Blazing Trails - Hints & Tips

Passports & Visas Everyone needs a passport to visit India and it must be valid for at least six months after the planned date of return from your holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that all members of your party are in possession of a valid and acceptable passport, and any other visa or travel documents that may be required. The information given here is applicable to British citizens holding a full 10-year British passport. All other nationalities or British citizens not holding a British passport should check the passport and visa requirements directly with the Indian Embassy in London. Children under 16 who are included on another person's passport can only travel if accompanied by that person. If they are travelling alone they must have their own full passport. Note: Since October 1998, children under 16 are required to have their own passport. Please allow enough time for these to be applied for. Children who are already included in their parent's passport are not affected by this change until the passport is renewed or the children reach 16. A number of cases have recently been brought to our attention whereby a person of Indian or Pakistani descent despite having a British passport, have experienced difficulties and long delays for their visas to be processed by the Indian High Commission. We therefore feel that it would be beneficial to apply for a six month multiple entry visa well in advance prior to making a booking. A tourist visa is required by all non-Indians to visit India. This is obtainable from the Indian High Commission at:

India House,
Aldwych,
London
WC2B 4NA;
Tel: 0891 444544
Fax 0207 240 6312

or the Indian Consulate in Birmingham
Tel: 0121 212 2782

or the Indian Visa Office at:
17 Rutland Square,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2BB
Tel: 0131 229 2144.

At the time of going "to press", multi-entry tourist visas for British nationals, valid for six months from the date of issue, cost £30 per person. Children under 16 travelling on a parent's passport are exempt from an additional fee, however they must still be included on the visa. If posting a visa application direct, please allow a six week period for post and processing. Jewel in the Crown Holidays is pleased to recommend:

Trans World Visas
Suite 148,
61 Praed Street,
London
W2 1NS.
E-mail: info@transworldvisas.com

We will send you their details plus the visa application form to complete and send them together with two passport (4cm x 5cm) photographs, the visa fee, passport, and the agency's most reasonable procurement fee of £25 per passport including postage and handling. Please quote reference number W0020. Trans World Visas will normally be able to return your duly visa'd passport within 15 working days. Express 4 day service is available for £45. Whether you use the services of Trans World Visas or not, please be aware that if you present yourself at check-in for your outbound flight without a valid Indian visa in your passport, you will be denied carriage by the air carrier concerned and not entitled to a refund in such circumstances.

Flights All flight details including the carrier, aircraft type, timings and routings are indicative only and are subject to Government approvals, airport clearance and reconfirmation by the carrier. Specific details of domestic flights within India will generally be advised and ticketed locally. Some of our flights to Goa are non-stop and others, whilst direct, feature a brief halt (usually in Bahrain). Smokers can also 'light up' there since the U.K. Federation of Tour Operators' policy on inclusive tour charter flights has led our selected carrier to designate our flights as entirely non-smoking. Special meal requirements will be noted and forwarded to the airline who will oblige whenever possible, however we cannot be held responsible for any meal requests which are not met. Whilst our selected air carriers fully comply with all Civil Aviation Authority regulations regarding 'seat pitch', taller passengers may find standard class seating on selected flights a little tight for comfort. Accordingly, wider, premium class seats are available on selective flights, at a supplement, though you'll have to book early if you wish to secure one or more of these. However you travel, you should exercise your leg muscles, both in your seat and on whatever 'walkabouts' are possible, as often as you can. Check-in desks close well before the scheduled departure time of the flight and we recommend checking-in at least three hours before departure. If you are 'closed out' (usually 1 hour prior to the scheduled departure) you will have no recourse against either the airline or ourselves. Sadly, inclement weather (usually in England), air traffic control and technical matters still can and do delay aircraft although our selected airlines are in the forefront of U.K. carriers for 'on time performance'. Whilst competition amongst domestic airlines within India has led to a dramatic improvement in customer standards, delays and overbookings can and still do occur. Although travel insurance policies sometimes make a payment for a lengthy flight delay, neither the airline concerned nor ourselves can be held liable for any inconvenience suffered or cost incurred as a result of any flight delays.

Brochure Pricing This brochure is carefully prepared many months before your holiday takes place, based on our best estimates of cost levels that will prevail at the actual time of your holiday. However, our brochure prices, published flight supplements, and the level of the aviation insurance surcharge and security levy are continuously reviewed in the light of costs, availability, and market conditions. Until such times as a booking is actually accepted from you, all of these may be increased or decreased accordingly and will be advised to you at the time you wish to book. Once you have booked your holiday however, Condition 3 of our Booking Conditions applies.

Aviation-related Taxes, Fees and Charges U.K. Air Passenger Duty, U.K. Airport Passenger Service Charges, Airport Security Taxes, and Indian Airport and International Departure Taxes at the levels prevailing at time of going to press are included in your holiday price. Should any additional taxes be introduced or revised upwards, the same would have to be paid by you in cash to the applicable authority.

Packing & Baggage Do travel light! You won't need heavy clothing in India and indeed in anything other than 4 / 5 'jewel' hotels, wardrobe and storage space is often quite limited. The standard baggage allowance on the flights we operate is 20kg for checked baggage plus one small item of cabin baggage not exceeding 5kg in weight per person. Infants (under 2 years as at the date of homeward travel) do not qualify for a separate baggage allowance. Please note that computers, radios and other electronic items must not be packed in your main baggage but carried as part of your hand luggage.

Health Although no vaccination certificates are required for entry to India, we advise you to consult your own doctor in good time before your departure as to what precautions may be recommended. In addition, there is a leaflet which you may find helpful in connection with health while travelling, entitled 'Health Advice to Travellers' available either from your ABTA travel agent or from the Department of Health:

FREEPHONE 0800 555777,
website: www.doh.gov.uk/traveladvice. 

Ground Representation Whilst Jewel in the Crown Holidays has its own representatives in Goa and Kerala, it also engages the services of a highly experienced ground handling company to provide transfers in resort and to assist you generally. Please note that should you purchase any additional services locally such as tours and excursions, Jewel in the Crown Holidays is not party to these arrangements and you will be bound by the local operator’s terms and conditions of booking.

Transfers All transfers to North Goa cross the Zuari Bridge which occasionally requires repair work. If the bridge should not be operational for any reason, your transfer to or from North Goa will take at least an hour longer than the transfer times printed in this brochure. Unfortunately such circumstances are out of our control. Transfer times quoted in the brochure are approximate. Transfers are usually by bus and in most cases will make drop offs at various accommodations. Due to the location of some properties it may be necessary to drop clients a short distance from their accommodation. In these circumstances clients are responsible for carrying their own luggage.

Hotel Gradings Our unique 'jewel' ratings are our own opinion and do not necessarily reflect 'official' hotel grades, if any. Official gradings are in any case somewhat inconsistent and prone to a measure of 'local politics' and often place importance on certain things that may be of value in a city hotel (e.g. the ratio of T.V. sets to rooms) which are not so important 'on the beaches'. We have tried to be realistic in our gradings, but also reflect the service and less tangible qualities that our chosen accommodations offer. We recommend you follow our unofficial but generally more useful appraisal system. Please be aware that standards are not as high as European hotels and that India is a third world country.

Accommodation Your room will normally be available to you between 12 noon and 2pm on your arrival day. When departing, you must vacate your room by 11am. Except in cases of excursions booked locally whilst in resort, rooms must be vacated whilst on tour. Please account for this when packing and in your chosen type of baggage. Please be aware that a room 'for three persons' is usually a twin / double room with an extra bed of a pullout / folding design and hence conditions may be cramped. Also, if a twin / double room is booked for a single occupancy, its standard and location are often not as good as a twin / double room reserved for two people. As you will appreciate, rooms in any hotel vary although the hotelier and our local representative will always do their best to meet your needs. Rooms are allocated by the management of the accommodation and special requests cannot be accepted.

Breakfasts Where continental breakfast is offered, this usually consists of bread or toast, jam or marmalade and tea or coffee. Extras such as eggs, juice or cheese may be available at a charge.

All Inclusive holidays Food & Beverages: Most main meals are buffet style and usually include a variety of international and local dishes and some hotels organise weekly theme nights. Snacks can include sandwiches, pizzas and hamburgers. Drinks may not be available from all bars at all times. Around the pool, drinks may be served in plastic cups for safety. To provide a faster service, hotels may limit each person to one or two drinks each time you visit the bar. When the bar closes for the evening, a cash bar may operate into the early hours.

Activities and Entertainment: Some all-inclusive hotels have resident 'animation' teams. They organise games, competitions, demonstrations, cabarets, live music and most evening shows, although local entertainers may appear on some evenings. For safety reasons some activities require supervision or may only be available with the animation team in an organised event. Some activities such as shooting, archery and scuba diving usually have a minimum age of 14. Hotels may operate a booking system for popular activities, and you may have to pay a deposit to hire equipment.

General All Inclusive Information: You may need to wear an identity bracelet or carry an ID card to ensure that only participants in the All Inclusive package benefit from the meals, drinks and facilities. If your identity bracelet is lost, the hotel may charge for a replacement. Hotels can refuse to serve alcohol to guests who, in their judgement, are intoxicated. We, or the hotels may confiscate identity cards or bracelets from guests who misbehave or abuse the All Inclusive basis. Local laws on the minimum age for alcohol consumption apply. All Inclusive packages end when you check out of your room, even if your flight does not leave until later that day. In some cases, you can pay a fee to continue using the All Inclusive facilities. 

The Discerning Traveller Most of our clients are repeat guests and tend to go to the smaller accommodations which are often chosen for their friendliness and location. For the discerning traveller who has never been to India before, we do advise choosing an accommodation of a '3-4 jewel' standard. India is a third-world country and accommodations below a '3 jewel' standard are basic. One example relates to towel size and quality; as they are often smaller and thinner than we may be used to, if you prefer big, cuddly towels it would be better to take your own.

Hotel Facilities Facilities as set out in the hotel description will normally be available and are given by us in all good faith. However, certain features may be withdrawn or restricted at certain times especially in the early or late season depending on demand and occupancy (e.g. entertainment) and otherwise at the discretion of hotel management (e.g. for local health and safety reasons). TVs with satellite usually include at least one news channel in English, however the choice of channels is not the same as in the U.K. There will be a variety of facilities offered by a hotel which are subject to a local charge directly payable to the hotel. These are totally at the manager's discretion and are subject to change. Charges are often made for fridges, safety deposit boxes, sauna, jacuzzi, steam, gym equipment, massage, spa, hairdresser, tennis, squash, golf, watersports, table tennis, volleyball and billiards. With facilities such as air-conditioning, if a hotel does not have air-conditioning in every room within our allocation we have written that it will be on request, subject to availability and payable locally. Please do not book a hotel with such a description if this facility is an absolute necessity.

Children & Infants There are discounts for 'third person in room' or reductions for a child between the ages of 2 and 12 as at the date of return travel, who are staying in the same room as two full-fare paying adults. Please see the relevant accommodation price panel. Infants under 24 months, (as at the date of travel) who do not require a flight seat, travel for £50 on charter flights and £150 on scheduled economy class flights. If a cot is required, we advise that you take your own travel cot as hotels cannot usually provide one, especially one that adheres to U.K. health & safety standards.

Sea Swimming With any beach holiday the sea is always an attraction. The beaches in all the destinations in this brochure are wonderful and stretch for miles however the the sea can be very dangerous... there are strong currents and undertows to take account of and drownings have occurred. Great care should be taken to stay well within your depth and capacity, particularly if you are not a strong swimmer, and never, ever swim (or even frolic in the waves) under the influence of alcohol. Children should always be supervised.

Currency The currency in India is the Indian Rupee. At the time of our brochure going to press £1.00 buys approximately 80 Indian Rupees (or, put another way, Rs.100/- is approx £1.25), making India a particularly low cost destination. The rate of exchange is usually better overseas and Sterling traveller's cheques and bank notes are both welcome and easily exchangeable and, by way of exception to the normal rule, exchange rates offered at hotels are virtually identical to the rates offered by banks. Visa and MasterCard are also amazingly quite widely accepted plus there are now many ATM machines. Do keep any 'encashment certificates' that you will be given when exchanging money since these may be needed for changing any surplus Rupees back into Sterling when you leave.

Language The national language of India is Hindi but this is spoken principally around Delhi and in the North. States such as Goa are allowed to choose their own 'official' language within their territory and in the case of Goa, Konkani and Marathi have that status and in Kerala it is Malayalam. English is, however, widely spoken and generally and it is highly unusual for our visitors to incur any sort of language problem!

Conduct Naturally, you are subject to the laws of the country you are visiting and must respect local culture, customs and dress code. Touching drugs in any shape or form will land you in jail or worse. Also, do remember to bring your swimsuit — and wear it — since nudity on the beaches (and elsewhere in public!) is strictly prohibited. If you cause, or appear likely to cause, damage or distress to others or to property, either ourselves or the supplier concerned (air carrier, hotel or ground handler, etc) may terminate their services on the spot without refund or compensation.

Water & Electricity Problems with water supply, plumbing and drainage can and do happen and although some of the hotels have independent generators to cope with power rationing, you need to be prepared for some inconvenience in these areas. Conserving the water supply is important and although plenty of water is usually available, be aware that problems can and do occur. It is also not unusual for there to be power cuts from time to time; please be patient. Bring a torch with you. Most roads are unlit at night. Electricity operates on 220v AC, 50 cycles, an adapter for bayonet cap is recommended and small round 'old-style' 3-pin plugs are used. Electrical safety standards vary from those at home.

Climate The climate is generally delightful between October and May (midday temperature: 24°C to 32°C, evenings 15°C to 22°C) and humidity is generally low although in October, April and May it does get a bit warmer and is more humid. Generally, you will enjoy cool, fresh mornings and evenings and dry sunny days. The monsoon rains occur in the summer months between June and September but it is just possible to get the odd heavy shower in October/November although these are very much the exception rather than the rule. Mosquitoes are not a big problem but between 5pm and 8pm it's still a good idea to apply 'Autan' or 'Odomos' repellent to ankles and any exposed skin areas. Make sure sun protection is always used and it is very important to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration (only bottled water, do not drink from the tap).

Tipping Service is not usually included in bills and it is customary to tip waiters 5-10% of the bill if not signing in your own hotel. Porters, guides and drivers will not solicit, but will certainly appreciate small gratuities too.

Local Transport To hire a car with a driver for the day can be both an economical and convenient way to see more of the country you are visiting. Self-drive car hire by foreigners is neither recommended nor generally possible. Taxis are available from most hotels and work on either a 'fixed fare per destination'. Taxi drivers are generally honest but you should always agree the cost of a trip in advance to avoid any misunderstanding later. For bike enthusiasts, we recommend participating on our 'Blazing Trails' tours with serviced Enfield motorbikes, guides, planned routes and an emergency back up vehicle with first aid. We do not recommend you hire motorbikes or kinetics locally, particularly as you are unlikely to be covered by your holiday insurance policy, but if you are determined to do so, bring your international driving licence, helmet and some long trousers!

Development Due to the popularity of India as a holiday destination and its reliance on tourism as a source of income, continual development is a fact and necessary to the continual improvement of facilities and services.

The Holiday Price Shown On Your Invoice Includes: Return flights between the U.K. and either Goa or Kerala, U.K. Air Passenger Duty, U.K. Airport Passenger Service Charges, Airport Security Taxes, Indian Airport and International Departure Taxes (all at levels prevailing at the time of going to press), baggage allowance as specified on your air ticket, return transfers between your Overseas Airport and your hotel (except 'dormhouse' accommodation), the service of our own representative and/or locally appointed ground handling agents (except for those selecting 'dormhouse' accommodation) with a 24 hour emergency local 'duty officer' contact, and accommodation and meal plan as specified in the brochure description and as confirmed on your invoice. Touring itineraries also include standard / economy class domestic air and / or rail travel, all transfers, ground transportation and sightseeing as per itinerary except items described as 'optional'.

Your Holiday Price (as detailed in the price panels) Excludes: Holiday insurance (which is ESSENTIAL), travel between your home and U.K. departure airport, published flight supplements, additional aviation insurance surcharges, any charges made by accommodation owners / management for facilities such as sunbeds, safety deposit boxes, sauna, air-conditioning, fridges, sports equipment and facilities, gym / health club, porterage, telephones, laundry, gratuities, optional excursions available in resort, accommodation supplements (such as single room), taxis.

Costs & Exchange Rates The holiday prices shown in this brochure were based on known costs and exchange rates as shown in the 'Financial Times' on 22nd January 2007. £1 Sterling = Indian Rupees 87.3781; U.S. Dollars $1.97422. 

Further Information & Reading
Indian Government Tourist Office,
7 Cork Street,
London
W1X 2AB
Tel: 020 7437 3677
Fax: 020 7494 1048
— or visit a good book shop and check out the latest India titles in the travel section. David Abram's 'Rough Guide' to Goa is excellent (and not written just for budget travellers).