When you plan your holidays in India, it’s important to know where you are going and at which time of the year. There are destinations that are absolutely stunning in some seasons and not very attractive at other times. Let’s take Kerala, for example. Kerala is a great place for the monsoons if you are a pluviophile. Likewise, Agra and Rajasthan are best from September to March, when the weather is pleasant. At other times the weather may be hot, making the walks in and around the forts, museums, and palaces a bit uncomfortable. Varanasi is great during festivals like Dussehera, Diwali and Holi.
Before you book the flight tickets, ensure you have finalized on the places you are visiting and duration you would spend in each of them. Whether one night is sufficient to cover all the places or you would need an additional night. Check the places you want to see. You may not want to visit all the places…it would depend on your preference. For example, there are so many things to see in Jaipur. You can spend 1 night, 2 nights or even 3 nights…! Really a lot depends on where you want to go and how much time you want to spend in each of these places.
During planning its important to have a budget in mind. No budget can be termed as an ideal budget. In India, you get rooms for all kinds of the budget – starting from the dormitory and standard rooms to luxury and heritage hotels. And there are good and bad types in all categories. There are public transport to exclusive cars for you. You can eat in decent restaurants to 5-star ones. So, effectively its your budget that needs to be defined first. Your entire vacation can be worked around it.
When your planning is done and you are all set for the holidays, make sure you travel light. Check the weather condition, whether you need some woolen clothes or a raincoat. Take some precautionary medicines for common cough and cold, fever etc. Pack in some light snacks like a packet of biscuit or dry fruits. There are a few more things, like taking the right pair of shoes, like a hiking shoe or beach slippers (depending on where you are going), a torch or headlight, mosquito repellent, quick-dry towel, tissue paper…small things but can come really handy during your journey. However, don’t make too many bags. When you have less things to carry, you can focus a lot on the journey. Otherwise most of the time you would end up counting the bags, lest you left one at the hotel !
Different members have different preferences and choices. A family vacation should have something for everybody. If you are traveling with kids, you have to be cognizant about their preferences too. They should not feel bored. Then the vacation will not be enjoyable for the parents, too. Historical places may be boring for kids. So try to see if there are any light and sound show in those places or some fun activities like boating, camel/ elephant rides (Rajasthan) or any jeep safaris in any nearby national park.
