Asia Recommendations and Raves

quote:

Originally posted by artntravelgirl:
INDIA:

I would like to recommend hiring a driver to see India. The first time I went to India, I went with a tour group in a bus, which was overall a decent experience of India, but the second time I went to India, a travel-savvy friend gave me the name of a driver who I hired and I am now convinced that this is the best way to travel in India. I travelled with a friend, and the the two of us spent almost a month touring North India in a private car with a driver for a very reasonable price and we had a fantastic time. I would not travel any other way now, and plan to do this again in the future. You can hire a driver through a tourism company (not the best way), through a hotel (this is better), or you can find one by word-of-mouth (this is best, but get a few references!) Finding a driver who works independently and is not affiliated with a tour company or hotel is a little more difficult. If you ask enough people, eventually you will find someone who has the name of a driver they used in India. It is much more cost efficient to hire an independent driver because you are dealing directly with the driver and there is no middleman taking a cut. Just be sure you can get references from the driver for people who have hired him in the past.

10+ Reasons to Hire a Driver:

1) you get the experience of traveling with a local person who knows the culture, history, best places to eat
2) you won't endure the wait or hassle involved with buses or trains
3) you can travel by yourself or with a friend or group of your choosing, rather than with a group of strangers
4) you come and go on your own schedule
5) the car is always there when you want it
6) if you make purchases along the way, you can just leave them in the trunk, or store some of your belongings in the car instead of carrying them with you all the time
7) you can design your own itinerary, change your plans along the way, go to off-the-beaten-track places more easily
8) driving in India is dangerous and scary - hiring a local person to drive you is much safer than renting a car
9) in a car, you "blend in" to the local traffic more than if you are on a huge tour bus - and it is much easier to navigate around the streets and you get there faster
10) it is a very stress-free way to travel, but still feel independent about making your own decisions
11) it is very inexpensive - most drivers can arrange a day rate which includes all the gas, tolls, driver fee AND cost of the hotel if you want. It is usually about $40/day/per person if you choose this option. You can't beat that.

If my friend had not recommended hiring a driver, I don't think I would have known about this option. Hopefully this will help someone in their trip planning.

UnspecifiedGender wrote:Japan:~Yokoso! Do yourself a favor in this very non-English speaking country and learn some basic Japanese.~Buy the Japan Rail Pass and you must do so before you leave your own country...you have to have 'temporary visitor' status on your passport to use it. So, you cannot be a resident or citizen of Japan. Buy the Ordinary pass; don't spend the extra yen for the Green pass. You can use all JR subways and express Shinkansen trains (Hikari & Kodama with the exception of the Nozomi). Choose the Hikari over the Kodama whenever possible because the Kodama stops at nearly every local station and adds time onto your ride. Activate the Rail Pass when you get to NRT because the train ride into Tokyo on the Narita Express (an hour long) is included and will save you $30USD right off the bat. Save the Railway Timetable that they give you at the airport! It's in English and is infinitely valuable.~The cheapest hostel/guesthouse at 2000 yen (about $20USD)/night is currently the Khaosan. They have two locations...one in Asakusa, for which they advertise and one in Ueno, which they do not use unless they overbook the one in Asakusa. If you can, go to the one in Ueno because if you're using the Rail Pass you don't have to pay the extra yen required if you stay further out in Asakusa; and it's generally a better value.~Or if you prefer a Japanese style inn...Ryokan~Have an adequate amount of yen on you since credit cards are not widely utilized. Exchange as much as you can at the airport because the ATMs can be a challenge.~Shop at the 100 Yen store (dollar store) for whatever you can to offset the higher costs of Japan.~Get your maps at the visitor's center in the airport.~Imperial Palace~Mt. Fuji~Hiroshima~Shibuya: crazier than any intersection in NYC.~Harajuku: Japan's most flamboyant area.~Tsukiji Fish Market~Sumo (seasonal)~Temples~General Information~Have fun and don't get run over by the millions of bicycles!