Go Blend Travels Inc.
30145, Helmandale Dr.
Franklin, MI
PIN - 48025
Contact Number : 248- 430-8131
Email : contact@idiscoverindia.com

What do you mean by the word “Tour” in your itineraries?

The word "tour" is used for lack of better word and generally means sightseeing. It implies that you have a car with driver to take you around for sightseeing.  Now for your sightseeing you could possibly be accompanied by a guide or doing it on your own, depending on the type of package you have chosen. Guides are optional in our Budget trips; however you can opt to have one at various cities by paying extra.
As for Luxury Tours, all such tours have personal guides included.

Is the price on website total for 2 or per person?

All prices on our website are based on twin sharing. While the price on main page where all prices are listed is by per person ( again based of twin sharing) , once you go on the particular package details page you will see that the price is the total for 2 people .

What is the price for single person? Would that be half of the published price?

The price for single person is usually not very different from the price for 2. As the same services are used (car with driver and hotels) there is very little difference in price for 2 as opposed to 1. The best  way to save if you are a single traveler is to opt for our single traveler match up where we set you up with another person  to share a trip ( hotels + car). This allows you to pay only 60% of the cost for 2 people thereby saving nearly 40% of the tour cost over doing it alone.

Does the price on website include International Air fares or domestic flights?

No International airfares are included in any of our tours/trip prices.
As for Domestic flights – the BUDGET TOUR OPTION (which includes Basic, Standard and Comfort)   prices does not include the domestic flight component. It is clearly mentioned on the Inclusions/Exclusions tab of the itinerary.
However, for all our LUXURY TOUR OPTION (Luxury and Opulent options), the published prices include economy domestic flight prices.

What are the start dates of the trips/tours? Are these fixed?

Nearly all our trips are private trips (unless slated as Group tour) and can be started on any date as per your choice.
The only thing to keep in mind is to give enough time to book to allow you to get availability in hotels/trains listed in the itinerary. In case you are booking closer to dates it might happen that you would not get the same hotels/trains /flights as mentioned in your itinerary and in such cases we would let you know the same before booking or at the time of booking to allow you to take an informed decision.

How do I decide which option is right for me?

It is very important to understand the various options of trips.  The most basic difference between different Budget tour options is Hotels. You should read the ‘How to select the right option” to set the right expectation from the hotels you have chosen.

For Luxury tours the Luxury and Opulent options vary by the choice of hotels or the room types or both.
The luxury tours vary from Budget tours in terms of hotels, type of car used and guides in general.

Are Guides included in my trip?

Budget trips DO NOT include guides. However you can opt to have a guide at different place if you want- it’s optional and can be included for extra cost.
All luxury tours include personal guide in each city.

Can I decide on how much time I want to spend at each place I visit?

Yes, while our itineraries list the possible places of sightseeing within the city, you can skip some places or go to nearby places if you want. This is usually true for nearly all trips except for where just a pick up or drop is or in some cities where tours are based specifically off the places listed in your itinerary. Best is to ask the travel consultant in case of some confusion. In general, things are flexible in terms of what you want to see within the city and the amount of time you want to spend doing that- under reasonable limits of course.

Can I opt for changes in hotels? Can I choose some hotels from Basic option and others from say other Options?

Yes you can customize your trip by either changing your hotels, or adding days to your itinerary or making additional stop s etc. However, all changes need to be made before start of your trip (in accordance with cancellation policy and availability).  Last minute changes after are not allowed without foregoing the already booked part of your itinerary.

What type of trains do you use? Which class/category?

For shorter train journeys we use air conditioned Chair Cars. For longer duration journeys we use air conditioned 2- tier or 3 tier depending on the package.

What is the extent of customization I can have in my trip?

You can customize to any extent before before purchase. After purchase there might be some limitations in terms of wholesale changes across the board, but in consultation with your travel consultant you can reach an agreement.
In general you can customize by choosing your own hotels, having a different car , changing train journeys to flights, adding some activities or changing the number of days in your itinerary or subtracting/adding a few places.
Of course your proposed changes may or may not result in price change.

Does the driver speak English?

Nearly all drivers in India do not speak English fluently.  They can understand and perhaps be able to convey your message  but can’t necessarily hold long fluent conversations .That been said they are in business  for so long and have been interacting with foreigners for a long time to be able to communicate and cater to all your needs. Additionally our guests are constantly in touch with us over mobile (which we provide them – free rental) which allows them to talk to us if any communication problem occurs.
On a separate note , a fluent English speaking driver is a rarity coz a driver who makes anywhere around USD 150 in salary a month could have easily increased his marketability by over 3 times had he known  decent English.  So claims from some agents about their fluent English speaking drivers should be treated with a pinch of salt.

What if driver does not understand what we are trying to convey?

In most situations your driver is your best friend on the trip, especially on  a long trip he can be very helpful  as he is very insightful and understanding of your needs. However if you have some problems in communicating or there is something that you are unable to reach out to him about you have 24/7 access to our ground support in India. They will help translate and communicate.

How do I book?

Step 1: Select an already existing itinerary or request to customize an itinerary or fill up our form to contact our travel consultant to discuss your India trip

Step 2: Our consultant, based on your requirements will provide you with a detailed itinerary .If you have any special requirements, our consultant will fine-tune the itinerary to tailor-make it to your needs and desire.

Step 3:  Once you decide to book, a Booking Id is issued against your itinerary. At this point you can book by paying a deposit amount against your Booking Id. You can pay by depositing a check in our “Bank of America” account or pay by credit card or via PayPal. PLEASE NOTE ALL PAYMENTS BY CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL ATTRACT AN ADDITIONAL 2.9% SURCHARGE. There is no charge on deposits made by check or wire transfer directly to our account.

Step 4: Once the payment is made, we send you a receipt with booking and payment details within 2 business days.

What documents do I need for my travel after the booking and when will I receive them?

Once you decide on booking a trip with us, we will send you an itinerary along with payment details and a booking id. You will make payment either by credit card or by directly depositing on our bank account. Three days after receiving the money we will issue you a receipt for the same. About 2- days before your arrival dates we will send you an email which will have all your pick up details – our company’s driver name and contact number , vehicle number and exit details at your arrival airport . Our representative will schedule to meet you at your hotel and hand over the detailed vouchers for all your booking - either the same day as your arrival or if you arrive late in the night , our representative will meet you in the morning at your hotel. At all times you will be provided a contact number that you can call in case of any problem.

How do I make the payment? Are there any surcharges?

You can make payments either by check or by depositing in our Bank of America account.
All payment details are sent to you at the time of booking or when an itinerary is sent to you.
Credit card payments attract a surcharge ( as charged by credit card gateway ) and this will be mentioned separately in the invoice sent to you . All payments include taxes, the details of the payment structure and inclusions/exclusions are always detailed in your itinerary.

PLEASE NOTE ALL PAYMENTS BY CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL ATTRACT AN ADDITIONAL 2.9% SURCHARGE. There is no charge on deposits made by check or wire transfer directly to our account.

What is cancellation policy?

Please refer to our general Terms & Conditions document and your final itinerary which has booking id for all details regarding cancellation/change of your booking.

What happens if I cancel my travel arrangements?

You may contact our customer care department at 248-430-8131 or email us at contact@idiscoverindia.com if you wish to cancel any of your bookings made with us.
Please note that all cancellations involve certain charges to be borne by the traveler. These charges vary according to the nature of the booking and are adjusted against any refund that you receive. You will need your booking reference/s and any other relevant details at the time of cancellation. The general cancellation rules are in our Terms & Conditions document . If any additional clause applies for your dates of travel that would be mentioned in your itinerary sent out to you.

Can I change my hotel if I do not like it on arrival?

No changes can be made to your booking without foregoing the amount paid for the booked trip. It is our utmost endeavour to provide you with best hotels in the price range for our packages. It is essential that you look at the hotel and its website ( which is provided to you when we send out the itinerary to you ) and also read our how to select your package to set a general expectation from the hotels selected for you in a given package type.

Are there are any things I should be aware of?

In general some of the things you should be aware of are:

1. Be able to accurately set your expectations in terms of Hotels and the corresponding options you choose
2. Ensure you have Visa. Give yourself enough time to apply especially during busy times
3. Talk to the travel consultant as much as you want without felling obligated. The more you talk the better you will be informed and the easier it would be to have a flawless trip.
4. Just be familiar with standards in India around hygiene, cleanliness, culture and social norms  – an apple to apple comparison is very difficult and will only disappoint you.
5. Book well in advance- say 3 months in general.

How do we contact you if we have problems while traveling in India?

You will have our India office number as well as contact person’s address before you arrive in India. As it is our own office, he/she will understand your needs and is competent to handle any of your problems. Moreover you will have a cell phone (in most long trips while in India) and you would have your ground contact’s number at all times to reach out to.

What is the Free Phone service?

On most long trips and women only trips, we provide a FREE RENTAL Mobile with India number. Although you still have to top it up with some value to be able to use it, it is pretty nominal. Think of it as a prepaid value of about USD 10 can last you easy 10 odd days if you are using the phone to just stay in touch with your driver or local office in India. You can even share that number with your friends and family at home to call you.  In case you want to make international calls you just need to add more value to it, but again it’s a much cheaper option than using your International phone.

Will I need a Visa or Transit Visa for my trip?

Yes, most people need visa for their travel to India . For more details on visa requirements please check : indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com

What is the best time to visit India?

For most of the popular tourist destinations October to March is the best time.
Monsoons are July and August and perhaps the time when you can get deals, but it is still hot, although relatively cooler than peak summer months of May and June Summers are usually very hot and basically all tourist attractions are for hill stations (high altitude destinations). Talk to a travel consultant to discuss your time of travel.

What is an ideal duration to visit India?

Although it would be hard to experience the whole of India during one trip, we suggest a minimum of about 2 weeks that allows you to do at least one particular sector on a visit.
The itineraries on our website are made keeping in mind the distinct routes and time needed to cover those.

What all places are in India to visit and where should one go?

This is a hard question to answer considering there are so many options- dependent on season, interest, and time on hand. While we have made all efforts to provide as many itineraries that are considered the most popular, if you still can’t find something please feel free to contact our travel consultant and she would be more than happy to offer you information as per your requirement.

What about trips to other places near India, like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Tibet?

Yes we plan and book add-on trips to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Tibet. If for some reason you are unable to find something that suits your needs, please contact our travel consultant.