See what the experts are saying about Kottayam. Get expert advice on how to get there what to see and more.
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Getting there
By Plane Most major airline carriers have flights to India. It's a good idea to shop around for fares on the Internet, through online travel agencies like Travelocity.com, Expedia.com, and Orbitz.com, or through airline websites. Or make u... Continue reading »
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Escorted & package tours
Packages for the Independent Traveler Package tours (not to be confused with escorted tours) are simply a way to buy the airfare, accommodations, and other elements of your trip (such as car rentals, airport transfers, and sometimes even a... Continue reading »
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Getting around
You can research prices and deals on travel and hotels at reliable online travel companies based in India. Try www.makemytrip.com, www.cleartrip.com, www.tcindia.com, or www.travelmartindia.com. However, at publishing time most of these sites... Continue reading »
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Money
It's always advisable to bring money in a variety of forms on a vacation: a mix of cash, credit cards, and traveler's checks. In many international destinations, ATMs offer the best exchange rates. Avoid exchanging money at commercial exch... Continue reading »
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Entry requirements
Passports For an up-to-date country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov. Visas Travelers to India can ap... Continue reading »
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Regions in brief
India is a vast country, roughly divided -- for the purposes of this site -- into North, East, and South. The South (again, for the purposes of this site), accessed most conveniently via Mumbai (state capital of Maharashtra), refers to Goa... Continue reading »
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Health & safety
Staying Healthy Consult your doctor or local travel clinic concerning precautions against diseases that are prevalent in India. The following cautionary list may have you wondering whether travel is advisable at all. However, don't be alar... Continue reading »
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Insurance
The cost of travel insurance varies widely, depending on the destination, the cost and length of your trip, your age and health, and the type of trip you're taking, but expect to pay between 5% and 8% of the vacation itself. You can get estim... Continue reading »
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Tips on accommodations
Please note that most hoteliers in India have moved to a single-currency pricing policy, quoting rooms in rupees instead of both rupees and U.S. dollars. Foreigners will still be able to pay their bills in a foreign currency, however. One... Continue reading »
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Tips for families
Just reading the list of inoculations and possible diseases in "Health & Safety" will probably make you think twice about taking your kids to India. But increasingly many do (to the extent that quite a few operators now customize tours to Ind... Continue reading »
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Tips for gay and lesbian travelers
Homosexuality remains frowned upon in India, and the law actively outlaws sexual acts between men (although gay women do not attract this prejudicial legislation). On the other hand, Indian men are a great deal more affectionate with one anot... Continue reading »
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Tips for senior travelers
India is not for the fainthearted, and this is definitely the one place senior travelers should utilize the services of a reliable agency and organization that targets the 50-plus market. Members of AARP, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049... Continue reading »
Kottayam Travel Experiences
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Keralan Cooking
Our time on the east coast of India wasn't working out too well so we decided to head west, to the state of Kerala - known for it's high... Continue reading »
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Trapped! Our last day of 2005
Snap! Snap! Snap! The ground below me was giving away. There was a snapping of branches and crackling of leaves as we ran for our lives t... Continue reading »
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Cochin to Delhi
4.04.2007 Cochin, IndiaThis morning I attended a lecture, Political Islam: Pakistan at the Crossroadsâ by Dr. Stephen Dachi. Very informa... Continue reading »
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Fort Kochi and Ernakulum
We left the deserts of Rajasthan and flew to south India, a very different place. While landing we were struck by the large number of pal... Continue reading »
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Special Tea!
We have arrived in Fort Cochin, a highly touristed area on the coast in Kerela. Its really the firsts time that there is any conglomerati... Continue reading »
