Hello fellow travellers

Hi Wanda, myself (26) and my girlfriend Raisha (24) are also going on this trip and are really looking forward to it. We've never been to India before and cannot wait to see and experience what it has to offer.

Hi Andrew.  Made up to hear from you.  Where are you flying from?  My friend Sue and I are flying from Manchester.  Neither of us have been to India before either, although we have been to a lot of places!  This is my first trip with Exodus.  I think it is going to be fabulous!

We are leaving London Heathrow on 8th March for the Highlights of Northern India tour.

Hi Halina.  We will meet in Delhi.  Have a safe trip.

We are getting really excited about our trip. Am sure you are too!  Have done lots of research but am still unsure how much money to take with us. It would seem that the ATMs cannot necessarily be relied upon.  Anyone else willing to share their thoughts? 

My friend worked out that we would need about £350-400.

Would that amount be for each person? 

Yes it would but maybe if you are part of a couple and are likely share more you wouldn't need as much.  I think allowing £30 a day is more than adequate for lunch and evening meal unless you intend to eat in hotels which costs pretty much the same as here in the UK and you wouldn't see much for your £30! You might be just as well to contact your Exodus travel advisor to see what he/she suggests. See you next week!

I have just spoken to Viraj at Exodus who advises that £12-£15 per day will pay for lunch and dinner and tea and soft drinks.

Thank you for finding this out for me  QueenVic. See you in Dehli! Safe journey!

Hi Halina and Wanda, Just reading through your conversation and suggestions...thank you as this was an area I was also unsure about. I think I'll take £500-£600 for both myself and my girlfriend...as well as a Credit Card for back up. Just reading through the Trip Notes again, do either of you know if we actually go IN to the Taj Mahal or just visit it at sunrise before moving on for sight seeing around Agra?

I don't know but maybe someone who has done this trip can tell us. Failing that we can give Exodus a ring tomorrow. See you soon!

We've had a good look through our documentation and cant find an answer to your question - sorry. Spent yesterday alerting our bank and credit card companies to our visit. Still much  to do before we leave.

Myself and my husband are also on this trip, we are on the group flight but not booked through exodus, please don't leave the airport in Delhi without us! Neither of us have been to India before. I am very excited and also a bit apprehensive! Look forwards to meeting you all!

Hi Zoe and Peter - good to hear from you. My husband, Keith and I are also first timers and very excited at what should be a brilliant adventure. We are on the group flight from Heathrow on Thursday evening also and will have hand luggage with an Exodous label attached. Do look out for us. 

Taj Mahal -assuming they do what we did - you get there for sunrise and have plenty of time to look around/take photos etc.  You can go inside, there is one room with a tomb in it - you can't take photos inside and it isn't a very big room, but you get to see some beautiful stone work.  We had lots of time there.  We then went to see another building known as "Mini Taj" - which is stunning.  Then for sunset we were taken to a spot on the opposite side of the river to the Taj Mahal where there is a lovely view and as the sun catches the Taj it can take on a glow.

For the overnight trains, I was advised to take a sleeping bag liner - I actually took a cheap duvet cover that I just left there when I'd finished with it - it was useful so that I didn't use the blankets on the train (used over and over again!) and also I could put my camera and money/passport etc inside the cover when asleep.

This is a lovely trip, though very busy - I am sure you will love it.  With regards to money - I would bank on a bit more than £12-£15 per day - not masses more, but whilst we did have some very cheap meals, some were around the £10 mark (cheap by UK standards).  If there is one tip I can give you regarding food, it's try and stick to veggie food - the only people on our trip who got the runs, were the ones who ate meat!

Happy to answer any questions if anyone has any, if you don't then have a fabulous trip!  You will love Varanasi - that was my highlight!

Hi Zoe and Peter - just double checked our luggage labels and they are not Exodus ones but Trailfinder ones so the latter are the ones to look out for on our hand luggage if you want to find us! 

Thank you for posting this message - it is much appreciated. We will certainly take up your advice - actually on our way out now to buy some very cheap n cheerful single duvet covers from Asda. We had considered sleeping bag liners but they seemed so expensive!

 

Many thanks for your offer to get back in touch with other questions - if any further ones arise, I will certainly take you up on your offer.  

 

 

Hi Halina, We don't have any luggage labels! I was just saying that to Pete the other day. Perhaps our travel agent just doesn't send them! I will look out for you in the airport all the same!

Catherine, thanks for the suggestion of the sleeping bag liners, I hadn't though of taking then but I already have some from when I went to Egypt so I will be sure to put them in!

Zoe

Afternoon all... What is everyone doing with regards to Malaria?? The websites I'm looking at say the cities we're travelling to are low risk so only awareness and bite prevention are needed (not malaria tablets). Has anyone been told different or advised to take tablets?

We saw the nurse and were also advised it was only low risk. We have bought high percentage deet sprays and also our sun cream has insect repllent in it.

Zoe

We were given exactly the same advice and are taking a deet spray called Mosquito Milk. As I often get bitten, I will be using this copiously! 

 

Has anyone found out what the breakfasts are like at the hotels? What do we eat at breakfast in India?  

None of our group took malaria tablets - I don't even remember being particularly vigilant with mozzie spray!  I did get a few bites one evening around my ankles as we ate at tables on a lawn - but I survived!

Breakfasts are generally fairly westernised - toast, cereal fruit etc, but there is the Indian option in some hotels - ie curry and flatbread.

 

Hi Catherine - thanks for information re breakfasts. 

 

Thinking about other meals, did your guide advise you where to eat or were you pretty much on your own ?  

I don't recall us doing our own thing at all - though I guess if we'd wanted to we could have - we were a 'solo' group so we kind of all stuck together for meals.

 But I am sure if some of us had wanted to go it alone - Bali would have just perhaps pointed out a few places to go.  I remember in Varanasi and Agra we ate in the hotels - in Agra it was very late when we arrived so hotel was the easiest place to head.

Hugely interesting reading our posts before we went!  What a load of scaredy-cats we were!

Fabulous memories - thank you to all in the group - Tim, Tara, Michael, Penny, Keith, Halina, Zoe, Peter, Raisha, Andrew, Deryck, Sue, Linda, Malvina and Angela!