CODE OF CONDUCT

In the travel world all tours and bookings are paid for in advance. The itinerary one holds in one’s hands is actually a promise. Do know that my partners and I are totally committed to the promise we give. You are in safe hands. You can travel without a worry.

VISA

All non-Indian Passport holders require visas for India.

WEATHER

May 1962. My parents had decided to move to Varanasi. A long, long train journey took us from the tropical paradise Kerala to the sweltering heat of the Ganges plains. Here summers were hell –over 40 degrees Centigrade in the shade. And everything just longed for the arrival of the monsoon. The first drop of rain and everything was well again. And then the Indian winter sets in with its warm days and cool, sometimes cold nights. November to March – the period in which India is at its prettiest.

http://www.wetteronline.de/Indien.htm

HOTELS

All over India hotels are springing up as mushrooms but the capacities are still not sufficient to meet the needs of a constantly growing economy. There are four hotel categories available on the Indian market:

1. Luxury resorts and hotels available in the big cities and in selected tourist centres. These resorts and hotels catapult the experience of India to dazzling heights.
2. First class hotels – All of excellent standard. A few establishments in this class can be called unique.
3. Middle class hotels – standard and prices can vary considerably.
4. Basic hotels

Other than these there are the palace and the boutique hotels. These too are of varying quality. My recommendation: Don’t spare on your hotels. Good hotels in India are oases. India is a world that leaves intense impressions on one’s heart and mind. Unwinding in the quietness of a fine establishment is no luxury. Since the best hotels are usually booked out first, do book your tour as far in advance as possible. Check-out time is always 12.00 pm. Hotels charge the full-day tariff even when one checks in in the early morning hours. But there is always the possibility of waiting until noon and having breakfast or going for a short tour of the city in between. Single room supplement: In India single and double rooms cost generally the same.

FOOD AND DRINK

The kitchen was the centre of our family life in my boyhood. In those days one did not go to the cinema. We did not have a TV. Things have changed but the kitchen continues to occupy a place of pre-eminence in the Indian family. Life revolves around the kitchen and India is a land of culinary fanatics. Food was and remains the ultimate delight and the Indian kitchen remains unrivalled in its diversity and its originality. Bottled mineral water is safe and can be drunk without any fears. That of course applies to other bottled drinks, coffee and tea. I am not much of a beer drinker but they say Indian beers are excellent.

HEALTH

There are no compulsory vaccinations for travel to India. But do consult your doctor allowing at least 4 weeks before the date of travel for all medical advice. Do not forget to take a mosquito repellent spray or lotion along.

CARS

Rain and extreme temperature fluctuations influence the condition of Indian roads totally. Indian roads teach one patience. The traffic rules are hard if not impossible to understand but they function mostly. Animals on the road are a part of every day life in India und they always have the right of way. So one just has to sit back and relax. I grew up with the famous Ambassador, a copy of the old Morris Oxford. In those days there were practically no other cars. Today Indian roads are bursting at the seams. All the carmakers of the world are just crowding into the Indian market. For your personal tour I recommend 4WD vehicles.

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS

International airlines are not what they were once. Overbooking is common practice. One has to be at the check-in desk early enough or there is always the danger of loosing your reserved seat. Most flights to and from India arrive or leave late in the night or in the early hours of morning.

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

It was not very long ago there was only one domestic airline in India and one was sold out to the incompetence, the unpunctuality and the arrogance of the state owned Indian Airlines. The liberalisation of the Indian airspace bought the monopoly of the Indian Airlines to an end. Today new airline companies vie for a share of the booming Indian market. The market leader and a class for itself is Jet Airways. Flight delays are seldom predictable and they happen more often than they ought to, also in India. One has then to alter plans. Either one travels further by train or car or in the worst of cases one has no other option than to stay overnight.

FLIGHT DELAYS AND TRAVEL INSURANCE

Flight delays have become routine. Increasing air-traffic, structural problems, over-booking and weather conditions are factors that are responsible. In the worst of cases a flight delay can turn the next leg of a tour upside down and lead to additional travel costs. All tour arrangements are paid for in advance and therefore services that are lost due to flight delays cannot be reimbursed. A travel insurance that covers such eventualities is therefore absolutely indispensable.

TRAINS

With the largest rail network in the world train journeys can be great fun in India. Railroads have come a long way since I was a boy. Today there are many express trains and new routes and modern equipment are being regularly introduced. Often it is more comfortable to travel by train than by car or plane. But it is important to keep in mind that Indian trains are not comparable to trains in Europe. They are basic and sometimes the view through the glass windows can be hampered. I recommend travel in air-conditioned coaches but they are not available on all routes. Reservations can be done only 30 days in advance.

PHOTOGRAPHY

India is a paradise for picture lovers. One is allowed to use the camera nearly everywhere, just keep it in the bag at the Taj Mahal, at airports and in planes.

VISITING TEMPELS

Certain rules apply at temples and mausoleums. The primary one being that one may not enter them with shoes. I recommend you take extra thick socks along. Further Jain and Hindu temples do not allow leather bags and leather belts inside.