Quick note: One Weird Globe partners with companies to share Site Reviews like this, and they’re your chance to learn about new travel services and websites. All opinions remain my own.
OK, so I’m not planning a trip to India anytime soon. A number of friends have gone, of course, and you might be looking to take in a country many call magical or incredible. If you are, listen up.
Enjoying a country as large and varied as India means you’ll be doing a lot of research to find hotels, what’s happening, events, and of course where to eat. The main cities covered are naturally India’s largest and most visited: Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa, Ahmedabad, and Pune. There are over 20 other Indian cities, in case your trip takes off the beaten path.
The home page interface is clean and clear — no issues with navigation. I have no experience with Indian trains, but was pleasantly surprised to find this section as easy to navigate as anything else. Autocomplete works well on the city level, but be aware cities often have more than one train station. Try not to limit your options too much, and be aware you’re limited to buying a maximum of 6 train tickets a month per IRCTC username / account.
The hotels section is similarly straightforward — start by choosing a city, let it autocomplete, and you’re off. From hotels in Kodaikanal to plenty of other cities, the filters on the left-hand side are exactly as expected, and even grabs reviews / ratings from TripAdvisor.
Flights — and flight deals — are two separate sections. The flights section is fairly standard, but the flight deals deserve a bit of attention. Starting from your city of choice, expect to find a list like this:
The site has already looked at flights from your city of choice to dozens of other cities, found the cheapest flight heading there in the next three months. If you’re flexible, there’s plenty of deals here. Flexible but not that flexible? Use the names of the months in the upper-right corner to find the cheapest fares for just the month(s) of choice, or click ‘view flights’ to see the complete list of dates and offerings. It’s rare that the ‘best price’ is only available on a single day.
The highlight here is the events section, which pulls in events coming soon based on the city you’re researching.
Beyond India and the US, the site also serves several Middle-Eastern countries. The ‘Locals’ section only appears in a couple of them, though. Use plenty of different world currencies to ensure you stay on budget.
While its main focus is one region of the world, it covers that region well. There’s a good variety of prices and offerings, and is a site I’ll turn to if I’m ever in the area.
Recommended.
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