Family Holiday to India - any tips please?

TwinMum79

After along gap away from the MSE forums (I was on the pregnancy forum but now have 9 year old twin boys), I am back for expert advice :-)


It is my 40th birthday in March and are just starting to research a family trip to India. We are looking at Easter 2019 and thinking of something like Intrepid escorted tours. Would like to do the Golden Triangle combined with 3/4days in Kerela or Goa for some beach life and child down time before returning home.


Has anyone used this type of travel company before? We have never done escorted, and always build our own holidays with separate flights, accommodation and car hire etc so this type of holiday (and destination) is new to us.



So, just looking for tips and advice really :-)

budgetflyer

When we went to Kerala (Kovalam) one Easter, the sea was too rough to go in and the sand had nearly been washed away.Monsoon season starts a bit earlier there .
So I'd pick Goa that time of year. North Goa can be quite Manic. Especially Baga and Calangute. The South quieter. South Goa is my favourite place . Cavelossim is quite upmarket . our favourite places are Benaulim, Palolem and Agonda.

TwinMum79

Thank you...appreciate your input !!!128516;

worried_jim

Love India, it's proper bonkers! Spent a month in Rajasthan, everyone's experience is different but we found the further away we got from Delhi the nicer it got. Takes a few days to get into the grove (harden up to the poverty, street kids and begging) but when you do it's amazing.

Pollycat

budgetflyer wrote: »

When we went to Kerala (Kovalam) one Easter, the sea was too rough to go in and the sand had nearly been washed away.Monsoon season starts a bit earlier there .
So I'd pick Goa that time of year. North Goa can be quite Manic. Especially Baga and Calangute. The South quieter. South Goa is my favourite place . Cavelossim is quite upmarket . our favourite places are Benaulim, Palolem and Agonda.

It's going to be very hot and humid 3rd week in March.


I agree with North Goa being 'quite manic' - a somewhat understated comment.
ETA:
I meant April, not March.

TwinMum79

Thanks for the comments!

Easter is late in 2019, mid to late April...think that will make a difference to humidity? Sort of the only option to go as I work in a school. Six weeks holidays will monsoon season and Easter provides us with one of the longest school hols other than Christmas :-)

TwinMum79

Thanks WorriedJim ... Noted :-)

PompeyPete

My main concern on going on an organised tour would be about health.

You'll be moving around regularly, and probably starting off at silly o'clock on some days, with possibly a long day in the saddle.

If your children aren't use to that sort of travel, and particularly in hot climates, they might not appreciate the pace.....particularly so if they catch 'delly belly'. If they do, the tour's schedule will be set in stone, and they [and you] might quickly regret doing that sort of holiday.

Not trying to put you off, but it's worth looking at what the tour schedule and timings are.

Pollycat

TwinMum79 wrote: »

Thanks for the comments!

Easter is late in 2019, mid to late April...think that will make a difference to humidity? Sort of the only option to go as I work in a school. Six weeks holidays will monsoon season and Easter provides us with one of the longest school hols other than Christmas :-)

Sorry - that was a typo.
Yes, Easter is late April.


We used to go to Goa regularly, coming home usually mid March and you could feel it getting hotter and more humid by the day towards the end of the holiday.
So yes, going later will make a difference (detrimentally) to the humidity.

TwinMum79

Good tips Pompey Pete. We do travel about here, there and everywhere but appreciate this willbe a full on trip in full on heat with very little down time, hence wanting to tag on some chill out beach time in Goa.


Has anyone used the likes of Intrepid Tours or can recommend? So much to browse through but wanting realistic reviews :-/

brewthebear

Sea will be getting rough in Goa by end of Apriland it will be really hot and humid and most english tourist will have left.
We were there this year over EAster, usually go earlier jan/feb/mar Would certainly not go again so late, lots of places closing down as well
Plenty of domestic tourists still about but the ambience was not the same