Novel set in India, plus a day in the life of a travel agent

12th July 2016

Destination India (The Lonely Hearts Travel Club), by Katy Colins, novel set in India.

“Nowhere stirs the soul like India”

Georgia runs a travel agency helping people who have just come out of a broken relationship and nursing a broken heart.  She is in business with Ben, for whom she has a keen eye, but her feelings don’t really seem to be reciprocated. She works mad hours, has little time for her own social life and it’s beginning to tell.

Add into the mix some bad reviews coming in for the trips they organise to India and something has to give. Spurred on by her friend Shelley, they soon book themselves onto a flight to Delhi, for a change of scene as much as anything but also to really check out what their tour organiser Nihal is getting up to! She is travelling under the guise of a tourist, not in her in capacity of CEO. Her tour group is waiting.

In Delhi it is a brisk introduction to the sights, sounds and smells of this frenetic city, and a chaotic welcome from Nihal. India is described in stark clarity, the poverty as much as the cows and dung assail the reader at every stop. But of course Delhi Belly floors the group members and it is with griping stomachs that they visit the Taj Mahal and travel on to Mumbai on a 15 hour train ride. Georgia is soon being offered love fruit – white jamun – an ideal bite on a bulging train full of the world and his wife, and it’s almost immediately off to the Elephanta Caves, the trip out of the city that many tourists take. Having visited myself I truly loved the descriptions of the statues hewn from the rock face, and of course the canny monkeys who will steal anything that isn’t firmly anchored.

A quick experience of the filming of a Bollywood movie and the group moves on to Goa. Remember, Georgia is still incognito and of course there comes a point where she is outed – at the Holi festival (when everyone throws paint at each other), things take a very different tack.

If you are going to India and fancy a light read, then this is ideal. And if you have already been, it will transport you back…

India: “It’s a place that makes your heart swell with both happiness and humbleness at the kindness of complete strangers… But it also infuriates you, tests you to your limits  and develops your patience levels. It really is a country of two halves, but that’s what  keeps it so enchanting and never boring...”

Tina for the TripFiction Team

Ever wondered what it’s really like to be a Travel Agent? Find out here…..

Travel Agent: A Day in the Life by the team at Not Just Travel

As Katy Collin’s novel depicts, living the life of a travel agent isn’t always glitz and glam.

Take away the automatic stereotype of the glamorous travel industry lifestyle, and actually what’s beneath is a hardworking individual who strives to find you that perfect holiday.

Take a trip to India; for example. If being engrossed in this page-turner has got you thinking about booking your next trip, then straight away your travel agent could be sifting through the exclusive deals only available at Not Just Travel, to see if there’s a perfect match to meet your specifications.

“Nowhere stirs the soul like India” right? The holiday itself will be an experience of a lifetime – so making sure you get the most out of it is a necessity and often that does mean roping in some expert assistance, (just maybe not from Georgia or the ‘Lonely Hearts Travel Club’!)

Travel agents are there to encourage your underlying wanderlust; who says the entire country cannot be travelled in the space of one vacation?

As travel experts we recommend that you ensure you explore outside of your hotel. Experience the tingling sensation of your taste buds when trying the local Indian cuisine and be overwhelmed by the aroma of authentic spices as you stroll through the markets.

A travel agent will go out of their way to advise you on the best places to visit and the most scrumptious restaurants to dine at – after all, experiencing new cultures and cuisines plays a major part in your travel experience!

Want to visit the Taj Mahal and marvel at its symbolization of eternal love and then travel to India’s most populous city, Mumbai? A travel agent will go that extra mile to ensure such an adventure happens…

Whether you’re after handy tips on how to fend off the crafty monkeys at the Elephanta Caves, or advise on the dos and don’ts at the Holi festival, a travel agent is contactable during the entire trip to ensure that you have a stress free holiday!

Even though, like Georgia, travel agents can work insane hours, it’s all worth it to hear client’s holiday success stories…

Thank you to Not Just Travel (not just a #travel company – it’s a way of life!) for sharing a bit of insight into what it means to organise holidays for others!

To book you next holiday talk to the folks at Not Just Travel via their website, and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

And connect with Katy via Twitter, Facebook, her website, Instagram

Join Team TripFiction on Twitter (@tripfiction), Facebook (TripFiction), Instagram (TripFiction) and Pinterest (TripFiction)… and now YouTube

For more books set in INDIA, just click here

Check out our vlog on our YouTube channel….

Subscribe to future blog posts