Plan Perfect Holidays in India with
My Easy Travel Profiler...
There are many kinds of holidays in India. Knowing what kind of traveler you are will help you to plan the perfect trip...
India is the one country on earth that is infinite enough to be all things to all people. It's up to you though, to determine what kind of holiday you want from your trip to the subcontinent...
Use my "Easy Travel Profiler" to work out what kind of traveler you are. When you know who you are in relation to India, you'll know what kind of holiday to plan.
Fast paced or slow? See everything at a glance or go in depth? Adventure, Shopping, Sightseeing, Spirituality or Random Madness...what does India have in store for you?
The Monkey: Sees it All
Monkeys see all the sites and are into everything - they really don't want to miss a thing. Generally want fast paced travel, packing light. City, country, major attractions, temples everything. Don't care if they have to climb rocky ledges or suffer a little lack of luxury or the odd inconvenience in order to 'have the experience' of the place. Monkeys love the hustle and bustle and will suck the juice out of life.
I snapped this picture (right) at the Amber Fort, where this monkey has just snatched a bag full of food from a lady when she got too close. Don't mess with the monkeys!
Holidays in India for the Monkey: Depending how much time you have, I would suggest a couple of different options. Buying an 'airpass' allowing you to travel so many flights around the country within a specified time period would be one way to 'do India' as an overview for your first trip. Then you can plan to come back to your favourite areas for a more in depth look next time (yes, there will be a next time). Otherwise, if that's a bit much, do the same but in a smaller area and travel instead by train independently or a faster-paced tour, which will get you to see the most in the shortest amount of time.
The Elephant: Particular and Deliberate
Elephants are deliberate about what they want to see and do - they don't want to see everything and they'll go at a slower pace, but they'll do everything they want to do and not one thing more.
Holidays in India for the Elephant: Make a list of the Must-Sees and plan an itinerary to "tick them off".
The Sacred Cow: Peaceful and Stress Free
Sacred Cows just want a relaxing holiday, not too hard. Would love someone else to organize it and shepherd them through. It's all about a relaxed pace, structured, thought out itinerary with no surprises. Just want to have a peaceful, non-stressful time.
Holidays in India for the Sacred Cow: Pick a tour company which includes 2-3 nights minimum in each location. That means that a) everything will be organised and structured for you and b) the pace is gentle enough to make sure you have time to relax. There are other advantages to having this long in each place, such as having time for more shopping or organising clothes to be tailor-made.
The Camel: Adventurer
Camels want adventure and extreme places. The more out there, the better. Whether its climbing a Himalayan peak or exploring the deserts of Rajasthan, the camel wants to go where they'll be tested physically and mentally. For the camel, travel is more than an adventure, it's pushing the boundaries of humanity.
Holidays in India for the Camel: There are so many options for the adventurous traveler in India, like whitewater rafting, trekking/climbing, wildlife parks, desert, bicycle tours through rural areas.
The Panther: The Social Solo Explorer
Panthers like to travel alone, but only because they want to meet people on the journey. A holiday in India for a Panther is a way to meet the world in one place. They want to meet other travelers from around the world, have long rambling conversations with locals, learning about what life is like for them. They'll collect travel tales, stories and photos and probably a few life-long friends.
Holidays in India for the Panther: Cannot be planned by anyone, not even you. It's all about getting there then 'going with the flow'.
Planning the Best Itinerary
Of course, once you've decided what profile you are when you travel, you need to design holidays in India that will not only work for you but for any of your travel companions as well, unless you're going solo. There are a couple of ways to approach this.
For instance, let's say that you are a Monkey and you're traveling with a Sacred Cow. That could be a tricky combination to please, as you want to see it all, but your friend the cow doesn't want the stress. This could be handled in a couple of ways: either you could have a city hub holiday, basing yourself in one city such as New Delhi or Mumbai (Bombay). Then you could see everything in and around that city and then out from there, either day trips or 2-3 day tours.
My husband, Francis, and me on our
2006-07 visit to the Taj Mahal.
Here's how I once worked that out for a two week stay. There's plenty to see in Delhi so we did many day trips (and much shopping). We also during this time, had a 3 day excursion to Jaipur in Rajasthan (4 hours away by train, which we booked independently and stayed at a gorgeous haveli) as well as visiting Agra to see the Taj Mahal (again--I never get sick of seeing it.) For Agra, we did a day tour by car (organised by a hotel). Having one place to stay as a base means less stress for Cow travelers.
The other way to handle a Monkey-Cow holiday, would be to go on an organised, but fairly fast-paced tour, where you would still feel like you got to see everything and yet you spend less time working out the details of your trip, which takes the stress from your Cow friend.
Use these profiles to get a conversation going about what will work for all parties on your holiday. Hold to them lightly, we're individuals not profiles (!), but it can help you to be clear about the kind of experience you want to have when you travel.
As I mentioned, holidays in India can be tailored to pretty much anything--from homestays to havelis to five star hotels and palaces. You can rush around like a monkey and 'do' India, or you can see one pocket at a time and keep coming back your whole life (and still not experience everything there is to see and do there).
India is the whole world in one country.
It's up to you to decide how you want to 'engage'.
Check my Travel Tips for India
Learn a bit about Hindi, the main official language of India
Return from Holidays in India to India Travel Secrets
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