Nov 22, 2005 03:29 PM
9774 Views
(Updated Nov 22, 2005 03:43 PM)
I chanced by this very useful free site some time back while doing some research on Shimla/Chandigarh/Kasuali before embarking on my recent North India trip. I have always believed in doing thorough research on a place before beginning a tour or trip, wherever it is..This habit not only saves one from spending a whole lot of money unnecessarily and thus ensures that the trip is a budget trip, but it also makes one quite street smart and loaded with tricks & tips with respect to the place they are going to! Needless to say, the time I spent on https://indiamike.com was very worth it, I gained a lot of info on the places I visited, and learnt so much! Here are a few facts and features of this awesome website that I am delighted to share:
The name: https://indiamike.com is quite an amateur name, but the fact is that this site was just a personal webpage of a firang guy obsessed with India..and slowly it evolved and due to its usability and the amount of information on it the number of hits and members kept increasing, and finally one day, this site was HUGE, but stuck with the silly old name. It currently has around 8000 members.
The purpose: To guide and help any person from anywhere in the world who is interested in India(for travel or otherwise), with tonnes and tonnes of useful information about literally anything under the sun. The site is of course, most helpful for those interested in doing a trip to almost ANY part of India!
The details: The site is basically an open forum where information is exchanged from person to person. Members are free to post any questions or join any discussion regarding anything related to India or travel in India and these questions are answered or discussed by other members who are in the know. Apart from discussions on each state and the places in it, there are sections on Indian Railways, Airlines, Hotels and much more. Many members, both Indian and non-Indian- selflessly help others upto great extents with answers to questions that range from really useful to sometimes plain silly. But such questions normally come from first time travellers, especially apprehensive foreigners coming to India who think of our country as a strange, mystic land still in the dark ages. But this site is exactly to squash such misconceptions, and normally, all questions are answered without any bias or prejudice. Newbies learn from the site and its members and become wiser specially after their India trip, and then its their turn to give back soemthing to the site. Thus the info keeps rolling on from person to person. The striking feature is that any doubt on literally any topic can be clarified within hours, thanks to the ever helpful nature of the members on this site, who are from all over the globe.
The extras: Apart from exchange of information on India, this site has members photo galleries which have some great tour pics of almost every place in India in several categories along with an audio/video section. Hotel reviews and listings is another very useful feature. The complicated details of Indian Railways, their routes and bookings is also tackled by some very experienced members on this site, and I personally had many doubts on this which were all soothed by them! A shout-box for members, conversion tools, news feed and e-mail checking facility for the traveller are other useful extras provided.
Finally, this site is VERY user-friendly, thanks to the vBulletin format which is used. A very powerful search feature makes life a lot easier when one is looking for some specific information or keyword. Moreover, the control panel for each member is very convenient, and lets one keep track of exactly which thread one has subscribed/participated in, and the replies or feedback can be montiored with ease.
Visit https://indiamike.com today! Even if you are not planning to travel the lengths and breadths of our wonderful country, perhaps you could participate and help people interested in visiting your own city? It is a nice place to make friends or travel buddies as well, and the site has such dedicated, friendly members that now regular IndiaMike meetings are held around the world! No doubt, this is a great forum to learn and share, and I guarantee that you will leave the website as a wiser person and make a few people wiser too!
-ShaZ-
