The Travel Thread

[North]

On 5/18/2022 at 4:43 PM, dante77 said:

Query on hotel booking in advance. If I book online a non refundable hotel for few nights. Then in case of no show or cancel. The whole cost is gonna cut or just the one night cost? 

 

Asking because it is written in some hotel websites that they cut one charge while travel apps like MMT doesn't mention this  explicitly. 

 

Like if I book for 20k for 5 nights non refundable, then in case of cancel or no show. Will the whole ammout be deducted or just 4k (one night)? 

 

booking.com is the best when you're not very sure. you don't need to pay to book, and its refundable I think upto 24 hours before check-in.

 

varies from hotel to hotel, checking booking.com. they're super transparent and they have good pricing if you're looking to include breakfast, or even dinner with your room for some additional cost.

[Bird Bird Bird]

Peeps, any advice on a "colder" place to go in June (dates are flexible; looking at 4-6 nights) ?

 

We have looked at Kerala (red and orange alerts all around due to heavy rainfall, cyclone etc), Sikkim (same, heavy rainfall expected, landslides are common), Himachal (kept as an option, but the place is gonna be filled with tourists, and we are looking for a secluded place - even Chail is filled with tourists nowadays), Uttarakhand (the hilly areas are packed due to Char Dham Yatra - but can still consider it; Jim Corbett and the likes will be as hot as Delhi NCR, no point in going), Coorg/Kabini (OMFG EXPENSIVE AS f**k - can't afford a 25k a night room). 

 

Place has to be decent since we will be travelling with 2 small kids (18 months and 4 years). I am OK with around 15k a night pricing. Nothing beyond that. 

[dante77]

4 minutes ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

Peeps, any advice on a "colder" place to go in June (dates are flexible; looking at 4-6 nights) ?

 

We have looked at Kerala (red and orange alerts all around due to heavy rainfall, cyclone etc), Sikkim (same, heavy rainfall expected, landslides are common), Himachal (kept as an option, but the place is gonna be filled with tourists, and we are looking for a secluded place - even Chail is filled with tourists nowadays), Uttarakhand (the hilly areas are packed due to Char Dham Yatra - but can still consider it; Jim Corbett and the likes will be as hot as Delhi NCR, no point in going), Coorg/Kabini (OMFG EXPENSIVE AS f**k - can't afford a 25k a night room). 

 

Place has to be decent since we will be travelling with 2 small kids (18 months and 4 years). I am OK with around 15k a night pricing. Nothing beyond that. 

Try Srinagar, Kashmir. I went there at last December. Summers are Green and has totally different vibe than winters. It is perfectly safe. Army is all over the place!

Although, don't expect luxurious hotels and Ola, Uber and Zomato etc. But at the same time expect tourist prices (higher than usual) just like any other tourise zone. 

 

Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar. Make Srinagar as stay point and travel to other two places day basis. 

[Bird Bird Bird]

5 minutes ago, dante77 said:

Try Srinagar, Kashmir. I went there at last December. Summers are Green and has totally different vibe than winters. It is perfectly safe. Army is all over the place!

Although, don't expect luxurious hotels and Ola, Uber and Zomato etc. But at the same time expect tourist prices (higher than usual) just like any other tourise zone. 

 

Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar. Make Srinagar as stay point and travel to other two places day basis. 

 

Yasin Malik has just been convicted. I am really wary of going to J&K right now tbh. There can be a surge in terrorist activities. 

[KnackChap]

17 minutes ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

Coorg/Kabini (OMFG EXPENSIVE AS f**k - can't afford a 25k a night room). 

 

Place has to be decent since we will be travelling with 2 small kids (18 months and 4 years). I am OK with around 15k a night pricing. Nothing beyond that. 

Try mangaluru 3n - madikeri (Coorg)2n. You get both coastal town and a hilly region. In Mangalore you'll get Extremely clean beaches (if climate holds), pleasant climate, lots of temple tourism,  flood/ waterlogging free and people can easily converse in Hindi. Coorg is a tourist spot so you must be knowing but still you can find great rooms well below 15k unless you want to stay in kabini. 

[Ram Dante]

38 minutes ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

Peeps, any advice on a "colder" place to go in June (dates are flexible; looking at 4-6 nights) ?

 

We have looked at Kerala (red and orange alerts all around due to heavy rainfall, cyclone etc), Sikkim (same, heavy rainfall expected, landslides are common), Himachal (kept as an option, but the place is gonna be filled with tourists, and we are looking for a secluded place - even Chail is filled with tourists nowadays), Uttarakhand (the hilly areas are packed due to Char Dham Yatra - but can still consider it; Jim Corbett and the likes will be as hot as Delhi NCR, no point in going), Coorg/Kabini (OMFG EXPENSIVE AS f**k - can't afford a 25k a night room). 

 

Place has to be decent since we will be travelling with 2 small kids (18 months and 4 years). I am OK with around 15k a night pricing. Nothing beyond that. 

You can try Kodaikanal (TN), beautiful & a serene hill station. It should be decently cold enough in June.
Its usually crowded, but schools re-open by 1st week of June here. So, beyond that, the crowd would be minimal during weekdays.

[TheGothamChampion]

53 minutes ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

Peeps, any advice on a "colder" place to go in June (dates are flexible; looking at 4-6 nights) ?

 

We have looked at Kerala (red and orange alerts all around due to heavy rainfall, cyclone etc), Sikkim (same, heavy rainfall expected, landslides are common), Himachal (kept as an option, but the place is gonna be filled with tourists, and we are looking for a secluded place - even Chail is filled with tourists nowadays), Uttarakhand (the hilly areas are packed due to Char Dham Yatra - but can still consider it; Jim Corbett and the likes will be as hot as Delhi NCR, no point in going), Coorg/Kabini (OMFG EXPENSIVE AS f**k - can't afford a 25k a night room). 

 

Place has to be decent since we will be travelling with 2 small kids (18 months and 4 years). I am OK with around 15k a night pricing. Nothing beyond that. 

You can come to my city- Chamba. Lots of great places to visit like Khajjiar, Dalhousie, Kalatop wildlife sanctuary. Plus rooms won't be that expensive over here. 

[TheGothamChampion]

 

Recently visited Sach pass. A must visit place during summers.

[Bird Bird Bird]

39 minutes ago, TheGothamChampion said:

You can come to my city- Chamba. Lots of great places to visit like Khajjiar, Dalhousie, Kalatop wildlife sanctuary. Plus rooms won't be that expensive over here. 

 

Chamba June temps show around 36 in day 22 in night. Also, avoiding tons of hilly driving as my younger daughter has motion sickness. She is just 18 months, so have to careful with meds too. 

 

53 minutes ago, Ram Dante said:

You can try Kodaikanal (TN), beautiful & a serene hill station. It should be decently cold enough in June.
Its usually crowded, but schools re-open by 1st week of June here. So, beyond that, the crowd would be minimal during weekdays.

 

Thanks ! Kodaikanal looks like a good option. Temps should be around 20 degrees odd in the day. Will hunt for hotels. 

 

1 hour ago, KnackChap said:

Try mangaluru 3n - madikeri (Coorg)2n. You get both coastal town and a hilly region. In Mangalore you'll get Extremely clean beaches (if climate holds), pleasant climate, lots of temple tourism,  flood/ waterlogging free and people can easily converse in Hindi. Coorg is a tourist spot so you must be knowing but still you can find great rooms well below 15k unless you want to stay in kabini. 

 

Mangaluru also has red alert right now. Not sure if monsoons will play havoc in June. Coorg is going at insane prices - I looked at a bunch of semi decent properties, all upwards of 25k a night. Those which are 10-15k a night do not seem the value. They look more like 3k-4k properties in non season, with jacked up pricing owning to demand. 

[achilles]

1 hour ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

Thanks ! Kodaikanal looks like a good option. Temps should be around 20 degrees odd in the day. Will hunt for hotels. 

Kodai is fun but the closest airport is Madurai and it’s about a 3 hour climb from there in narrow and twisty mountain roads. The little one might not like that. 

 

For stay, Tamara Kodai is good. If you like camping or roughing it for a day or so try The Pear County. Great atmosphere, lovely people, and they serve genuine delish live barbecue, but their tents aren’t in top condition. 

Also the shrooms begin to come out in July  

[Vamos]

3 hours ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

Peeps, any advice on a "colder" place to go in June (dates are flexible; looking at 4-6 nights) ?

 

We have looked at Kerala (red and orange alerts all around due to heavy rainfall, cyclone etc), Sikkim (same, heavy rainfall expected, landslides are common), Himachal (kept as an option, but the place is gonna be filled with tourists, and we are looking for a secluded place - even Chail is filled with tourists nowadays), Uttarakhand (the hilly areas are packed due to Char Dham Yatra - but can still consider it; Jim Corbett and the likes will be as hot as Delhi NCR, no point in going), Coorg/Kabini (OMFG EXPENSIVE AS f**k - can't afford a 25k a night room). 

 

Place has to be decent since we will be travelling with 2 small kids (18 months and 4 years). I am OK with around 15k a night pricing. Nothing beyond that. 

 

Fly to Leh/Ladakh. 
The views from the plane alone makes it worth it. 

 

If you’re looking for secluded places, try booking a highly rated Airbnb, away from the tourist hustle-bustle. 
Most of the superhosts will have really nice private cottages, homesteads, etc. 

 

[Bird Bird Bird]

2 hours ago, achilles said:

Kodai is fun but the closest airport is Madurai and it’s about a 3 hour climb from there in narrow and twisty mountain roads. The little one might not like that. 

 

For stay, Tamara Kodai is good. If you like camping or roughing it for a day or so try The Pear County. Great atmosphere, lovely people, and they serve genuine delish live barbecue, but their tents aren’t in top condition. 

Also the shrooms begin to come out in July  

 

Tamara is out of budget. It's minimum 20k a night, and I'm not willing to go beyond 15k. 

 

1 hour ago, Vamos said:

 

Fly to Leh/Ladakh. 
The views from the plane alone makes it worth it. 

 

If you’re looking for secluded places, try booking a highly rated Airbnb, away from the tourist hustle-bustle. 
Most of the superhosts will have really nice private cottages, homesteads, etc. 

 

 

Leh Ladakh with young kids ? Wouldn't altitude be an issue ? 

 

Also thinking about Bandipur. The Serai Bandipur seems like a great place. Thoughts ?

[Vamos]

17 hours ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

Leh Ladakh with young kids ? Wouldn't altitude be an issue ? 

 

Also thinking about Bandipur. The Serai Bandipur seems like a great place. Thoughts ?

 

Yeah, Leh can be extreme but only if you move further up - towards Nubra, Pangong , etc. 

Suggested it only coz you were asking for colder places. 

 

[LordSpymaster]

On 5/10/2022 at 7:34 AM, LordSpymaster said:

Any clue what's a good brand for luggage bags? I plan to get a 3 piece set, with wheels and shiz. Looking at American Tourister and Samsonite, though AT is cheaper than the other.

Got a Samsonite since seeing this and the AT ones next to each other made me understand how bad the AT quality is... 

[Bhpian Bali]

Planning to go on a holiday on friday. Thinking of going to Chickmagalur, Karnataka. I am tired of Goa and there are not many fun destinations near Pune apart from Goa and konkan beaches. Mahabaleshwar is meh. .

 

 

Is Chickmagalur worth a visit? Shows 740 kms from my place. I will be driving down. 

[Bhpian Bali]

1 hour ago, Mr. Comingle said:

First pic that comes up on a Google search is that of a Bhabhi so I'd say it depends. 

 

You should get an award for ruining a destination in few words. 

[LordSpymaster]

Has anyone gone to Europe in Dec? Anything to be aware about apart from how cold it'll be?

 

Any other general tips for Europe? Also, what are good travel agencies from India? I have used MMT and Yatra for Asia tours, they were decent..

[KunjanPSD]

1 hour ago, LordSpymaster said:

Has anyone gone to Europe in Dec? Anything to be aware about apart from how cold it'll be?

 

Any other general tips for Europe? Also, what are good travel agencies from India? I have used MMT and Yatra for Asia tours, they were decent..

Depends where you are going in Europe.

But why opt for tours when you can build one yourself?

 

[LordSpymaster]

1 hour ago, KunjanPSD said:

Depends where you are going in Europe.

But why opt for tours when you can build one yourself?

 

Switzerland, Italy and Greece 

Or London / Paris + 1/2 more countries. 

 

I've found it easier to get these tours customized since I prepay for all stuff, travel, Airport pickup drops etc. That's how I explored Japan, Singapore, HK. 

[KunjanPSD]

2 minutes ago, LordSpymaster said:

Switzerland, Italy and Greece 

Or London / Paris + 1/2 more countries. 

 

I've found it easier to get these tours customized since I prepay for all stuff, travel, Airport pickup drops etc. That's how I explored Japan, Singapore, HK. 

I have noticed that these tours are always a tad expensive but I guess it comes down to convenience.

When it comes to Europe, language is the biggest barrier so I would say not skimp out on a reliable sim and data plan.

These are pretty standard places and a quick Youtube search will tell you most of the things but when it comes to Paris, be vigilant about Pick pockets, they are everywhere and really active.