Travelling to “mystical” India is a dream come true for many. Planning the journey is confusing as you have to decide which part of India you would like to cover and then freeze in on a tour programme. Once that is done the next challenge is getting the VISA done and taking the flight for the long journey to India. All is well up to the time you arrive into India and then you get the first feel of India. The road journey with your chauffeur can be fun or scary for few.
Here are the tips for especially for the first timers
- Chauffeur: – He is your “Man Friday” for your tour who will be with you till the time you finish this sector. He is well trained to assist people like you and would be your hands on guide at all times. His may not be fluent and may speak in funny broken English ; you will take some time to understand his “accent” but that’s a mutual adjustment you will have to make with each other.
- Transport: – Today you have state of the art best in its class vehicles available in India so take your pick. The most popular ones are Indigo, Innova and Tempo Traveler.
- Roads: – India has variety of roads – plain & smooth highways, pot holed city road , village dirt tracks and tracks that are created by your chauffeurs just out of his intuition. So you can expect a good mix of smooth rides and adventurous ones too.
- Lane Driving: – In India lane driving is considered to be a taboo. Even though you may find two lane and four lane highways; majority of the roads once you leave the city would be single lane tracks. Getting adjusted to this would be a task that everyone has to undergo. This is a very difficult scenario, especially when you see someone coming right onto you in the opposite direction and then he passes you just when you thought it was the end of the road for you.
- Speed: – The speed limit varies in India from state to state which the chauffeur will keep a check on. But once you have had a run and got a feel of the speeds and your chauffeurs driving, tell him what speed limit you would like him to follow.
- Driving Skills: – Your chauffeur is hands on with driving skill sets required for handling all kinds of treacherous routes in India. He may at time do things which you cannot dream in your wildest of dreams but trust him-dodging a pedestrian, a cow, elephants or joker on the road will be one of the few little experiences that you would undergo. At the same time if you find him shaky ask him to be replaced immediately.
- Seat belts: – Interestingly it is mandatory today but only for the front seat occupants. Rear seats may or may not have the seat belts. So if you are particular about this specify in your mail while making your reservation.
- Beggars & Street vendors: – You may get hounded at certain traffic junctions or busy streets. Make sure your windows are up and doors locked at all times. Do not entertain them at any point of time even if you feel sympathetic towards them as you won’t know when the situation may turn sour.
- Toilet Stops: – Distances from one location to another is high and infrastructure wise wayside amenities are still not of international standards , so make sure your toilet visit before the start of the journey. In case of any emergency when you “gotta go” ask your chauffeur to stop at the first good hotel/ restaurant that falls enroute.
- Travel coordination: – Discuss with your chauffeur the travel plan for the day and next day so that you can decide on the time of travel and make changes wherever necessary. For any assistance get in touch with your tour operator.
In India we are very attached to our vehicles and damage is taken very seriously, yet you will not find many vehicle which may be intact in shape. We have a fancy for horns and you will find a variety in them, although it may not be music to your ears. You are forced to listen to them as many of us believe that honking relieves stress ( yes it does – its passed on to others). Many of us do not believe in obeying traffic rules and this may result in traffic snarls, heated exchanges, shouting etc but do not worry as this a part of life and we feel awkward if they don’t happen.
We are the most hospitable people on earth and you will see that in the people who serve you. Getting acclimatized to a new environment is not easy, so give it time and relax. The ambience and people will catch up with you in due course and you will start enjoying every moment. Once the feeling seeps into you it will be difficult to let go of it and before you know you are in love with India. One of the toughest decisions then is to finish the tour and take the flight back home.
We hope these tips will prepare the first timers from surprises and help you organize yourself for a safe journey. On a positive note in the past decade i have personally not read, heard or seen an occasion when an tourist was put in jeopardy due to chauffeurs carelessness. We wish everyone a safe ride and a pleasant holiday.
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