Tauck or Abercrombie and Kent or Louise Nicholson
 

I'm planning a trip to India and can't decide which tour to go with. Going with a friend, without our husbands. Are experienced solo travelers, but want the security of a tour group.

Would appreciate your advice and experience with any of these tour operators.

Thanks so much for your help!

Oh and would the end of January, or the end of February/ beginning of March be the best time to go? Thanks!!

i prefer castle and king

Can't recommend Louise highly enough. I would say she's in a different category than your other choices because she is a specialist in Indian culture and art (wrote many guidebooks including the Natl. Geographic's) and is not part of a huge tour company based elsewhere.

Her people on the ground are truly the best in India, used to working with celebrities, politicians, top artists and designers, business VIPS...They have the highest admiration for Louise and work with her to provide unique, authentic (and affordable!) experiences, and are used to going the extra mile service-wise.

Although ours was a private trip arranged by Louise, we have several friends who went on her organized tours. One, not previously a "tour person," is about to sign up for a second trip. All said that the other tour members were fascinating and elevated their trip to the next level. And all raved about Louise's knowledge about India, organization skills and the serendipitous encounters like tea with Maharajas, tribal ceremonies, etc.

Her February - March trip sounds fabulous....Wish I could join you!

Thanks for your input. We decided on Tauck because we felt more secure with a known group even though Louise was very tempting.

If NOT going with one of her tours, how much does Louise charge for "consulting" for a private tour she arranges,and is it by the hour, day , length of your trip, etc?

She charges either a consulting fee or by the hour - After one conversation, most of her work is done via email. Well worth every penny. Contact her for her rates.

Thanks, CC. Thinking about Burma...

These are all wonderfully high-end companies and, I am sure, you will get to see India and enjoy wonderful luxury hotels. Unfortunately, the best memory you will have of India will be the hotels and, perhaps, some of your meals.
If you want to truly experience India, not just see it, I would suggest you contact VP Singh, LegendsandPalaces.com. He can arrange a private tour for you accordingly to your desires. If you want Oberoi hotels, so be it, he can arrange them. On the other hand, he will also suggest some other hotels which you may find to be as enjoyable but somewhat more "Indian".
I always say that VP introduced my wife and I to India. for us, it was not just drive-by tour, it was an experience that we felt and will remember always.
Whatever you decide, have a great trip.

I agree about Tauck and A&K, but Louise's trips (though often luxurious) ARE incredibly "Indian," filled with authentic and off the beaten track experiences - festival visits, private ceremonies, meetings with artists, musicians and craftspeople, special hours at temples and museums and private shopping. I was most impressed with how she individualized on our trip, and now very much want to join one of her group tours - maybe to Burma with CaliNurse!

Crosscheck, can you provide some more feedback on Louise Nicholson? She sounds amazing and we are talking with her about planning a private tour for us. My concern is cost though I haven't seen it yet.

Here is crosscheck's trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...agra-delhi.cfm

Hi Leafs,

Here is the response I posted on the other thread:


Well, the super efficient Kathie beat me to it. I was going to suggest you read my trip report for more info about Louise, who gets my highest recommendation. She has planned individualized trips for a least a dozen people we know. One couple has just gone on the 4th trip that she planned. Several other friends have gone on her group art and cultural tours, and she also leads trips for museums. We are not "tour people" but after she planned such a stellar trip for us, it is my dream to go on one of her remote tribal tours. She is a true India specialist, knows all the top guides and will gear your trip to your area of interest.

We did not compare costs with other outfitters because a) we knew we wanted Louise and b) our first quote was extremely reasonable because we were going off season and saved as much as 50% on some of the hotels. We also kept costs down by mixing luxury accommodations with inexpensive guest houses.

Happy to answer more Qs.

Louise is amazing....she takes the time to get to know what you want and works to your budget. The people she works with in India are great, any problems are dealt with and our guides were excellent. We had the holiday of a lifetime and are currently planning with Louise to go again later this year.

My thanks to Crosscheck for her trip report which I found after searching for ages for ideas and a good agent to use. I had previously got quotes from two other sources, prices were not much different but they did not understand what we were looking for, Louise did!

Thanks everyone. I wasn't sure if anyone would see my comment on a forum from '12.

Of all the "tour companies" I have talked to, well, actually, emailed, she's the only one I have felt comfortable with thus far. Probably a good sign.