Booking Indian Trains: Classes, Quotas and How to Get a Seat
A practical guide to Indian Railways for visitors: travel classes from 1A to sleeper, booking on IRCTC, waitlists and RAC, the Tatkal quota, foreign tourist quota, and life on board.
Practical travel and culture guides for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives: monsoon timing, trains and buses, festivals, food, and respectful travel at religious sites — plus a month-by-month season chart.
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A practical guide to Indian Railways for visitors: travel classes from 1A to sleeper, booking on IRCTC, waitlists and RAC, the Tatkal quota, foreign tourist quota, and life on board.
How Sri Lanka's south-west and north-east monsoons mean there's almost always a dry coast somewhere — with a month-by-month guide to the south, west, east, north and hill country.
When Holi, Diwali, Durga Puja, Eid, Dashain, Tihar, Vesak, Pongal and other major festivals usually fall, what they involve, and how they affect travel.
How to approach a first trip to India, Nepal or Sri Lanka: pick a small area, travel in the right season, build in time, manage health and expectations, and handle attention and touts calmly.
Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism and Christianity side by side — and the etiquette for visiting temples, mosques, gurdwaras and monasteries.
A region-by-region tasting guide: North and South Indian classics, Bengali fish, Gujarati thalis, Nepali dal bhat and momo, Sri Lankan rice and curry, Bangladeshi hilsa and sweets across the region.
How the south-west and north-east monsoons move across South Asia, what rain actually looks like on the ground, transport disruptions, health precautions and why some travellers choose the monsoon on purpose.
How to choose between trains, buses, domestic flights, ride-hailing and auto-rickshaws in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka — with comfort, booking and safety tips.