Discover India with Julie
Our team member Julie Hidayat, is celebrating her first year working for One Life Adventures. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and contributions to the team as a Tour Coordinator. Yes, she’s one of our amazing team members behind our guests tour enquiries. In acknowledgement of this milestone, Julie chose to visit India on one of our small group tours due to its unique and extensive history, its stunning architecture and variety of religions and temples. Gifted trips are given to all our employees as a token of appreciation for their loyalty and contributions to the company.
Dreams Do Come True
We spoke to Julie before she headed off on her tour. Travelling to India has always been on Julie’s bucket list. Inspired by Julie’s love for sketching, Indian architecture is one of the things that spiked her interest. After a year of working as a Tour Coordinator, she was looking forward to an adventure-packed trip. As she was consumed by wanderlust, wanting to quickly hop on her flight, Julie reminisced her days visiting Little India in Singapore; savouring flavourful Indian delicacies. Julie thought to herself, she had to try a Pani Puri and Jalebi freshly made by one of the street vendors in India.
Julie was part of our 12-day Classic trip. When we asked her what she was most excited about, she answered with a bright smile, “I’m looking forward to watching the sunrise and sunset at the Taj Mahal in the city of Agra, as well as going on a food tour!” It’s hard not to be excited about visiting the Taj Mahal up close. The city of Agra is known for its cultural and religious celebrations, making it the perfect destination to include on our itinerary.
Uncovering India
Upon finishing her travels in India, Julie was impressed with how mesmerising everything was. She shared with us some of her favourite moments from the tour. She loved the balance between relaxation and adventure that the tour offered. The itinerary was designed to ensure that the guests had enough time to fully enjoy the places they visited, without feeling rushed.
One of the highlights of Julie’s trip was the visit to Udaipur. The city is also known as the “White City” due to the palaces and forts built with white marble during the Rajput era. Julie’s top activity was the sunset boat tour at Lake Pichola which provided a breathtaking view of the forts of the White City as the sun set on the horizon. On Day 7 of the tour, Julie enjoyed cycling through the local villages and learning about the culture and cuisine. She even got to experience local living by trying out the local breakfast and wearing traditional Indian clothing called saris, which involves wrapping a large piece of fabric made of cotton, silk or fibre around the body in specific steps.
Handy Tips and Advice for First-Time Travellers
Here are Julie’s top tips and advice from India.
1. Safety:
Julie felt safe surrounded by a group of people and a local guide. Another guest of ours who travelled recently said “I came to India, very apprehensive being a solo female traveller. Over the 14 days of the tour … those feelings were quickly and consistently less and less frequent. I have left with a greater sense of gratitude for life/travel.” Sarah, November 2023.
2. Dress appropriately:
India is a conservative and religious country, so it’s best to dress appropriately, especially when visiting temples and historical sites. Make sure to cover your shoulders and legs. In some areas, you may also need to cover your head with a sarong.
3. Check the weather:
Before visiting Northern India, check the weather as there are three seasons – hot, monsoon, and cold season. During the cold season, temperatures can drop below -5 degrees Celsius, so pack accordingly.
4. Travel light:
To make travelling easier, bring a backpack of no more than 20kg and a hand-carry bag of less than 7kg. When commuting between cities, you won’t be overwhelmed by the amount of baggage you are carrying.
