The Bouvice - A Boutique Service AptHotel

Autos

by abi_maha

NExt to the volvo buses is the conveniences of hiring an auto, repaid counters are available at the city railway station, MG road and at Forum in Koramangala. Take these to avoid getting cheated by the auto drivers. Even otherwise the drivers have to put on the meter when you start the journey, it entails a minimum fare of rs 14 for a distance of 2kms and Rs 7 per km henceforth. Do not encourage them to ask for a fixed rate and check distances before you boards from one place to the other on google maps if possible to avoid getting cheated or bein taken to your destination thru a circuitous route!

Simplify Your Travels to India

by sgupta

"The Flight"

This is the first in a series of blogs about simplifying your travels to India. As founder of Maintec Technologies, which is based out of Bangalore, India and provides Remote Infrastructure Management services with a focus on IBM Mainframe Platforms, I travel to India four to five times a year. I had an opportunity to travel there with my wife Dec. 23-Jan. 6, but the purpose of this particular trip was more pleasure than business.

We started our journey with a flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Detroit via Delta Airlines, then on to Amsterdam via Northwest Airlines, and finally to Mumbai. There are several ways to get to India and my favorite used to be via non-stop flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to Mumbai. This took 14 to16 hours depending on head or tail winds. The non-stop flight’s biggest benefit is you bypass Europe. One long non-stop flight is much easier than two 8- to 9-hour flights. Plus, the layover in Europe creates opportunities for missed connections and two more rounds of security shakedown I prefer to avoid.

American Airlines and Continental Airlines still offer non-stop flights to Delhi and Mumbai, respectively. If you live on the U.S. West Coast, another option is to fly via Singapore Airlines to Singapore, then from Singapore on to any major city in India. Singapore Airlines also offers unmatched service. The other option would be to fly via the Middle East via Emirates Airlines, with a non-stop flight to Dubai. Consider an overnight stop in Dubai, since a break in the journey helps cure jet lag.

Tickets range in price from $1,000 to $3,500-plus for economy class, and from $3,500 to $8,000-plus for a business class ticket, depending also on how far in advance you book your tickets. Over the years, I’ve used a travel agent and travel websites (Expedia and Priceline) to book my tickets. Have a safe and pleasant journey, and look for more blog posts on traveling to India here soon.