Roll Call- POI Trip Date Jan 22-Feb 8 2025 :)
Is anyone joining us on the 1-22-25 POI trip. We are looking forward to the trip and the information here has been fabulous 
I am 53 and the hubby is 56 and we are frequent travelers with Tauck because they just make it so very easy to travel with them They handle it all and we are able to just enjoy the journey. Looking forward to learning more here and i appreciate the help from the peeps I have chatted with so far. We will land at 2:05 am on the 19th so we will have some free time to catch up on sleep before the trip begins.
Hoping to find some fellow travelers before we leave
Tamara in Texas
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Comments
Try to get to the Spice Route restaurant if you are arriving early. It’s in the imperial hotel which is gorgeous. The hotel will help arrange a taxi who can and will just wait for you while you dine. It was also a nice way to see Delhi at night. About a 15-20 minute drive from the tauck hotel. Need reservations. Was out best meal on the trip!
We also had an early arrival and had to book an extra night at the Leela instead of waiting for the next day afternoon checkin. Trip is beyond fabulous. Great sites and hotels.
I worked with the concierge at the Leela and we hired a car from the hotel and they set up a guide for us. We spent the extra day before the trip seeing Delhi. I really thought it was worthwhile.
We worked with the guide so that he didn't take us to places that Tauck would later take us to. Check out the beginning of our blog - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2024-3India-01.htm
Mike and Judy, I commend you on your extensive detail which helps us enormously on our upcoming February trip. Thank you for taking the time to help us visualize the fascination of India. The trip sounds as exhausting as exhilarating.
Thank you, anitasbooth, for your kind words about our India blog. I'm happy it was of value to you.
There were a lot of early departures and we were fatigued by the end of the tour. However, to be fair, we're getting up in age. I think younger people will do fine on the trip.
India is a long ways away so we want to do as much as possible while on a tour - I'd rather be fatigued than bored.
Hi - I'm Annarita from Sarasota, FL. Looking forward to the 1/22-2/18/25 POI trip. I booked the Leela Palace for 1/21 arrival. I'm traveling alone. Long layover in Heathrow! Still wondering about the green duffle that was mailed to me. It seems that it will be checked and is all each of us will have for the intra-flights to 1, 2 and 3 night overnights, and no "personal item" allowed as carry on, except that all electronics have to be in a carry on. So? I think I'll bring a small back pack too and hope that's OK. I've never traveled with Tauck before.
The tour instructions mention you can indeed bring a backpack as carry on but it must weigh no more than 15 lbs. Enjoy India!
@AnnaritaScott - The duffle was only used when we went to Kochi - our bags went to Mumbai. According to the Indigo website each person is limited to one carry-on of 15 pounds. However, no one paid any attention to that limit. My wife and I both used a carry on of more than 17 pounds. One time I was asked to gate-check my bag but I told them I was carrying li ion batteries (which was true) and they passed me along.
You might want to review our blog of the trip. It will help you understand what you will see and do. We were there just a few months ago.
https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2024-3India-01.htm
You may have Annie as your TD. I understand she's going back to India to run several POI tours.
The 2025 tour mentions 3 occasions when only an overnight bag is taken. It’s years since we went to India and back then the airports weighed the bags and were strict. Sometimes they allowed group check in…lif all our bags weighed less than the totals for us all it was fine. So who knows if things have changed or who is the gate agent, or if it depends on how full the plane is.
‘There will be three occasions during your trip when weight restrictions on our intra-tour flights will require you to pack an overnight duffel in place of your primary luggage: 1.) When you depart Delhi for your overnight in Varanasi on Day 3 (you will be reunited with your primary luggage upon arrival in Agra on Day 4), and, 2.) on Day 7, when your primary luggage will be collected in the evening for transport overnight from Jaipur to Udaipur. (You will be reunited with your primary luggage on Day 8 in Udaipur) and 3.) when you fly to Cochin on Day 11 (you will be reunited with your primary luggage on day 15 in Mumbai).
A special duffel will be mailed to your home prior to your tour departure, which you may use for clothing, toiletries and other essentials at these times. The use of an overnight duffel on these occasions will facilitate the separate transportation of your primary luggage, which cannot travel with us on our intra-tour flights due to weight restrictions. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
If you reside in the United States, the duffel bag will be sent to your home and should arrive approximately two weeks prior to your departure for India. If you reside outside of the U.S., you will receive your duffels from your Tauck Director while on tour.
In addition to the Tauck duffel which will be your checked piece of luggage for these overnights, you will be allowed to bring ONE piece of carry-on luggage aboard your intra-tour flights weighing no more than 15 pounds (7 kg) and with maximum dimensions of 21" x 13.75" x 10" (55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm)’