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They fly into Delhi and plan to go to Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar and Bundi. Approx 3 nights in each place although are flexible with their itinerary. I have told them to knock one place out (probably Pushkar) to make it easier on themselves which they are considering. They want to do it independently which is great although I am a bit concerned about their ability to handle the rough and tumble now that they are a bit longer in the tooth. They plan to train and bus it.
Would be interested to know about options to get a driver to take them about and approx costs. Maybe not for the whole trip but certainly some of it. I think it is important that they experience a train trip and a local bus but not such that knocks the wind out their sails. Important that they get a little bit of relative ease whilst they are there.
Are there any travellers in their age group out there that could perhaps give an insight into how they smoothed the path. hints and tops welcome.
Shukria!
I'm a single female aged 65 and off to Cambodia for 3 months Do I need assistance ?No thanks.
I am not saying that you get to 50 and it is all incontinence pants and colonoscopies....far from it :) just wanting them to get the most from their trip and have a positive experience.
And - given where you've posted this, I think this is the response you can expect. We're a feisty lot, used to finding our own way. I'm sure your concern is genuine and they love you for it.
Edited by: jomcarroll
Anyway, I will respect the grey hair and collective words of wisdom posted here......but only to a point. Just like a teenager, eh :)
At any rate, your OP is best made on the India branch where you'll get many more responses based on your specific questions.
If you choose to do that I can respond there as well.
Thanks for the voice of reason................a strong rationale. My folks are fit and healthy but it is more the temparament that might get in the way of enjoying the trip. Got a mail from my dad....they have been in contact with a driver in India who will do the whole trip for INR 32500 and are considering that. I suggested taking at least one train trip for the experience though.
Yours petulantly.
Anyway, I thoroughly agree that taking at least one trip on the Indian rail system is an essential part of really experiencing India. Some of my favorite experiences are the times I've had interacting with Indian families of all (or mostly all) different classes on train rides throughout the country. Of course, they'll also meet fellow travellers as that's the most popular way of getting around.
That price seems high to me, but I don't know the condition of the car, how well the driver speaks English or exactly what services the driver will perform beyond just driving. These are all questions you should find out. Using a car and driver has advantages. I don't discount the added flexibility and ease of travel one has using a driver. The reason I don't do it is that using a car and driver isolates one from the people and culture. On the train your parents will really experience the culture, in a car they'll fall asleep and be whisked through the country without interacting with the people (of course, they will have non-travel times to interact, but it's different on the train).
Further suggestions; three days in Agra is two too many and while Jaipur has a few sights, three days there is also one too many. Both Agra and Jaipur are nasty, filthy, congested, noisy cities. Somewhere like Udaipur is much nicer. While in Jaipur I strongly recommend the Hotel Pearl Palace. It is one of the best budget oriented hotels in India and is highly recommended buy pretty much everyone on the India branch.
I hope they have a great trip.
plenty to see
also Jaipur is fabulous
lots to do and see there
don't know why your parents need to go to Pushkar
unless they need a camel or drugs
age doesn't have any bearing on travel in India
chaos equal for everyone
certainly include one train trip for the experience
car and driver is best way to get around
I Can't help with any advice, though; I spent a month and a half in Mumbai mostly flat on my back suffering from dysentery picked up in Kenya and only managed to take one day trip with a local company, where I was the only foreigner. I am not a tour trip person by any means, but I was too ill to do much of anything on my own at that point and it was a great trip and super cheap, when considering day trips in other countries.
Rasta you concerned and that is nice. I for one reject all the knockers that say some of us are having a go. My post, and I presume others, was just to reassure that they will be fine and that they are not OLD. I did not, and once again, I assume also others, did not take it personal. You did not step on anyones toes and it is obvious you care about your nearest and dearest. Best of luck to them and you. I am still climbing, trekking, riding horses, diving and riding motorbikes n visiting all those places that mum warned me about and I repeat am a lot older than ur guys going to India. Take care.
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Older Parents in India
My mum and dad (in their sixties) will be visiting India for 18 days in September. They are well travelled and have lived overseas for many years of their lives so not unfamiliar with foreign climes or cultures by any means. Closest they have been to India was a trip to Nepal about ten years ago which they enjoyed although my mother found it a little confronting at times given the poverty and such like.They fly into Delhi and plan to go to Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar and Bundi. Approx 3 nights in each place although are flexible with their itinerary. I have told them to knock one place out (probably Pushkar) to make it easier on themselves which they are considering. They want to do it independently which is great although I am a bit concerned about their ability to handle the rough and tumble now that they are a bit longer in the tooth. They plan to train and bus it.
Would be interested to know about options to get a driver to take them about and approx costs. Maybe not for the whole trip but certainly some of it. I think it is important that they experience a train trip and a local bus but not such that knocks the wind out their sails. Important that they get a little bit of relative ease whilst they are there.
Are there any travellers in their age group out there that could perhaps give an insight into how they smoothed the path. hints and tops welcome.
Shukria!
2
Gosh, I appreciate your concern, but it must be so irritating for older travellers with kids. Leave them alone!! Why should you be so arrogant to think that they haven't weighed up the facts? Your first 2 sentences say it all--- they know what they are doing.I'm a single female aged 65 and off to Cambodia for 3 months Do I need assistance ?No thanks.
3
That's very sweet. I wonder if our daughter worries when we set off on our jaunts.............she prefers to plan her travels down to the last detail; we prefer to wing it from the start and book nothing execpt the flight out. But I'd be pretty miffed if she asked for advice, on here, about how to guide us.4
Oooops did I teeter into some form of ageism with my post? Not my intention. I just want them to have a good experience and soliciting some advice. India, as I am sure you know, is challenging at the best of times. My dads temperament has gotten a bit short to the fuse in recent years hence hoping for a few hints and tips that might help keep the BP down (of the logistical kind).I am not saying that you get to 50 and it is all incontinence pants and colonoscopies....far from it :) just wanting them to get the most from their trip and have a positive experience.
6
Great that you're concerned for them - and I'm sure they appreciate that. But I'm also in my sixties, and love making my own mistakes. Yes, India will be a challenge, and hiring a car might make life easier for them - but I suggest you let them make their own decisions. I don't suppose they give you advice on how to get about!And - given where you've posted this, I think this is the response you can expect. We're a feisty lot, used to finding our own way. I'm sure your concern is genuine and they love you for it.
Edited by: jomcarroll
7
Alright, getting the vibe now.....not sure it is been taken the right way. My old boy worked in the Gulf for 20 plus years. I went over a few years ago for a work stint and he gave me some great advice on working and living in the region. On the other hand I have been to India multiple times so sharing a few pearls with him. It is hard to consider the facts before you have been to India when it is a place where the rule book goes out the window.Anyway, I will respect the grey hair and collective words of wisdom posted here......but only to a point. Just like a teenager, eh :)
8
Not sure I agree with most of the above posters only because none of us / them actually know your parents and you do. None of us can project ourselves, our attitudes or our capabilities on complete strangers and claim that because we can get along fine or don't need / want assistance, no one else does either. I know seventy and even eighty somethings who are as spry and energeic as any thirty year old and fifty somethings who need all the help they can get.At any rate, your OP is best made on the India branch where you'll get many more responses based on your specific questions.
If you choose to do that I can respond there as well.
9
Posted on the India branch at the same time as this one laketraveller. Limited responses thus far.Thanks for the voice of reason................a strong rationale. My folks are fit and healthy but it is more the temparament that might get in the way of enjoying the trip. Got a mail from my dad....they have been in contact with a driver in India who will do the whole trip for INR 32500 and are considering that. I suggested taking at least one train trip for the experience though.
Yours petulantly.
10
Oh OK. I didn't notice your OP on the India branch.Anyway, I thoroughly agree that taking at least one trip on the Indian rail system is an essential part of really experiencing India. Some of my favorite experiences are the times I've had interacting with Indian families of all (or mostly all) different classes on train rides throughout the country. Of course, they'll also meet fellow travellers as that's the most popular way of getting around.
That price seems high to me, but I don't know the condition of the car, how well the driver speaks English or exactly what services the driver will perform beyond just driving. These are all questions you should find out. Using a car and driver has advantages. I don't discount the added flexibility and ease of travel one has using a driver. The reason I don't do it is that using a car and driver isolates one from the people and culture. On the train your parents will really experience the culture, in a car they'll fall asleep and be whisked through the country without interacting with the people (of course, they will have non-travel times to interact, but it's different on the train).
Further suggestions; three days in Agra is two too many and while Jaipur has a few sights, three days there is also one too many. Both Agra and Jaipur are nasty, filthy, congested, noisy cities. Somewhere like Udaipur is much nicer. While in Jaipur I strongly recommend the Hotel Pearl Palace. It is one of the best budget oriented hotels in India and is highly recommended buy pretty much everyone on the India branch.
I hope they have a great trip.
12
have 2 nights in Agraplenty to see
also Jaipur is fabulous
lots to do and see there
don't know why your parents need to go to Pushkar
unless they need a camel or drugs
age doesn't have any bearing on travel in India
chaos equal for everyone
certainly include one train trip for the experience
car and driver is best way to get around
13
So glad to see there is one poster here without an attitude (laketraveller). I can't fathom why people should get upset when someone asks for advice, regardless of who the advice is for. Isn't that what the Tree is for?I Can't help with any advice, though; I spent a month and a half in Mumbai mostly flat on my back suffering from dysentery picked up in Kenya and only managed to take one day trip with a local company, where I was the only foreigner. I am not a tour trip person by any means, but I was too ill to do much of anything on my own at that point and it was a great trip and super cheap, when considering day trips in other countries.
14
Hi,Rasta you concerned and that is nice. I for one reject all the knockers that say some of us are having a go. My post, and I presume others, was just to reassure that they will be fine and that they are not OLD. I did not, and once again, I assume also others, did not take it personal. You did not step on anyones toes and it is obvious you care about your nearest and dearest. Best of luck to them and you. I am still climbing, trekking, riding horses, diving and riding motorbikes n visiting all those places that mum warned me about and I repeat am a lot older than ur guys going to India. Take care.
