Recent content by Jackie

I've been doing so much research over the past month or so about our upcoming trip. I think I've finally decided the package I want and now it's just a matter of talking my husband into it. ;) It's an 11 day/10 night package touring Sri Lanka on bike (seven days of biking). I love this because...

I'm not sure about this, Paul. It's a good question, though. I assumed there would be but now that you bring it up I'm not sure. There are wi-fi spots everywhere in America but every country is different.

I can't imagine how I would react if I saw a Bengal tiger in real life! I'm not sure I would want to go out into the wild looking for them; seems like this would be dangerous even with a trained guide.

Kumarakom sounds like a place I would like to visit. I like the idea of staying in a houseboat, getting to know the locals, and visiting the Shiva Temple.

Has anyone here ever been paragliding in Manali, India? Or even paragliding at all? I haven't (on either account) but it looks like a lot of fun. I was looking at packages on an Indian vacation site but I still need to do more research; their packages seem to be a bit inflated price-wise.

Thanks, Amelia! Going 'no-obligation' for brochures is a great idea. I also like the thought of maybe just having the agent book my flights and hotel stay or something like that.

Oh my gosh, I hadn't even considered this possibility! That makes me even less trustful about the whole couch crashing thing than I already was. I'll definitely stick with hotels!

Gah, I have such a hard time with negative honesty or honest criticism or whatever you want to call it. I have such a hard time telling people that I don't want to do things they want to do! Good luck to the OP. I agree that honesty is the best policy but personally, I've yet to figure a way to...

I have three months to choose from for my vacation this year. The first is April, the second is August, and the third is October. Of these three months, when would be the best time to travel to India?

I like Amelie's idea. Since you already know she is less adventurous than you, play up all of the things you know she'll be too fearful to do. Make a really big deal about how excited you are about all of these adventures and how upset and disappointed you would be if you couldn't do those...

I couldn't do this; I'm too distrustful by nature. Crashing on someone's couch is too intimate for me to do with a stranger. How do you protect yourself from assault?

That's a good point, Malibu. Planning the trip yourself would save you money because you wouldn't have to pay an agent. I'd been thinking of going through a travel agency to book the trip but I think I may just take that money and invest it into the trip itself.

In all of my research region by region, I see prices for hotels organized by star-rating. There's a really big price jump from a three star hotel to a five star hotel, regardless of location. Are five star hotels really that much better than three star hotels in India?

There are a few friends I would travel with before I'd travel with family, ha ha ha!! I have two friends in particular that I would travel pretty much anywhere with, although my first choice of a travel partner would still be my husband (awww).

I would buy a modest suit as Rye suggested and bring a wrap just in case. If wearing a two-piece is really important to you, though, at least bring the wrap along in case it turns out you need to cover up.