz, you seem to understand that while I am travelling alone I will want to meet people, so your advice was great. I'll check out that restaurant in Mumbai!

chimani

I understand where you are coming from - been there, done that. You want to travel cheap but a notch up from backpacker.

That's easy in terms of finding somewhere to stay. But are you up for second class travel in the train? Or even up for buying your own ticket? Or just arriving, finding somewhere to stay and taking it from there?

No?

Thought so.

You haven't found the Indian Railways website? Well that's fine - plenty of us just pitched up in the days before the internet and are still here.

My best advice to you is - work out where you can go by train (by far the best way to travel) and don't try to go North and South.

Of course, what you really want is advise from Americans who have spent three weeks in the country and are therefore experts.

And I don't qualify so I don't know why I am posting this, excspt to say that if you are in the "car and driver" bracket you certainly ain't a backpacker.

Just the usual, really.

Happpy travels.

thursdaysd

"if you are in the "car and driver" bracket you certainly ain't a backpacker." How rigid! No reason you can't do a bit of both. Especially in India, where a car and driver (no guide, maybe little English, arranged in-country) can be remarkably cheap.

Travelbug13

I am completely fine with second class travel. I am looking at probably booking AC2 train tickets, and will even take sleeper class if I have to. Also not having air conditioner is fine too, in November I may not even really need it.

I have found the Indian rail website, and if I can buy my tickets in advance through e-tickets and printing them, I will. And as far as I know, I can do that. I have no problem showing up and buying when I am there, but because I am solo female traveller, I prefer to do it in advance.

It's doubtful I'll hire a driver, but I like that it is an option.

Now I don't see the problem going south to north. Is it an issue? Why would it be?

JohnFitz

In Mumbai have a look at The Gordon House Hotel . Small , a little groovy , great position .Cannot recall what we paid but as it is the most expensive Indian city it was not bad in all the circumstances .

chimani

Hi Travelbug13,

You are right - you will not need a/c in November.

My point about getting hold of a PAPER copy of "Trains At a Glance" is that you can then really work out where you can to go from where (it might involve a stop somewhere or a detour). Funnily enough those detours can often feature heavily in your best memories afterwards. The internet is wonderful, fantastic, - has changed everything when it comes to organising a trip - but the IR site is like so many others. If you are a local and know what's possible you can navigate with confidence. But if you are an outsider you have to believe what they tell you - and often that is not the only option.

It's a bit like booking a theatre ticket on the net. You want 2 tix. The web site will always offer the 2 on the end that they haven't sold yet, rather than two in the middle one row back. And you can't get the machine to change its mind!!

Your choice of destinations is excellent - Udaipur, Jaipur, Agra, Delhi. I have to say I also would skip Goa. Hey - I've never been there for the reason that India is not a place you go for beaches. (I have spent many, many months in India!!).

You ask about Varanasi - and to be honest that is somewhere you absolutely must NOT MISS.

I remember that getting to Udaipur by train was tricky - like the train goes from Old Delhi Stn rather than New Delhi Stn.

Can I make a suggestion? Could you fly from Mumbai to Varanasi first up? Then train to Delhi; train to Agra; ROAD to Jaipur (stop off at Fatephur Sikri).

Now here's where it gets tricky - can you get from Jaipur to Udaipur by train? I don't have my paper timetable to hand? Can you get to a station on the line to Udaipur by bus from Jaipur? probably.

If I were you I really would skip Goa. Instead visit Mt Abu on the way to Udaipur.

Then check out if you can get from there to Aurangabad. Well - I'm pretty sure you can't do this directly. Look for Jalgaon instead.

Never heard of it? Me neither until I was there poring over my "Trains at a Glance". I got there from Chennai, but Udaipur is much closer.

From there you can visit the amazing caves at Ajanta.

Very, very special.

And there are trains back to Mumbai from Aurangabad close by.

Happy travels.

Honestly - leave the south for another time.

Travelbug13

Great advice Chamani. I'm Canadian by the way.

Well I have bought a few guidebooks and I think I have a lot of reading ahead of me and some decisions to make. My trip has changed so dramatically from what I had initially wanted to do, which was to explore the south.

I have a friend coming back from India in 2 weeks time who has promised to sit with me and offer some of her advice as well, and I am sure I will come to a decision one way or the other.

I am still very hesitant about giving Goa up, but what I may do now is stay 3 days there instead of 6. My Indian friend has even told me not to miss out on Goa. But.....we'll see.

I may skip Udaipur and head to Varanasi instead, and fly there like Chimani suggested. Might make more sense.

And by the way thursdaysd, i read your blog about your trip. And I loved it, you were very honest and I loved your writing style. It sounded like you weren't as impressed with Rajasthan, do you still think I should focus on that area, or do you think the south is a better option. I'd love to talk to you more about your trip to India. Do you think I'd regret going to India and not seeing the Taj Mahal? In all honesty the south sounded more interesting to me when I first decided to go, now I am just not sure.

Luckily I have 5 more months to decide.

thursdaysd

Travelbug - glad you enjoyed my writing! Thanks! You can email me directly through the website - click on the link at the bottom of the pages after "Contact".

The south and north are quite different - I really enjoyed the south, but I have a hard time recommending that a first-timer skip the Taj and Varanasi. Especially if you think you may not go back. I found Rajasthan very touristy in 2001, and there weren't many tourists that year. If you do go, try to fit in Jaisalmer, and the Shekhawati region.

Travelbug13

Chimani: you mention getting the "trains at a Glance" book in India and planning my journey from there. My question to you is (or to anyone else who might know), do I need to book my trains in advance before leaving Canada, or can I do it there? I've read that the trains might be full, and I would hate to be stranded in a place longer than I need to be.
I'll be there from November 2nd-24th

Thanks again for all your help!

thursdaysd

Travelbug - you might want to look into getting an Indrail pass, which might be cheaper than booking individual tickets. If you do that, you can make your reservations at the same time (you can always change them later if you want). You get the pass from a general services agent - there isn't one in N. America but you can use the UK one - http://www.dandpani.dircon.co.uk/. When you get to India you should confirm your reservations - in Delhi there is a separate "foreigners" booking office you can use - and I think in Mumbai as well.

You can find yourself in a looong line for tickets at other booking offices. An alternative is to pay a local travel agent to do it for you - worthwhile if you only have a short time in India.

Also, the Indian Railways website now has a link to a map of the system, so you can use that as a substitute for the Trains at a Glance map. And I see that the advance reservation period is now 90 days instead of 60.

blgerber

I would say dont make to many plans. I just did 2.5 months in india and i threw my plans out the window when i got there. you will realize that sometimes you have to divert plans. My advice is never let anyone tell you not to go to a place and talk to other travelers as much as you can. If you are flying into mumbai i would do south india first. the people in south India are great but the himalayas in the north are something you can't miss.

Travelbug13

Thanks blgerber. After much consideration, I've decided to focus on the south. I only have 3 weeks, and so I plan to fly from Mumbai to Kerala, then work my way up to Mysore, Hampi then Goa. Might not be everyone else's ideal travel agenda, but I feel happy with this choice.

I don't want to see the Taj Mahal just to check it off my list. Yes it would be awesome, but I'll get there at some point.

Thanks for all your advice!

thursdaysd

Travelbug - that looks like a great trip. I didn't make it to Hampi, but loved Kerala and Mysore. Don't miss an overnight on a boat on the backwaters. Also, I recommend staying in Panaji as well as at the beach in Goa, and taking a look at Old Goa - check out the Panjim Inn, I loved staying there.

blgerber

Hey I just did a trip like this. Here is a link to my blog. You may or may not find it interesting. I will tell you that I am glad I did not do the "golden triangle" as a backpacker. I found rural India to be the most rewarding place I have ever been. Make sure you take the 2 non a/c trains because thats where you get a real sense of India. There is nothing like being fed dal and chapati by an indian family after waiting in the train station for 4 hours. South India is amazing and not to be missed. Hampi, a shared house boat in allpey, the charm of mysore on a sunday night, the amazing water of the Andamans, The high peaks in Sikkim. You can book cheap flights once you get ot India on air deccan or spicejet which are safe and very nice (i was very suprised by this) There is no need to fly if you don't mind long train rides (this is a place to enjoy india though) or stop in smaller cities to break up the day.

Here is my blog: feel free to use it to contact me to learn more about my trip:
http://www.mytb.org/blgerber

I love india so much after being there and don't mind spending hours talking about it.