Traveling by train and bus in Rajasthan (page 3 of 3)

The price that doesn’t work for me might be the real price (e.g., an iPhone—I don’t see the point in spending that much money on a phone)

Well, that’s really subjective... Everyone’s in charge of their own choices and spending for what suits them. Personally, I don’t see the point in paying a fortune for fancy restaurants and hotels when you can just as easily enjoy amazing food at a local eatery and sleep comfortably in a guesthouse😉

Well, that's very subjective...

Yes.

when you can just as easily enjoy a meal in a small eatery and sleep comfortably in a guesthouse😉

It’s not the same thing (I’m not talking about taste buds or sleep itself).

Most of the small eateries where I’ve eaten would depress me if I had to eat every meal there. The dishes served, however, could be really good.

It’s like a picnic. The same picnic on a highway rest stop and during a hike with a stunning view won’t have the same overall charm.

For guesthouses, it might be possible to find something that doesn’t depress me. I haven’t always spent hundreds to sleep, and some rooms were fine. But often, I’ve ended up with really ugly or even disgusting places when I’ve gone for the cheap options. There could be a giant flat-screen TV that I don’t need and sheets older than dirt, all holey, plus lovely piss-yellow walls... Well, after all, it was in places where there wasn’t any competition.

The relationship with comfort doesn’t seem the same for Indians.

Why force people to download the app? 🤪

Why force people to download the app?

I’d say it’s probably policy—new laws or something. I used to be able to book safaris directly from France with my credit card, but now it’s becoming almost impossible...

But if you're in India, not France or anywhere else, you can totally access MMT (MakeMyTrip) and book everything you want: buses, trains, hotels, etc... And I don’t hold back... Also works from France with a VPN

So many complications...

On no app or site do you need an Indian phone number?

Maybe also to force foreigners to use travel agencies? And inflate prices for them?

To make my life easier, I’ve been using an Indian agency since 2004 for almost all my bookings (even very affordable homestays), except for flights. I pay commissions, but I always have a solution when a problem comes up... like the most recent one in 2024: a last-minute cancellation of the train from Hampi to Ballarshah just 2 hours before departure—there was only one train per day. I still made it in time for my afternoon safari the day after the cancellation. I can’t improvise as much anymore due to the influx of domestic tourists in Indian parks and the limited number of vehicles allowed per safari.

We all have different ways of organizing our trips—the main thing is to enjoy them!

We all have different ways of organizing our trips—the main thing is to enjoy them.

Absolutely. 😛

Maybe also to force foreigners to use travel agencies? And inflate prices for them?

That’s probably true, even certain... I mentioned earlier that it’s political... I have an AMEX card (which earns me lots of miles) that I use in many places and countries... Now, in India on all official sites, it doesn’t go through... you need an INDIA AMEX card 🤷‍♂️😭😵