Where to Start!
I suspect that regular travellers to India all have their own checklists and ways of making travel through the benign chaos of India cheaper and more hassle free. I tend to want to have an itinerary rather than chance that I'll have a decent room at my destination, or that I can get onto a train at short notice.
I'm not really the backpacking type either, I tend to stay in mid range hotels with reasonable facilities and avoid hotels that don't have western style bathrooms and a restaurant. That said, more basic accommodation can be fun if there's two or more of you, but I've found that you soon tire of it
if you're travelling solo.
My own interests tend to centre on historic buildings - forts, temples, that kind of thing - but I have a network of friends across India so I try to visit those when I'm in the area.
So..... here are my tips for booking flights, trains and hotels....
Booking Flights
I almost always use Skyscanner http://www.skyscanner.net/ as I haven't yet found a better comparison site for flights. It ranks in anywhere between 4 and 11% cheaper on identical flights and seems to have a wider scope of search. You can use others, but I'd suggest you shop around for the best deal.
Booking Rail Tickets
I used to use Cleartrip for most of my Indian travel arrangements - a site I discovered on a recommendation from an Indian friend http://www.cleartrip.com/ - but its now only available if you're in India. I've tried and failed to access it through a VPN but no luck which is a shame because you can book internal flights, rail and hotels through the site and it gives you better access to Indian price structures as well as having occasional cash back offers on bookings. I've now been forced to register with IRCTC (Indian Rail & Catering Transportation Corporation) which is a bit of a faff but works well once you're in. The best source of general advice I've seen on the net for train travel is the website for the Man in Seat 61 http://www.seat61.com/India.htm and instructions for signing up to the IRCTC booking system are given there, along with tons of advice and pictures about the trains and different classes of travel.
One of the continuing downsides of the whole system is the fact that you cant get times and or tickets for journeys that require a change of train. You have to know which stations you'd change at and book each leg separately. This means a decent rail map of your itinerary is useful. I've found the rail maps in the Rough guide tend to be better than others.
Booking Internal Flights
Again, Cleartrip would be my first choice for this if only it was still accessible. You can use SkyScanner for internal flights too and the cost difference is usually less than a 10% uplift. Flights are often only fractionally more expensive than first class rail travel, particularly if you're looking a journey of a day or more by train (prices between Delhi and Chennai for instance are pretty close) and they give you more time at each destination.
Booking Hotels
The answer here is to do plenty of Internet research and use guides. You do have to be careful of hidden costs when booking either through Cleartrip or direct as there will often be luxury tax to pay at source even in the grottiest hotel. Rajasthan has some of the highest taxes on hotel accommodation so aways check when you're booking. On the other hand if you book through Hotels.com or lastminute.com, taxes are always included and you can often secure a breakfast inclusive deal to boot.
I would always ask for special rates if staying for more than one night or if staying between April and September as this can result in discounts of up to 40%.
My own interests tend to centre on historic buildings - forts, temples, that kind of thing - but I have a network of friends across India so I try to visit those when I'm in the area.
So..... here are my tips for booking flights, trains and hotels....
Booking Flights
I almost always use Skyscanner http://www.skyscanner.net/ as I haven't yet found a better comparison site for flights. It ranks in anywhere between 4 and 11% cheaper on identical flights and seems to have a wider scope of search. You can use others, but I'd suggest you shop around for the best deal.
Booking Rail Tickets
I used to use Cleartrip for most of my Indian travel arrangements - a site I discovered on a recommendation from an Indian friend http://www.cleartrip.com/ - but its now only available if you're in India. I've tried and failed to access it through a VPN but no luck which is a shame because you can book internal flights, rail and hotels through the site and it gives you better access to Indian price structures as well as having occasional cash back offers on bookings. I've now been forced to register with IRCTC (Indian Rail & Catering Transportation Corporation) which is a bit of a faff but works well once you're in. The best source of general advice I've seen on the net for train travel is the website for the Man in Seat 61 http://www.seat61.com/India.htm and instructions for signing up to the IRCTC booking system are given there, along with tons of advice and pictures about the trains and different classes of travel.
One of the continuing downsides of the whole system is the fact that you cant get times and or tickets for journeys that require a change of train. You have to know which stations you'd change at and book each leg separately. This means a decent rail map of your itinerary is useful. I've found the rail maps in the Rough guide tend to be better than others.
Booking Internal Flights
Again, Cleartrip would be my first choice for this if only it was still accessible. You can use SkyScanner for internal flights too and the cost difference is usually less than a 10% uplift. Flights are often only fractionally more expensive than first class rail travel, particularly if you're looking a journey of a day or more by train (prices between Delhi and Chennai for instance are pretty close) and they give you more time at each destination.
Booking Hotels
The answer here is to do plenty of Internet research and use guides. You do have to be careful of hidden costs when booking either through Cleartrip or direct as there will often be luxury tax to pay at source even in the grottiest hotel. Rajasthan has some of the highest taxes on hotel accommodation so aways check when you're booking. On the other hand if you book through Hotels.com or lastminute.com, taxes are always included and you can often secure a breakfast inclusive deal to boot.
I would always ask for special rates if staying for more than one night or if staying between April and September as this can result in discounts of up to 40%.
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