FAQ
1. What is your holiday package includes?
Ground Package Includes your hotel accommodation, transfers and sightseeing, a combination of any two or with guide services, entry tickets, meals or only one stand alone service; Air Tickets; E-Visa(Foreign Guest), Travel Insurance ( Domestic Guests). You can book any one of these services or a combination of them.
2. How can you assist us if Odisha is part of itinerary having a long stretch of India tour with entry at Bhubaneswar and exit from Cochin?
We have representation offices in every state & Union Territories to extend warm greetings, no matter where you enter & exit. Moreover our friendly and efficient Guide will make your tour personalise & enjoyable onboard.
3. How can we book a tour to Odisha along with rest of India?
Our website is loaded with most popular & special interest tours. If you have any specific tour plan please write to us about your choice of place, duration, number of persons travelling together and preferred hotels. Our tour specialist will plan a tour for you and contact you very next day with all the details.
4. Can I book a tour to Bhutan, Nepal & Srilanka through Insight Holidays?
Yes. We do operate Bhutan with representation office at Thimpu, Nepal with Kathmandu office & Srilanka with office at Negombo. And we are being appreciated for our inbound specialities with loads of theme & interest based tours.
5. How advance should be my travel booking?
Your travel bookings should be made 8 months well in advance, especially if you are travelling between October- March (high tourist season) and May – June, the domestic holiday season. As travel infrastructure in India has its limitation in comparison to the high season demand therefore we highly recommend to book your tour in advance.
6. How to experience Odisha at its best?
We suggest you to consider rural Odisha while planning your trip, ask us to combine your trip during a local festival which will make your trip a great experience. On our website you find the dates of the Indian festivals taking place and which journey can be combined to them.
7. How will I be picked up from the Airport?
As per your arrival time you will be picked up by our representative at the arrival hall of Airport. Insight Holidays representative would be holding a welcome board with your name on it. If you are part of a group, the name of group will be mentioned on the welcome board. You will also be provided the mobile & WhatsApp/Telegram number of the representative to you who will be there to pick you up well in advance so that in case if missing you find each other at the particular location at the airport itself.
8. Can I book only hotels with you and not the complete tour?
Yes, Insight Holidays is having special rates with many hotels all over the Indian Subcontinent. We are sure that we will be able to offer you the hotels for your budget in the destination wanted by you. As for as hotels are concerned we have hotels of every standard in India. You will find some of the world class hotels in India. Do inform us what kind of hotels you are looking at. We also make arrangements for big conferences, incentive and Students Packages.
9. Can we book Indian Rail passes in Indian Rupee?
Concessional tickets such as Indrail Pass on Railways, Youth Fare, Discover India Fare and Air Fare (Indian Airlines) are to be purchased in foreign exchange only.
10. Do people understand English and other foreign languages?
English is spoken and understood at hotels. Cab drivers in Odisha can understand English but rarely spoken. We highly recommend you to take qualified and government recognized guides during your sightseeing in Odisha. We are associated with Guides in India who also speak German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian or Russian. Tour guides will help you not only in your sightseeing, but also help you understand India better and give you useful tips for your Journey to India !
11. Is there any point to note while visiting places of worship in Odisha?
Do remember to remove your shoes and sandals while visiting a place of worship or mausoleum. Also some temples do not allow leather articles in their premises. Non Hindus are not allowed to enter Jagannath Temple at Puri & Lingaraj Temple at Bhubaneswar.
12. Are there any restrictions for the Photography in Odisha ?
Photography is a great fun in Odisha as you will have enough sunlight most of the time. We suggest you to bring enough films with you though most of the films of international brands are also available in Odisha. Our guide will suggest you where it is worth to photograph and where not. At Jagannath temple & Lingaraj Temple Cameras are not allowed. At some other temples, Museums & vulnerable tribal villages photography is not allowed. Do not photograph these objects & ethnic groups otherwise your film can be confiscated.
13. How can I see tribal life in close-up
A. It is a cardinal principle of Insight Holidays that we do not disturb the everyday lives and livelihood of tribal people & avoid close proximity with vulnerable tribes. Here our guide from the respective region provides an excellent way to gain a first close-up glimpse of forest dwellers without disturbance: the weekly market that takes place in different places on every day of every week within walking distance of interior villages. Here large numbers of people gather to barter and trade, swop news and have a drink or two of salap (palm toddy) carried from home in gourds, or something stronger distilled from the flowers of the Mahua tree (Mahuli), sacred to Triabl people for all its qualities from wood to oil to fruit and flowers. In selected tribal villages of Koraput & Kandhamal, it is possible to attend dance functions, weddings and local festivals when daily work is not pressing.
14. How safe is Odisha & its tribal region ?
India is comparatively a safe country to travel. Crime rate against foreigners remain low. However specially to our female guests we recommend not be alone on the road after late evening just to be on the safer side. While we have no control over force majeure or Acts of God, we do take security very seriously (as do the local civil authorities) and will always advise when an area for whatever reason is temporarily considered unsafe. As a general rule, we discourage driving at night. In case help needed you can call the police at 100 and Ambulance at 102.
15. How is the shopping in Odisha?
Odisha is a shoppers paradise. Shopping is recommended from Government Emporiums. We can forward you the details for that. Most of the large stores will ship your purchases for you, though, for convenience and to avoid postal delays, it is advisable to carry your shopping with you or to book it as baggage. If you have any specific items needed may contact us. We will assist you with appropriate information.
16. How much should I give as tipping while travelling in Odisha ?
Tipping is expected by most of the people involved in the tourism. In big hotels services charges are included in the bills so tipping is not necessary otherwise 10% of the amount of the billing is normal as tipping. If traveling with a group the tipping can be reduced to 5% of the total bill. For the porters in the hotels Rs.20 for a single baggage and in the case of a group Rs.10 per baggage is customary. For tour guides and escorts we recommend 1 to 2 USD per day per person and same is also for the driver accompanying you during your tour. However the mentioned amounts are just to give travelers an idea. There is no must or compulsion of tipping in Odisha. We advice you to measure the quality of services of particular person or establishment before thinking of tipping !
17. Which currency is used in India? Is there any restrictions to carry our currency to India?
The units of Indian currency are the Rupee and Paisa (100 Paisa equal 1 Rupee). Paper money is in denominations of Rupees 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 2000. Coins are in denominations of Rupees 1, 2, 5 and 10.
There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency or travelers checks that can be brought by a tourist to India. However a Declaration form is filled (only for the amount which is more than USD 10,000) on the arrival at the Biju Pattnaik international airport, Bhubaneswar. By filling up this form you can also get your money exchanged back in the original currency without any problem. Any kind of money exchange should be done only through authorised money changers. You may ask our guides and they will tell you the right center or place to get the money exchanged. Please note that no Indian currency can be imported or exported, except for Rupee travelers checks.
18. Can I pay in Euro, USD or through credit cards while in Odisha ?
All the major currencies including Euro and US $ are accepted at hotels, shops, banks & authorised money changers across Odisha. Also all the major credit cards (Visa, Masters and American Express) are also accepted in Odisha.
19. What are the timings of the Bank and other administrative offices in Odisha ?
Banks
From 1000hrs to 1600hrs Monday through Saturday. On 2nd & 4th Saturdays of every month banks remain close
Administrative Offices
1000hrs to 1730hrs Monday through Saturday. 4th Saturday of every month is holiday.
20. Are there any restrictions on the export from India?
The Government has put restrictions on the export of all wild animals indigenous to the country and articles made from such listed animals like skins, pelts, furs, ivory, rhino horns, trophies, etc. have been totally banned. These include all forms of wild animals including their parts and products, except peacock feathers and handicrafts made from them are subject to conditions specified. Export of exotic birds is also not allowed. Also, export of sandalwood in any form, excluding finished handicrafts and machine-finished products is prohibited.
Antiquities which include sculpture, painting or other works of arts or crafts, illustrative of science, art, craft, religion of bygone ages and of historical interest which are older than a hundred years may not be exported. Manuscripts or other documents of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic older than seventy five years also can’t be exported.
21. How do we settle the payment? Is there an advance deposit required?
We need 20% of the total tour cost at the time of the confirmation of the tour. This is to be sure that you booking a genuine one and we can go ahead with the reservations. The rest of the due amount should be before your arrival in India. On special request, you can also make the payment also after your arrival. This can be agreed upon as per the type of tour and the amount we have to pay in advance to the hotels and our other associate office for making the reservations.