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“Every year, the editorial team combs the world to find the most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours,” notes senior editor Norie Quintos. “This year, we wanted to make sure that the trips we picked were also a great value, given the economic climate. What we found is that there is no better time to go on a guided tour than now as the traditional savings offered by an outfitter being able to negotiate better rates on a trip’s components is magnified by cheaper airfares, a strengthened dollar, and more discounts, freebies, and extras.”
Imaginative Traveller’s classic 21-day tour "Amongst the Maharajahs" gets under the skin of India and is anchored by the classic sites of Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur. This Rajasthan journey takes side trips to villages such as Chandelao, where the local Rajput ruler has converted his garh (fortress-style house) into a hotel that has brought jobs to the region. For Imaginative Traveller, travel means getting to the heart of the country whilst offering the most authentic travel experience possible. Imaginative Traveller aims to minimise the impact on the environment and contributes to the sustainability of this tour, by matching all client donations to local projects.
The tours on this year’s list are organised into three categories -active, classic, and cultural- and include 47 tour listings. Many of the tours don’t necessarily qualify as “cheap.” But every tour, whatever its price, offers small-group, thoughtfully crafted experiences that are eco- and culturally sensitive, provide unusual access, and foster interaction with the locals.
This tour heads off the beaten track with the chance to see how life continues in India’s villages. Nights are spent at a number of exquisite heritage hotels which vary from elegant Maharajas’ palaces and lavish tented camps to more simple but equally atmospheric old buildings. It is not difficult to see why this is Imaginative Traveller’s favourite tour of India.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
