I have received numerous inquiries about Travel Corporation of India (TCI), the agency that took care of my in-country arrangements.
I first heard about TCI from a email friend in Singapore who has made several trips to India. She told me they could help iron out some of the annoying wrinkles that can crop up while traveling there. I discovered later that they are the biggest travel agency in India and have offices in most of the tourist cities. Since I returned, I have also heard from several India travelers who have successfully worked with them.
Here's what I did: after I decided on a basic itinerary, I faxed a copy to the TCI office in Bombay and requested a quote. Although they have an office in New York City (and in other world cities) I figured that talking to the head office would speed things up.
A few days later I received a fax outlining some modifications to my original itinerary. They had changed a few hotels and offered a different order for visiting some cities. I agreed and requested some additional changes. This went on for about 10-12 faxes (at $2-$3 each) until I was satisfied. One consideration: get a final itinerary and make sure you know exactly what you are getting. If it's not clear, ask. Once you agree, any changes may well cost you. I also think it's important to understand their cancellation policy - you never know.
As soon as we agreed, I sent a certified check for the air portion of the trip to their NYC office and they made those reservations. About two weeks before I left, I sent another check covering the land portion, again to NYC.
When I arrived in Delhi, and in every subsequent city, I was met by a TCI representative whose job it was to get me to my hotel and check me in. There was also a driver waiting somewhere in the parking lot. The transportation to and from the plane or train was helpful but I got tired of the TCI rep angling for a tip.
A caution: the rep that met me when I first arrived suggested he come up to my room where I could look over the vouchers he had given me. I'll plead jet-lag for being stupid enough to let him. As he was getting ready to leave, he made his pitch: "It's customary," he brazenly stated, "to tip the TCI rep and the driver." I was just too astounded (and tired) to argue. "What is customary?" I asked, caving in to his request. I think I gave him around $2.00, but it was the only rep I tipped - this kind of soured me on tipping them.
I also had guides for the first half of my trip. That helped me ease into India and, after that, I was quite capable of fending for myself. My experience with the guides was mostly positive. In Old Delhi the guide marched me into a barber shop and announced that I was a visitor from the US. Everybody turned around to look and I took their picture. I can't imagine doing that on my own. Later he stopped a holy man in the street, introduced me and then took my picture with him - it's one of my treasured images of India.
At worst the guides were boring, quickly reciting their memorized lines. Also, they always wanted to take me shopping. I used this as an opportunity to see what was available and only made one purchase. One nice thing is they always asked me what kind of shop I wanted to visit so I got a good overview.
The drivers seldom spoke much English but always drove in a safe and sane manor - not too fast. They were always willing to stop so I could take pictures and try to explain things I was seeing in their limited English. These guys often deserved a tip.
I only had one problem: when I arrived in Varanasi I was told that my reserved hotel, Clarks, was full and I was taken instead to the Hindustan International. I soon discovered that I had been down-graded. Next morning after a short city tour I called TCI and asked to be moved - I figured if I didn't complain they would leave me there. After lunch I was in fact moved to Clarks. I then asked for compensation. I called the office several times, talked to every rep I met and even wrote a note outlining my request. Eventually when I reached Agra, I was offered a half-day tour as compensation. It seemed like a fair deal.
Anyway, here's the TCI phone numbers. The only one I have used is the Bombay fax number:
* Bombay is 9122-202-1881 (voice) and 9122-202-9424 (fax).
* The NYC is 212-935-4825 (voice) and 212-753-3956 (fax).
* The NYC address is: 240 E. 56th St. #2W, New York City, NY 10022.
They also have a web site: www.tcindia.com
Here's what the trip cost: $2120 to TCI for hotels (breakfast only), guide, driver and car; $245 to TCI for in country air fare; $1515 Detroit-Delhi; and another $300-350 for personal expenses.
A note about faxing to India: I used my home computer to send the faxes and tried to do so late in the evening or early in the morning when the rates were lowest. I received faxes at work where the machine was on 24 hours. If I sent a fax before I went to bed I would often have a reply from TCI when I got to work.
Before I decided to work with TCI, I tried to make my own reservations by fax. The first problem was getting the hotel's correct number: sometimes every travel guide gave a different number. Further, sometime the number didn't answer, or worse, a person would answer - I could hear them mumbling dimly through the modem speaker. It also seemed that some hotels turned their machines off at night - at any rate, many only answered in the day, the high-rate period. Of the ones I that got though to, only about half responded to me. I assumed the others were full or maybe don't work with individuals. All in all it was both a waste of time and money and after this I was glad to let TCI do the work.
If you have any question you can email me at doug@traveldoug.com
The disclaimer: I have no commercial interest in Travel Corporation of India. I am simply a traveler who has had a good experience using their services.
Doug Burnett
Ann Arbor, Michigan
November 1997
Part one - Delhi, Varanasi and Agra
Part two - Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur
Read more of my travelogues
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