Some Travel and Lodging Wisdom in Changed India .

[krish44]

Share:

Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp Email Share Link

1. Travel on a Tuesday by air or train.for easy reservation.

2. Book well in advance -at least 3weeks for train , six weeks for air. Always travel by budget airlines.For long distance over 2000 km use only air economy class

For journeys upto 1000 km take overnight train.Prefer rajdhani ,shatabdi with senior citizen concessions if you are one.Avoid 1st AC in other trains[these coaches are mostly old and in

bad shape. Mostly they are unoccupied. Pretty unsafe for women.

For metro destination at overnight train distance take train instead of air as airports are faraway from city.True of bangalore, hyderabad or delhi.Only in chennai

airport in nearby.

3. Take day flights after 10 am and before 4pm for air travel to avoid transportation hassles on roads and ease at airports for reduced security hassles and easy check in

3. Use newly introduced trains with strange names. Most prefer well known names they are familiar with. For eg.I took Uzhavar express recently for going to

chennai from interior tamilnadu without prior booking on day of journey. . Previously I used to take

trains bound for north india from south interior for travelling to chennai. These are not booked by south indian for travel to chennai and one can get easy

bookings.
4. Use state owned hotels for stay in southern states for stay . They are the most economical and in excellent locations on prime land. But never eat there.

5..Avoid autos in chennai. Use Ola cars if you are cyber savvy.It will be far cheaper and comfortable[AC and courteous drivers]

6. Use online booking sites for good hotels with max. discounts

7.Never discuss politics-with auto drivers or locals .

8.Spend days in malls if hot during day or in movie houses.

9.It is easy to get movie tickets if one goes at the last minute at most malls. Many who book online do not turn up or cancel. One can get tickets-the best row

tickets . Some are blocked by the management which get released at the last minute

at the counter itself.

9. Never go at rush time for lunch or dinner in any eating place. Anytime before 12.30 pm for lunch and before 8pm for dinner works best in south.

10. Always tip the working class but never over tip.Treat them with respect. They will give their lives for you.

More wisdom in my next post

 

[tbs]

hi

i prefer TAMIL NADU HOTELs/TOURISM run by TTDC WITHIN TAMIL NADU than any private owners....last 15 yrs ..i used/still use

TTDC FOR MY EVERY YEAR THIRUPATI TRIP....i am planning to thirupathi in november this year....

 

[krish44]

TTDC hotel faces the sea in kanyakumari.

In tiruchy it is next to bus stand hardly 300 metres from railway junction.

In coimbotore it got revamped for for some tamil event. so beautifully done up.

In madurai , there is more than one . One in heart of town is not good enough. But one farther away is excellent.

In ooty, the hotels are wonderfully located atop a hill in charing cross.

But never eat in any of these hotels. Since they have started contracting out catering instead of inhouse catering, food has gone downhill.

 

[vgane]

The suggestion on travel by Shri Krish are very apt..Very useful too

 

[vgane]

I prefer Uber or Ola as they are 50% of auto charges...For catching morning flights book by Fast track or arrange private cabs as they are reliable..Ola/Uber are active only after 7 AM mostly..

I have stayed in TTDC Madurai once..Pretty good stay..Large rooms with good facilities

 

[tbs]

TTDC hotel faces the sea in kanyakumari.

In tiruchy it is next to bus stand hardly 300 metres from railway junction.

In coimbotore it got revamped for for some tamil event. so beautifully done up.

In madurai , there is more than one . One in heart of town is not good enough. But one farther away is excellent.

In ooty, the hotels are wonderfully located atop a hill in charing cross.

But never eat in any of these hotels. Since they have started contracting out catering instead of inhouse catering, food has gone downhill.

hi

i stayed in coimbatore/rameshwaram....i felt very comfortable and cheaper too...

 

[tbs]

I prefer Uber or Ola as they are 50% of auto charges...For catching morning flights book by Fast track or arrange private cabs as they are reliable..Ola/Uber are active only after 7 AM mostly..

I have stayed in TTDC Madurai once..Pretty good stay..Large rooms with good facilities

hi

i booked fast track from chennai airport to home and back from home to chennai airport...its more convenient...last year

rainy flood time in chennai...they helped me reach safely to airport....even this year...im planning the same..

 

[krish44]

ola or uber -one should not use during peak hours or when they charge premium rates.

Others like fast track can fill in for other times.

in delhi uber share is best and most economical.

Even if you are alone , book for two and travel singly.. Chances are more will not be picked up on the way for sharing. Their model enables travel without further

pick ups on the way with minimum two.It will be far cheaper than auto.

similarly if you are a single woman in delhi travel in auto instead of car during daytime..It is safer as it is an open vehicle.

share battery operated vehicles are best for last mile connectivity to metro rail.best take it for long distance travel in off peak hours as it is most comfortable and

much safer.

 

[GANESH65]

1. Travel on a Tuesday by air or train.for easy reservation.

2. Book well in advance -at least 3weeks for train , six weeks for air. Always travel by budget airlines.For long distance over 2000 km use only air economy class

For journeys upto 1000 km take overnight train.Prefer rajdhani ,shatabdi with senior citizen concessions if you are one.Avoid 1st AC in other trains[these coaches are mostly old and in

bad shape. Mostly they are unoccupied. Pretty unsafe for women.

For metro destination at overnight train distance take train instead of air as airports are faraway from city.True of bangalore, hyderabad or delhi.Only in chennai

airport in nearby.

3. Take day flights after 10 am and before 4pm for air travel to avoid transportation hassles on roads and ease at airports for reduced security hassles and easy check in

3. Use newly introduced trains with strange names. Most prefer well known names they are familiar with. For eg.I took Uzhavar express recently for going to

chennai from interior tamilnadu without prior booking on day of journey. . Previously I used to take

trains bound for north india from south interior for travelling to chennai. These are not booked by south indian for travel to chennai and one can get easy

bookings.
4. Use state owned hotels for stay in southern states for stay . They are the most economical and in excellent locations on prime land. But never eat there.

5..Avoid autos in chennai. Use Ola cars if you are cyber savvy.It will be far cheaper and comfortable[AC and courteous drivers]

6. Use online booking sites for good hotels with max. discounts

7.Never discuss politics-with auto drivers or locals .

8.Spend days in malls if hot during day or in movie houses.

9.It is easy to get movie tickets if one goes at the last minute at most malls. Many who book online do not turn up or cancel. One can get tickets-the best row

tickets . Some are blocked by the management which get released at the last minute

at the counter itself.

9. Never go at rush time for lunch or dinner in any eating place. Anytime before 12.30 pm for lunch and before 8pm for dinner works best in south.

10. Always tip the working class but never over tip.Treat them with respect. They will give their lives for you.

More wisdom in my next post

Good research work, Krish ji, thanks for sharing

 

[vgane]

I too use ola share...Very cheap & convenient...I normally converse with co passengers...In Udyog vihar at Gurgaon, a hub for IITians I almost meet one of these guys when I travel in Uber...

 

[krish44]

The most economic places to have south indian food in delhi are the state bhavans of andhra, karnataka and tamilnadu.

AP Bhavan is beatifully located at ashoka road circle near Rajiv chowk and India gate.

Of course saravana bhavan gives decent food but far expensive.I suppose one pays for quality.

 

[mkrishna100]

Nice Tips Krishji . Thanks for sharing .

As regards Airport travel best is to take Fast Track or some reliable CAB to avoid stress .OLA ,UBER are suited for non serious travel during non peak hours .Do not rely on them for air travel .

 

[krish44]

Nice Tips Krishji . Thanks for sharing .

As regards Airport travel best is to take Fast Track or some reliable CAB to avoid stress .OLA ,UBER are suited for non serious travel during non peak hours .Do not rely on them for air travel .

nk ji,
since I consider myself to be made of rugged material and capable of rejecting any stress I took ola last sunday AN to airport in chennai from mylapore area. made it in 35

plus minutes. Mostly empty roads and not much traffic.I ended up 2 hours before flight with a lot of time to kill.lol

 

[Janaki Jambunathan]

If the train time is convenient - you get into it around 9PM after dinner and reach your destination around 6 AM I would prefer that in 2 AC Ideal Drop at the station by Cab is fine - But pick up at station is not smooth but irritating - Local Autowalla are to blame I think!

 

[krish44]

If the train time is convenient - you get into it around 9PM after dinner and reach your destination around 6 AM I would prefer that in 2 AC Ideal Drop at the station by Cab is fine - But pick up at station is not smooth but irritating - Local Autowalla are to blame I think!

I booked ola at 430 am at egmore for drive to hotel avoiding all auto or prepaid cars who wanted night charges.

Not only that I could have a cup of filter coffee outside at a hotel from where I booked the ola cab.

 

[tbs]

The most economic places to have south indian food in delhi are the state bhavans of andhra, karnataka and tamilnadu.

AP Bhavan is beatifully located at ashoka road circle near Rajiv chowk and India gate.

Of course saravana bhavan gives decent food but far expensive.I suppose one pays for quality.

hi

i used scooter ride from NOIDA TO ASHOKA ROAD FOR JUST AP BHAVAN SAAPADU....nice location...very nice GONGURA WITH

UNLIMITED RICE.....many MPs/POLITICIANS USED TO VISIT... i think very subsidised food...

 

[krish44]

AP Bhavan is located on prime land belonging originally to Nizam of Hyderabad begore state reorganisation. Now both Telengana and AP are fighting over it. Telengana is prepared to give

compensation to AP to relocate.The rooms there are shared by legislaters and officials of both states on duty.They are decent rooms available for a pittance.

The food is highly subsidised unlimited food.But excellent if you can put up with spice , chutneys and powders typical of AP food. I have frequented that place for the

past 25 years.Easy to drive down from trans yamuna..[8-9 ]km.

Karnataka bhavan is a stop over place while going or returning from airport at motibagh and ring road junction.They have rooms anyone can book for stay .

Tamil nadu house in diplomatic area is worth visiting during pongal festival days.Both for food [ They run Amma canteen there on these days.]. Also a number of

stalls of TN products relating to clothes[Sarees?], other south packed food specialities[ chutnees and powders] , works of rural artisans are put up there.

 

[tbs]

hi

i visited karnataka bhavan/tamil nadu once .....not any more....still karnataka bhavan is okay....my wife used to work in GOA SADAN

some yrs back.......worked as PA TO RESIDENT COMMISSIONER....sometimes she has to work as PA TO GOVERNOR/CM..when both are

in delhi....they have konkan system....food is mostly sea food....she used to contact with all state govt bhavans....not any more..

NOW SHE IS US CITIZEN.....

 

[Janaki Jambunathan]

I booked ola at 430 am at egmore for drive to hotel avoiding all auto or prepaid cars who wanted night charges.

Not only that I could have a cup of filter coffee outside at a hotel from where I booked the ola cab.

Nice that you could beat them! But is it possible if you have luggage ? This is what happened to me in Egmore rcently - My train - recived in Platform 5 - You take the Escalator to mgo up to the over bridge But on the other end you donot have escalator going down - Railways should look into this ! On that day when some one tripped with her VIP strolley porter pressed the emergency button to stop - But he could not restart again - it requires starter key which was with the attendant who could not be located! In Madurai the escalator works both ways up and down! and escalator is reachable from the parking lot - and a Fast Track booking booth is there 24 X 7 to help you out! All city Bus goes into the station !

 

[krish44]

No trip to delhi is complete without trying out other foods.

A visit to redfort or chandni chowk is not complete without a walk down Parathe wali gali for parathas or Ghantewale sweets[over 100 years old shop].Bengali market

rajiv chowk has bengal delicacies like rasogoolas , rasmalai, kalakand.

 

[krish44]

Nice that you could beat them! But is it possible if you have luggage ? This is what happened to me in Egmore rcently - My train - recived in Platform 5 - You take the Escalator to mgo up to the over bridge But on the other end you donot have escalator going down - Railways should look into this ! On that day when some one tripped with her VIP strolley porter pressed the emergency button to stop - But he could not restart again - it requires starter key which was with the attendant who could not be located! In Madurai the escalator works both ways up and down! and escalator is reachable from the parking lot - and a Fast Track booking booth is there 24 X 7 to help you out! All city Bus goes into the station !

I know if you have luggage it becomes a major issue. Places like central the autos or cabs within station if available hold you to ransom as prepaid booths do not

open early.Then either the option is go to the main road dragging the luggage or engaging a coolie and hope to get a running auto who will not fleece you.This I did

last time returning from bangalore.Of course one side escalater in egmore appears stupid.Luckily for outward journey , one does not have to take these as these

trains go from platform 4 on entry. Only while returning , sometimes one ends up with escalater issue.

Whenever I go beyond chennai in tamilnadu, I travel light leaving back luggage in chennai [cloak room, relative or hotel]taking minimum not more than a small

suitcase.It increases mobility a lot.