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Below is a list of the tour operators that I know about, but (BIG DISCLAIMER HERE!) I don’t know anything about them. They could be great, they could be complete disasters. You need to check them out and decide if they are right for you. Here are some of the ways I sometimes use to determine a company’s worthiness: 1. Take a look at the ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) site to see they have any information about an operator that you are interested in. 2. Look for membership in USTOA – The United States Tour Operator’s Association was founded in 1972 with the aim to protect consumers. Tour companies must apply to be included and are accepted based on their dedication to ethical practices. Each company must place $1 million in a trust to cover any losses should they become insolvent. It is expensive to join, so many really good tour companies have chosen not to sign up. Just because a company is not a member, does not necessarily mean it is not good, but it is an extra layer of assurance. www.ustoa.com 3. Google the reviews of a company. Yelp and Trip advisor have feedback on some tour operators, as does www.tourradar.com 4. Find a travel agent who works with India and stick with who they recommend. 5. I look at how long a company has been in business and if they have recent reviews. 6. Be sure they are actually located where they say they are. A new scam is for a tour company to run a couple of trips and get some good feedback then go rogue. They’ll keep their old address and American phone number, but move to a country that has poor extradition policies and start scamming people. Tour companies list their prices on a “per person, based on double occupancy” basis. If you are travelling as a single, most companies have a single supplement price that they can add on. Occasionally, companies – such as Mountain Travel-Sobek – will try to find a room-mate to share with you. Most tour companies offer their tours as “land only”. Your international airfare, as well as any internal flights within India will be additional. Don’t pay any non-refundable deposits for land arrangements until you are sure you have the flights confirmed. When you are considering various trips, take the land price and divide it by the number of nights of the trip. This will make sure you are comparing apples with apples. India is tricky, however. It’s the only place on the planet that I really care what hotel I’m in, especially in Rajasthan. Hundreds of charming (or majestic) palaces have been made over into hotels and these can be the high light of any trip. Judge each trip carefully based on the hotels that it is using. Always ask: What is the maximum number of travelers on your trips? What is the minimum number of people they need before they will cancel the departure? How much in advance of trip do they make this decision? Do you offer any guaranteed departures? Are the prices guaranteed at the time of booking? Is there a tour escort from the home country, or is it fully led by a local guide? Do you care about this? A lot of the Indian guides are fabulous – it may not make any difference in the end. TOUR OPERATORS WITH OFFICES IN NORTH AMERICA OR EUROPE Abercrombie and Kent USTOA 1520 Kensington Road Oak Brook, IL 60523-2141 (800) 323-7308 (630) 954-2944 (630) 954-3324 – fax www.abercrombiekent.com Super deluxe escorted tours Adventure Center 1311 63rd Street, ste. 200 Emeryville, CA 94608 www.adventure-center.com (800) 228-8747 (510) 654-1879 Adventure Center is the American General Sales Agent for Explore Tours and Intrepid Tours, and have far too many different trips to list them all here, so check their web site. Alexander + Roberts USTOA www.alexanderroberts.com (800) 221-2216 Once known as General Tours, they run escorted trips with a maximum of 16 participants as well as private tours. Asian Vistas (a division of Isram travel) USTOA www.asianvistas.com Private car tours Cox and Kings USTOA 25 Davis Blvd. Tampa, FL 33606-3944 TEL: (800) 999-1758 (813) 258-3323 e-mail: tours@coxandkings.com www.coxandkings.com Very deluxe trips with an emphasis on learning. Gate 1 Travel www.tourvacationstogo.com They have one 20 day trip to India and Nepal Geographic Expeditions 2627 Lombard Street San Francisco, CA 94123 TEL: (415) 922-0448 0r (800) 777-8183 www.geoex.com Many years ago, GeoEx was known as Inner Asia, and Asia still owns a big chunk of their hearts. They do deluxe group tours as well as super-deluxe private tours. They were one of the pioneers in Bhutan travel. Goway www.goway.com USTOA* Modular trips from several hours to 9 days that can be stacked together. Small groups as well as independent travel. India Odyssey Tours www.indiaodysseytours.com Custom designed trips. Intrav 7111 Bonhomme Ave, St Louis, MO 63105 TEL: (800) 456-8100 www.intrav.com Lost Frontiers 919 Skillman Lane Petaluma CA 94952 TEL: (707) 775-4344 www.lostfrontiers.com The owner, Barbara Wagner, has pretty much retired from doing groups, but she will help you put together a private trip. Mountain Travel – Sobek 1266 66th Street Emeryville CA 94608 TEL: (888) 831-7526 www.mtsobek.com Twelve different trips, ranging from 7 to 15 days. MTS trips are graded, from easy touring to some fairly serious trekking Myths and Mountains 976 Tee Court Incline Village NV 89451 (800) 670-6984 www.mythsandmountains.com A tour company, with a slight spiritual edge, runs eight tours to India Overseas Adventure Tours One Miffin Place Ste. 400 Cambridge MA 02138 (800) 955-1859 www.oattravel.com Mid-priced tours, with a maximum of 16 travellers. Note their “Free Single Supplement” policy. They currently have 4 itineraries throughout India, with a big choice of optional extensions. Road Scholars 11 Avenue de Lafayette Boston MA 02111 (800) 454-5768 www.roadscholars.org Not-for-profit company catering to “life long learners”. They have five moderately priced departures that are solely to India or include India. They have one with the Ganges River boat. SITA USTOA www.sitatours.com Packages and independent tours Tauck USTOA* One 18 day deluxe program Tours by Locals www.toursbylocals.com Based in Vancouver, Canada, they will put you in touch with a local guide who is knowledgeable about the area you are going to. (I used them when I went to Uzbekistan and it worked out fabulously.) Travcoa USTOA* 2350 S. E. Bristol Street Newport Beach CA 92660 TEL: (800) 992-2003 or (949) 476-2800 www.travcoa.com Travel Impressions USTOA* www.travimp.com Wilderness Travel 1102 Ninth Street Berkeley CA 94710 (800) 368-2794 www.wildernesstravel.com Wilderness runs at least 7 different trips to India, some of them to unusual and out-of-the-way places. Their trips are graded by difficulty and range from cultural trips to trekking, to the boat on the Ganges. Zegrahm Expeditions 3131 Elliott Ave, ste. 250 Seattle WA 98121 (844) 314-0784 USTOA* Private luxury trips some with off the beaten track destinations, including the game parks. They only have a couple of offerings in India. www.zegrahm.com World Spree (A wholly owned subsidiary of Tour Beyond) Located in Bellview, WA (866) 652-5656 www.worldspree.com Six different budget trips, including international air from the USA LOCAL TOUR OPERATORS BASED IN INDIA Using a local operator can save you a lot of money – perhaps as much as 30 – 40 %. Just be aware that there are some caveats… 1. There’s no effective oversight. The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has 4000 members that they are supposed to be policing. 2. there’s no legal recourse if anything goes wrong. 3. Your travel default insurance is probably not going to work with a foreign operator. 4. It’s open season for language and misunderstanding possibilities. (Define a “clean” bathroom) 5. you may have to bank wire money – a potential headache! Ask how payment is made. 6. Try to use an operator that is reasonably located close to where you are going. I would use someone in Delhi for north India, and someone in Mumbai or Chennai for South India. 7. These companies get hundreds of looky-loo inquires every day. Start you e-mail with exact information about your confirmed or purchased airline tickets. Offer to pay then a non-refundable deposit if they will work a quote up for you. I have listed a few –alphabetically – below that I know about, but (BIG DISCLAIMER!) far be it from me to actually recommend one – you’re on your own! You might try looking at the website of Indian Tourism at www.incredibleindia.org They list some there as well. Banyan Tours and Travels www.banyantours.com Adventure to luxurious. Offices in 7 cities across India. Blue Yonder www.theblueyonder.com Located in Pondecherry, they run trips throughout India and seem to specialize in people-to-people. Ibex Expeditions, Delhi www.ibexexpeditions.com Luxury safaris and expeditions. Marvel Tours www.marveltour.co.in Specializing in South India Namaste Tours of India www.namastetoursindia Wildlife, pilgrimage, or luxury. They have set programs or they will build one to suit. Rainbow Travels www.rainbowtravel.in e-mail: info@rainbowtravels.in Royal Expeditions www.royalexpeditions.com founded 18 years ago by the Princess of Jodhpur, they cover Rajasthan and south India. Transindia Holidays www.transindiaholidyays.com Travelling Spoon Travelers are matched up with hosts to offer cooking lessons and in home meals. They have hosts listed in most of the main cities across India. www.travelinngspoon.com Ventours www.ventours.com Offices in 5 of the major tourist cities around India. xt here |