thanks for your support too, Lolazahra. you are dead right about the virtues of fodors, certainly as displayed on this thread.

congrats on your successful studies and on taking the opportunity to bring your kids to Rome, probably my favourite city anywhere.

I will certainly be back to tell you all how I got on.

and a further update - those who started this journey will have seen that I actually booked a tour to India, which I felt was probably a stupid thing to have done as I admitted upthread.

Well, I held the reservation open for some time, in case they came up with flight upgrades that I could afford, but as I heard nothing until after the day when i was supposed to pay the balance, I cancelled and asked for my money back, on the basis they had not fulfilled the contract. And somewhat to my surprise, and after quite a lot of tooing and froing, they have agreed to refund my deposit. Hooray!

annhig, what a gift! Very clever to put it on them! That must be your legalistic mind hard at work

Well done!

thanks. just shows that all those years weren't entirely wasted!

it will pay nicely for my tuition at the language school.

All worked out for the best. The moon and the stars are now aligned for this trip, Ann. As I mentioned before, I don't follow the Europe board, so if you post any sort of trip report please post a link on the Asia board.

I will try to remember to do so, California Lady.

And yes, I do feel that the "stars are aligned" as you say. it just feels right, whereas the India trip did not. I will have to do a lot more research to find one that suits me.

A quick update.

I received my refund of the deposit for the tour I cancelled and am now gearing up for my trip to Italy. In the end I opted to stay in lodgings with a local lady of about my own age who loves to cook so that sounded like good fit to me, and hopefully will provide company when I want it.

But I have not forgotten India and am now looking at November '18 or more likely Feb '19 for a 2 ½ -3 week trip to Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Shall I start a new thread? or carry on here?

Hello Annhi. My keyboard letter (the last one of your name here) is frozen--apoloies for the misspell. Sounds like a wonderful Italy trip, with excellent place to "base" for your course!

I don't think there's need to start a new thread; I imaine the questions/answers will be similar. But do update it if you think of anythin else. Or, wait until you're closer to the trip--who knows what will have chaned in India by then

I spilled tea on my keyboard once and until I broke down & got another I had to copy & paste a question mark every time I needed one.

sorry about your keyboard woes, both of you. We once dropped sugar onto a [stero] tuner with catastrophic results.

Good advice, thanks, - I'll stick with this thread for now.

Please do a group tour. I would be very afraid to travel to India alone.

Sorry, please ignore my comment I read further and realize that you are now going to Italy. Good move.
Regarding your plans to go to Kerala, I hear that the Taj group of hotels can arrange (or used to some years ago) a nice itinerary if you stay in their hotels.

"Please do a group tour. I would be very afraid to travel to India alone."

Possibly understandable for those who are afraid, but not everyone is afraid.

Vipsha - I think if you had read the thread [or even my OP] you would have seen that I was not proposing to do my first trip to India entirely solo but to use a tour company either doing a group tour, or a private one just for me. So thank you for your concern but it was rather misplaced.

and of course there are many companies who will arrange tours, and not just to Taj properties which are probably not the sorts of places I want to stay in anyway. In fact there are probably too many with too much choice. I had a whole load of brochures drop through my letter box yesterday - I never realised that there were so many Brits going to India on holiday. They are excellent for trip planning - they have given me so many ideas. But most of them seem to travel too quickly for me - like you Mme P I prefer slightly longer stays so I can really get a feel for a place. However i think I have the beginnings of a shape of a tour in my head so all ideas are helpful.

--> I was not proposing to do my first trip to India entirely solo but to use a tour company either doing a group tour, or a private one just for me
In the latter case you would still not have a 'fellow traveler' unless the tour company assigned you with 2 people, out of which hopefully one would be a woman

--> So thank you for your concern but it was rather misplaced.

You are welcome, I read the second part and of your statement above and feel convinced that it is not.

I take your point on accommodation preferences.

I travel alone sometimes, but to countries other than India. I was born in Bombay and lived there for some time, yet in the last 20+ years have not traveled there alone. Alone = being with a relative stranger for some period of time. Reports in the media are not exaggerated, if anything they are the opposite.