Planning for India - why car and driver?
Apr 12th, 2007, 06:56 PM
#1
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Planning for India - why car and driver?
Im plannning a fall trip to Rajasthan, etc and am more than a little puzzled about all the recommendations to use travel agents and particularly hire cars and drivers. It seems like with the distances to be covered and bad roads, trains and even sometimes planes might be quicker. Id been looking more in that direction, perhaps arranging for pickups by hotels and maybe one shortish care trip. Do people prefer the car driver to have a buffer person/space or is there some other reason this is so typically recommended?
Apr 12th, 2007, 07:07 PM
#2
No, you don't have to use a car and driver. I traveled in India for 10 weeks mostly by train, and enjoyed it. I did use a car and driver for the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, because public transport was pretty bad there, and for Khajuraho to Orccha. I hired the cars and drivers from a local travel agent (www.rajasthantravelservice.com) after I arrived in India. For day trips out of town I arranged for a car and driver from my hotel. In towns I used rickshaws.
Apr 12th, 2007, 08:17 PM
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having the car allows you to see much more and in a custom way....not schedules, etc....stop here and take pics, or shop...not just go station to station...
cars do take longer but are more comfortable if you get an suv which is strongly suggested....it has nothing to do with your own space imo...
cars do take longer but are more comfortable if you get an suv which is strongly suggested....it has nothing to do with your own space imo...
Apr 12th, 2007, 08:26 PM
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jjkbrook,
India is a large country. It is convenient to use a car when you are operating within a certain area (say, the Golden Triangle) or within Rajasthan. But to go from Delhi to Mumbai (i.e. when you cross into a different zone) it is best to fly. As a rule of thumb, 5 hours driving at a stretch in India should be the outer limit.
India is a large country. It is convenient to use a car when you are operating within a certain area (say, the Golden Triangle) or within Rajasthan. But to go from Delhi to Mumbai (i.e. when you cross into a different zone) it is best to fly. As a rule of thumb, 5 hours driving at a stretch in India should be the outer limit.
Apr 12th, 2007, 10:01 PM
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One of the charms of a holiday in India is to hire a car/driver, for the roads are so happening & interesting. Moreover, there may be monuments, rural destinations etc. on the way, between a & b. Agtou is absolutely right when he says the upper limit should be 5 hours of driving. I see many itineraries on our forum where travelling involves much longer time & distances...it simply kills your holiday!
Trains & air is suitable if you happen to have farflung destinations in your tour plan.
Best Wishes!
Trains & air is suitable if you happen to have farflung destinations in your tour plan.
Best Wishes!
Apr 12th, 2007, 11:29 PM
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I think using a car and driver allows you to make better use of your time. Last month I did the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur route using a car and driver and wouldn't have done it any other way. Also, having our driver with us was very convenient in terms of him always being there to pickup/drop us to our hotel for dinner/shopping etc, besides actually driving inter-city.
Like agtoau said though, five hours should be the limit. For longer distances, or areas where the roads are not good, plane/train might be the way to go. Depends on your itinerary.
Like agtoau said though, five hours should be the limit. For longer distances, or areas where the roads are not good, plane/train might be the way to go. Depends on your itinerary.
Apr 12th, 2007, 11:32 PM
#7
Our first time we used car and driver, mainly because we wanted to do the "golden triangle" and it seemed the easiest and most efficient way to travel independently.
I din't care for the long rides however...the roads are really dangerous, and I found it exhausting to be on them for hours at a time, even though we had a very good driver who did not blast music on the radio,and our our car was clean, comfortable and had excellent AC.
My second trip, we used planes and trains for the long haul, and had our hotels arrange pick up and delivery.
If time was not a big issue, I would use mostly trains the next time. We enjoyed the rail travel, and found it much more relaxing-- except for the bathrooms!We especially loked meeting a lot of friendly locals on the trains.
I din't care for the long rides however...the roads are really dangerous, and I found it exhausting to be on them for hours at a time, even though we had a very good driver who did not blast music on the radio,and our our car was clean, comfortable and had excellent AC.
My second trip, we used planes and trains for the long haul, and had our hotels arrange pick up and delivery.
If time was not a big issue, I would use mostly trains the next time. We enjoyed the rail travel, and found it much more relaxing-- except for the bathrooms!We especially loked meeting a lot of friendly locals on the trains.
Apr 13th, 2007, 08:46 AM
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I'm always puzzled too.
I've spent a lot of time travelling in India and haven't hired one yet. Though on reflection, and if you have the money, it may be the best solution to get from A to B when A and B are either off the beaten track or an unusual combination.
For instance. Lucknow to Khajuraho is a pain by public transport. Khajuraho to Orchha isn't so hard. But again if time is a factor car/driver may be the way to go.
But you are going to Rajasthan. You can easily travel between the main centres by train. Or there are buses.
Where in Rajasthan are you thinking of going?
As for your final comment:
Do people prefer the car driver to have a buffer person/space or is there some other reason this is so typically recommended?
The answer, I think, is that many people are frightened of India. They go, but they want an India without any sort of pain. An India that takes the Indian-ness out of India.
Just my opinion, of course.
I've spent a lot of time travelling in India and haven't hired one yet. Though on reflection, and if you have the money, it may be the best solution to get from A to B when A and B are either off the beaten track or an unusual combination.
For instance. Lucknow to Khajuraho is a pain by public transport. Khajuraho to Orchha isn't so hard. But again if time is a factor car/driver may be the way to go.
But you are going to Rajasthan. You can easily travel between the main centres by train. Or there are buses.
Where in Rajasthan are you thinking of going?
As for your final comment:
Do people prefer the car driver to have a buffer person/space or is there some other reason this is so typically recommended?
The answer, I think, is that many people are frightened of India. They go, but they want an India without any sort of pain. An India that takes the Indian-ness out of India.
Just my opinion, of course.
Apr 14th, 2007, 03:33 AM
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U can travel by train or hired cars as bus quality is not good here.Still some private carriers are good.
I m a resident of taj mahal city of India and runs a website about Agra tourism http://www.bizagra.com
I m a resident of taj mahal city of India and runs a website about Agra tourism http://www.bizagra.com
Apr 14th, 2007, 04:41 AM
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I spent a bit over 3 weeks in Rajasthan with a car and driver and think it's the only way to go. We took one train -- hate it and one flight which was even worse. The roads are bad but you see a lot and, in fact, some of the highlights of our trip were things that we found while driving rather than the things on our must see list.
Apr 14th, 2007, 05:56 AM
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"How comfortab;e are the trains"?
Look - that sort of depends on your definition of comfortable.
Second class isn't comfortable but is perfectly acceptable once you have got used to it!! This takes time and is for those, probably, with a few months to explore.
But first class is fine - or at least I thought so. The sleeping berths are well padded - you can get 2 or 4 people compartments.
But it's not luxe. Having said that, there are services that are more upmarket - I just never had occasion to take one. And I am assuming you are talking overnight travel. For daytime journeys 1st class is fine, fine.
But hey, what are you used to?
Granted, with car and driver you get to explore places you hadn't put on the list. By train you pass them by, but you get to meet lots of interesting people and see a face of the country that is almost as central to its being as cows on the street. Unique, indescrible, unforgettable.
Look - that sort of depends on your definition of comfortable.
Second class isn't comfortable but is perfectly acceptable once you have got used to it!! This takes time and is for those, probably, with a few months to explore.
But first class is fine - or at least I thought so. The sleeping berths are well padded - you can get 2 or 4 people compartments.
But it's not luxe. Having said that, there are services that are more upmarket - I just never had occasion to take one. And I am assuming you are talking overnight travel. For daytime journeys 1st class is fine, fine.
But hey, what are you used to?
Granted, with car and driver you get to explore places you hadn't put on the list. By train you pass them by, but you get to meet lots of interesting people and see a face of the country that is almost as central to its being as cows on the street. Unique, indescrible, unforgettable.
Apr 14th, 2007, 06:35 AM
#14
For lots of info on Indian trains see www.seat61.com - incl. pix. There are many classes on Indian trains, so it's hard to generalize. I'd say not as comfortable as Western European first class in any class, but better than Eastern European non-intercity trains in 1AC and 2AC. I preferred 2AC to 1AC because I found the people friendlier, but if there are only two of you and you want more privacy you might get the 2-berth compartment in 1AC - no guarantees, although you will have a reserved seat/berth in the higher classes. I did miss the hot water boilers you get in Chinese and Russian trains, but the AC in the AC classes worked fine - sometimes too fine! For overnight travel you want a train that doesn't stop too often.
