I’ve always loved to plan trips. For me, the hardest thing is just deciding which country to go to but once I know that, let the planning begin! A lot of you ask me “will you plan my trip to India” either by asking to hire me or by sending over your entire itinerary and asking me to review it. I love the enthusiasm! I don’t have time to totally plan EVERYONE’s trips to India anymore but I sure do want to still help you all plan your trip to India as best I can. I wanted to answer this as part of my Ask Me Anything series (if you click that link you’ll see more FAQ, answered).
Can You Please Plan My Trip to India?
I truly believe that if you took the time to read all my posts, you’d find that most of your questions are answered on my blog. I have over 400 articles about India! Particularly if you are coming to Goa; I wrote a 170-page e-book, Insider’s Guide to Goa which with two clicks you can buy and know everything I know about Goa.
I mean from how to book and ride buses here to exactly how to ride the train, to safety on trains and buses… I try to go in-depth on each topic. For example, that’s just transportation: I also have posted about how to get a pre-paid taxi, how to fly domestically on the cheap, the best domestic airlines, and everything you need to know about Uber in India.
That’s 7 posts on transportation in India that I can think of off the top of my head. I might have more! I try to do this in every little aspect of planning a trip to India so you guys can feel the most prepared as humanly possible: from booking to sleeping and packing to itineraries.
All my India posts are in this category to scroll through but you can also search on my homepage.
I also have around 150 posts about living in India where I tell stories from my This is India series, start at #1!
So, if you love helping and India so much….why can’t you plan my trip to India personally and help me with the details?
Yes, I thought you might be wondering. But, the thing is when I first started this blog I LOVED getting emails from readers who were considering India for the first time after reading my articles. I was so stoked that I would plan literally everything for them. I gave my cell phone number to people. I introduced them to my friends and personal drivers.
But then three things happened:
- The emails started to get to be too many to keep up with.
- People were asking basic questions that I’d answered 100x on the blog and I knew they weren’t reading my blog at all.
- I would reply to so many emails with very in-depth answers which took about 20 minutes per email and wouldn’t get a reply about 90% of the time, not even a simple “thanks”. I was spending hours each day replying to emails and messages on social media platforms.
It was a little discouraging. I found myself wanting to focus more on getting the information on the blog so that to answer questions, I could just link to an article. Then someone replied:
“I didn’t email you for help just for you to link to an article on you blog! I am unfollowing you!”
While I’m sad to see people go, it was frustrating that people were demanding from me when I was already giving so much. While I write “sponsored” articles on my blog when I travel sometimes, I rarely do in India. My India travels were 95% self-funded and the articles weren’t written to bring me any income but just to help people plan. I write them like I’m talking to my best friends! Even when I went to Karnataka with GoMowgli which was one of only two sponsored trips I’ve done in India, I was contractually meant to write 3 articles and I wrote nearly 20 because I get excited and want to share everything with you.
Yes, I will help you plan your trip to India. I do this is a variety of ways!
One, I still answer 90% of my reader emails about India. The only time I don’t answer if is someone asks five questions that I have dedicated blog posts about and it’s clear they don’t even know my name. I don’t get these too often, though, and therefore yes, I answer most of the questions about India.
I DO now link to blog posts in the answers as it’s just smarter to save time like this.
I DO tell people if they have asked way too many questions and explain it would take me an hour to reply and therefore they can either ask the question in my Facebook group to get other traveler’s help OR hire me via a Skype call to answer them all on the phone.
I DO tell people asking about Goa to buy my ebook the Insider’s Guide to Goa. After five years of living in Goa, I am confident this book is the most comprehensive, up-to-date guide to Goa plus it has all my secrets inside. It took months to write and is there as a resource for people who need Goa advice. (Buy it now).
To get started these are the top posts to read first:
Travel to India made easy – this is a step by step guide that tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about coming to India
FAQ about India – I answer a TON of questions here and link within the answer to posts that explain more
India Bucket List – top experiences in India you won’t want to miss
Visa – getting started with your visa! It has step by step guides for USA and step by step for UK + India e-visas for all countries allowed into India
Traveling Alone in India – an intro to what it’s like
Tips for girls travel alone in India – 14 tips that will help you!
Like I said there are 400 articles, but these are a good place to start and link out to more information you’ll need to get started planning your trip to India and making your bookings.
“Will you plan my trip to India?” My Facebook group will plan your trip to India if my blog hasn’t helped enough. Don’t worry!
I started the India travel tips Facebook group so that people who love traveling India can get together and chat. You guys can ask questions about certain cities and get a variety of answers – not just mine. I’m not a know it all and I haven’t been everywhere. I get asked a lot about traveling with babies in Goa. I don’t know anything about it! People in this group do, though. It’s also a place to meet other travelers.
There are people in the group who love to help and have amazing advice to give after traveling in India for years. I’m so grateful to them! It’s a fantastic place to talk all things India.
I can plan your trip to India or answer all your questions on the phone, but it’s not free
Like I said, I DO answer most of my emails but if you have a whole itinerary that needs to reviewed or answers I can’t answer in 5 minutes, you should either reach out via the Facebook group or you can hire me for an hour or 30-minute call on Facebook. I have this information on my contact page, but it’s $80 for one hour and I will plan out the whole itinerary based on what you like, tell you some hotel options I know of and help you figure out a good route and if you need trains/buses. We go through it all. I do not MAKE the bookings, though.
If you want extra help or don’t want to read 400 blog posts, this is a good option for you!
So, there you go. If you want your trip to India planned, look no further than this blog and its Facebook group because we can help you :)
Thanks Rachel! you clarified all of my doubts regarding to India trip.