Intrepid travel - India - ?
 

I want to go to India, and I will likely go solo.

I've never used Intrepid before, but their concepts appeal to me.

Has anyone taken one of their trips recently? Which would you recommend?

I prefer "slice of life" travel off the beaten path, with a few landmarks - like the Taj Mahal -- thrown in for good measure.

Insights/reccomendations appreciated.

Brookside, search on this forum for Massagediva's excellent trip report of her Intrepid tour of Rajasthan.

I'm torn between a trip such as that and doing it on my own. The tour sounds great for its style and also for the companionship with like-minded people. What is holding me back from that kind of tour is all the moving around to different cities and different hotels from one day to the next. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm the type of traveler who prefers to stay in one spot for a couple of days.

I got a little worried when I looked up a Rajasthan tour from Peregrine, another operator that gets good reviews. Its website shows travel times, and every other day they are driving approx 6 hrs and checking into a new place.

So I'm strongly considering an independent trip, with organized day tours here and there. But still deciding... :)

My very good friend just returned (4 days ago) from an intrepid trip to Rajhastan and Agra. She loved it - said it was the best holiday she's been on. She told me that she was very glad she was with a tour group because the few times she ventured solo she got stared at and heckled a bit (from males) and was quite uncomfortable (though this might only apply if you are female?).

This is the second recent post about women getting harassed in India. The other was from an older woman, so it doesn't seem to be related to age. I (female solo traveler) was in my early fifties when I was India, and while I got very tired of beggars, touts, would-be guides and rapacious rickshaw drivers, I had absolutely no problems with harassment. I'm wondering whether it has to do with dress? India is one of those countries where women need to cover their legs and shoulders - on the Indian episode of the "10,000 Places to See" show on the Travel Channel the guide wound up taking the woman traveler to buy local clothes as she was wearing shorts. I wore trousers and short-sleeved tops or a salwar suit. However, in my experience Intrepid guides are usually quite firm about proper dress.

Staring might also be related to dress, or maybe just to looking different. By the time I got to India I had traveled through western China, Pakistan and Bhutan, and was used to being stared at. I spent ten weeks in India, traveling almost entirely on trains - my trip report is at www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2001. That report also includes a five week Intrepid trip from Beijing to Rawalpindi.

I'm the older woman referenced above. Concerning dress while in India--It was January when my husband and I visited, and I wore long, slightly baggy pants, low heel black shoes and black socks, long sleeve dark blouses, black jacket, and muffler--nothing exciting or provocitive?, but I appeared alone when I was touched as my husband was out of sight. I expected the stares and interest in my presence as I look different (fair, fair skin and tall), but I didn't expect the patting on the butt. It occurred on a busy street corner in Bangalore. It is a way of keeping women in their place and intimidated. But, India is a great, fun, complex place to visit and I would like to return again as an independent traveler, but I would not go solo. I want to emphasize that I was never afraid for my safety.

The thing I dislike about organized tours is the constant moving as discussed above ( you can never savor the moment) and the distance, physically and mentally, an organized tour keeps the traveler from the local people. It is like looking at a culture through the television or movie set--nothing wrong with that as it is better than no observation, but doesn't compare with being out interacting with the locals.

On the few tours I've joined, after a day of nonstop sightseeing, I never knew what exactly I'd seen (my eyes glassed over) or where I went. Perhaps that is a private failing.

Klam - that certainly doesn't sound like dress had anything to do with it. Just male chauvinism...

I'm not wild about tours either, but I do use them sometimes when getting somewhere will be particularly difficult or expensive, or on a long trip when I feel like a break. Intrepid has great itineraries, uses local transport and stays in small hotels, guest houses, etc. and gives you plenty of free time - and no shopping opportunities!

Thursday, thanks for your link. I was especially interested to read that you hired a driver in Rajasthan for 5 days. If I may ask, were there any issues, or did you have any reservations, regarding being a female alone in the car with a male driver for long distances?

Nutella - no, I wasn't worried. Maybe it was lack of imagination, lol! I suppose if it were someone I had just hired off the street, I might have felt concerned, but since I arranged the hire through a business, to which I could have complained about any bad conduct, I didn't worry. In fact, all the representatives of the company in question looked after me very well. The only times I remember having to deal with harassment while traveling have been on long distance trains, once in Siberia and once in Ukraine.

I appreciate the posts - it confirms about Intrepid what I needed to know.

I've traveled many places solo, but admit I am just not willing to go solo to India on my first trip. I imagine I will cast off the safety net on subsequent trips, but feel the need for a little structure and companionship the first go around. Intrepid sounds like the best of both worlds - the safety of a group, but a little freedom to meander as well.

thanks everyone!

I have no info regarding Intrepid and don't know your budget but there are many local travel agents in India that could plan a completely independent tour for you so it would be a private tour done at your pace doing what you want to do for as long as you want to every day. These things can be quite reasonable in India. I did this with my partner so we had some savings given 2 people but I was so glad as even doing it our way we found the guides all had a tendency to over explain every detail of every site. Luckily we were able to tell our agent and then our guide what we wanted to see, what detail level we wanted and when we'd had enough for the day and to move on. We used Arvind who owns CASTLE & KING - LRT. He's incredibly nice and totally trustworthy.
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I am considering a trip to India next fall with Intrepid so I have been doing quite a bit of research on the company. Almost all comments are positive. A good friend of mine is a seasoned traveler and went to India without a tour a few years ago. She said she wouldn't do it again. It is just too difficult and time consuming to deal with common situations (exchanging money, buying tickets, finding a doctor, etc.) that we take for granted. Just having a guide to help sort out those things is worth it providing you are happy with the itinerary. Also, from the comments in the reports I have read so far, travelers seem to be happy with the accommodations.