India / Thailand travel planning

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  • Doshwaster
    Doshwaster Posts: 6,130
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    The Thai equivalent of Poundland ?

    You can't go far in Thailand without coming across a 7 Eleven which sell everything you could ever want on your travel (and lots of things you had no idea about)

    The best way to cope with India and Thailand is to travel as light as possible and just buy what you need along the way. Most things are so cheap that they can be considered disposable.

    I'm not sure I would do both countries in the same trip unless you are planning on being away from home for several months. If you only have 3-4 weeks to play with then pick one and do the other another time.

    An increasingly useful resource for travel information is YouTube. There are loads of videos on there made by travellers recording their adventures around the globe with every means between backpacking and luxury travel.
  • markandkate
    markandkate Posts: 846 Forumite
    India also has a lot of internal airlines and you can book one way flights. Places like Goa did not used to allow international flights. I am not sure if they still do but given the distances I think you will have to use air rather than rail travel. To make the most of your time it would make sense to fly direct to Bangkok or Delhi and use them as a hub and see if you can work out a circular route.

    From Delhi you can as other posters say get the train to Agra and visit as a day trip. Your hotel or guest house will have drivers that they trust that can arrange trips and airport collection and drop,off. Ours arranged a one day sight seeing in Delhi

    Kerala may also be an option and Emirates do a connecting flight via Dubai to Cochin where you can pick up buses trains or internal flights to the beach. You can also fly direct to Bangalore and get the train to Mysore and to the coast.
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,244
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    India also has a lot of internal airlines and you can book one way flights. Places like Goa did not used to allow international flights. I am not sure if they still do but given the distances I think you will have to use air rather than rail travel. To make the most of your time it would make sense to fly direct to Bangkok or Delhi and use them as a hub and see if you can work out a circular route.

    Trains are suitable for very long journeys: they offer beds and bedding, and plenty of good food is available. Obviously the choice between flying or the train for any particular journey is a matter of personal preference. There is not much difference between the cost of an air ticket and that of a first class a/sleeper, but when you remember that sleeping on the train saves you a night in a hotel that might shift the balance.

    You can now take non-stop international flights direct to Goa, Hyderabad, Bangalore and many other 'gateway' cities, so no need to arrive in Delhi or Mumbai unless you choose to do so.
  • Ballard
    Ballard Posts: 2,845
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    Goa airport used only to be accessible with charter flights and perhaps still is. It also closes to passenger planes at points during the day as it doubles as a millitary airport.

    If you get a charter plane into India then you must leave by charter plane. I’ve no idea why but that’s the rule.
    I hate verisimilitude.
  • Doshwaster wrote: »
    You can't go far in Thailand without coming across a 7 Eleven which sell everything you could ever want on your travel (and lots of things you had no idea about)

    The best way to cope with India and Thailand is to travel as light as possible and just buy what you need along the way. Most things are so cheap that they can be considered disposable.

    I'm not sure I would do both countries in the same trip unless you are planning on being away from home for several months. If you only have 3-4 weeks to play with then pick one and do the other another time.

    An increasingly useful resource for travel information is YouTube. There are loads of videos on there made by travellers recording their adventures around the globe with every means between backpacking and luxury travel.


    Thanks, all good advice, I've been looking into flights, accommodation etc and different options and I tend to agree about doing one this time and the other later. So I'm going to plan both now and then decide later which order we want.


    I've checked out a few YouTube videos, thank you for the suggestion. Still got lots of researching to do.
  • India also has a lot of internal airlines and you can book one way flights. Places like Goa did not used to allow international flights. I am not sure if they still do but given the distances I think you will have to use air rather than rail travel. To make the most of your time it would make sense to fly direct to Bangkok or Delhi and use them as a hub and see if you can work out a circular route.

    From Delhi you can as other posters say get the train to Agra and visit as a day trip. Your hotel or guest house will have drivers that they trust that can arrange trips and airport collection and drop,off. Ours arranged a one day sight seeing in Delhi

    Kerala may also be an option and Emirates do a connecting flight via Dubai to Cochin where you can pick up buses trains or internal flights to the beach. You can also fly direct to Bangalore and get the train to Mysore and to the coast.



    Thank you for the tips, I've looked at a few different options. One of the options is I'm thinking to fly to Delhi and stay in that region there for most of the time and just explore around where we are based, maybe taking a train ride now and then as we don't want to be too exhausted.


    Would you say it's best to book all the accommodation for the 4 weeks online before going or is it better in terms of choice to book say the first week and find other options when out there? What's important for us is that there are nice gardens with lots of space for the guests without invading other guests privacy/personal space. Also nice authentic and home cooked food available on site by the home owner is also on our wish list too. We are not wanting the touristy type pools with sun loungers crammed all around if you know what I mean and that would make us say no to a place. That's good the place you stayed were able to pick you up and drop you off at the airport. That's a good idea. What was the setup/facilities and rough prices of where you stayed? What would you say were it's pros and cons?
  • Doshwaster
    Doshwaster Posts: 6,130
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    Certainly book your accommodation for the first few days in advance. There is nothing worse than arriving in a new city and having to trail the streets looking for room for the night.

    However there doesn't seem to be any point in locking in a whole months schedule. The best way to see India or Thailand is just to follow your instincts and see where fate takes you. You may turn up at one place and hate it will want to spend extra time elsewhere. There really is no need to book things more than a day or two in advance. The tourist markets in both countries are used to free-spirited and independent travellers whose plans change regularly. They aren't the sort of places where you book anything months ahead.
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,244
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    Thank you for the tips, I've looked at a few different options. One of the options is I'm thinking to fly to Delhi and stay in that region there for most of the time and just explore around where we are based, maybe taking a train ride now and then as we don't want to be too exhausted.


    Would you say it's best to book all the accommodation for the 4 weeks online before going or is it better in terms of choice to book say the first week and find other options when out there?

    Another vote for booking the first couple of days and then seeing how you feel. I do not think it is possible to get a good idea of what a hotel will feel like from the website, so committing for a month could be disastrous. Furthermore, you might want some comfort when you first arrive (tired after a long flight and nervous at a new country) and then feel you want to try some kind of homestay.

    Do be aware that there are some wonderful places that are very far from Delhi, so do not rule out the thought of a long journey.
  • Doshwaster
    Doshwaster Posts: 6,130
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    Another reason for making it up as you go is that some of the best and more interesting places to stop - especially if you are interested i homestays - won't have websites or be bookable on Expedia. You will only hear about them by word of mouth as you travel around.
  • Thanks, I agree it is better to book for the first week or few days at least and see how it goes from there.


    I've been doing a lot of research and looking into different options. I do a bit and then have a rest so I have time to think over things and not overload myself or book something on a whim (#learning from mistakes lol)


    If anyone has stayed at a homestay they can recommend, please feel free to either message on here or pm me with details.


    Thank you for all advice so far, it is helpful.
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