India inspirited

It's all there "" spirituality, different religions and luxury "" a tour for foreigners that you might covet.

What is it?
Travel is one of the most enriching purchases you can make in life. And the Himalayas is one of the most spiritual experiences you can have.

Asia Transpacific Journeys (ATJ), an American travel company, is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a tribute to India. It promises a trip to the less-travelled regions of north India in 16 days and is named "In the realm of the spirit "" temples and monasteries of the Indian Himalaya".

What is in it for you?
You have ample time to plan. The trip starts on September 15, 2007 and the bookings are already open. ATJ has been an expert in travel to Asia and the Pacific Rim for the past 20 years.

This trip to north India is one of 18 different itineraries for small groups (maximum 16 travellers) that will showcase in-depth cultural explorations of the region.

The catch phrase for those who have never been there in the lap of the Himalayas is the contrasting spiritual traditions and unparalleled exposure to many different cultures and religions. The many styles of temple architecture and the distinct rituals is a feast for the mind and spirit.

An enamouring list of places "" Buddhism in Ladakh, Sikhism's embrace of all humankind at Amritsar, the enlightened message of compassion espoused by the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, the intense devotion in sacred Haridwar, and the mystic yogic tradition prevailing in Rishikesh.

Accommodations range from heritage hotels to five-star boutique properties to rustic huts near an 11th century monastery. The journey culminates in Delhi at Hotel Imperial, reckoned among the finest hotels in Asia. The farewell dinner would be at the Imperial's Spice Route, recognised as one of the world's top 10 restaurants by Conde Nast Traveler.

Why are we writing about it?
The piece de resistance of the trip is a three-night, end-of-sojourn stay at the spa Ananda in the Himalayas. This retreat recently garnered the coveted World's Number One Destination Spa award from Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

Included are yoga and meditation classes, steam room and jacuzzi facilities, and morning signature wake up tea. Additionally, on offer are 79 different herbal treatments and an extensive menu of massage options.

What are the damages?
Travelling with your partner? Per person, your travel costs will come up to $5,695 exclusive of international air ticket charges. That is for people travelling from abroad. Internal air ticket charges come up to $510. For one more additional person, the charges are up to $1,100.

The rate includes beyond-the-ordinary lodging, meals, transport and private guide, as well as many other features. Included in the per-person land costs are accommodations, nearly all meals, transfers, visa fees, tips, entrance fees, medical and emergency insurance and a comprehensive pre-departure packet. ATJ also arranges for international air through its in-house air department.

Take it or leave it?
Obviously, this is a package for foreigners to get a taste of India. You should be crazy to travel north India at such exorbitant rates. Then why did we write? We were floored by the Himalayan spa and the spirituality thrown in the package. Who knows, one of us might like this outrageously ticklish travel bug bite.

SNIPPETS

Bag it
If you're the creative types and wondering what should be your next creative pursuit, well, quickly log on to www.klm.com and design your own baggage tag. How? You can upload your own pictures or select images from KLM's gallery "" and they have a bank of 25 images that you can choose from "" fill in your name, e-mail address and telephone number and design your very own luggage label. And you can do this completely free of cost. After your label's designed, the airline sends it on your address so that you can attach it to your baggage. But hurry and make your baggage tag soon as the offer lasts only as long as the tags are in stock.

Cheapos at work
It seems like everything is cheap and everybody is looking for cheap deals. The cheapos are at work on www.traveldealsdiscounts.com and www.eurocheapo.com for recommendations on car rentals, hotel accommodation, airfares, vacations, and so on?

In addition to telling you about the deals, www.traveldealsdiscounts.com displays prices from other low price travel sites to enable price comparison. These travel sites include orbitz.com, travelocity.com, ebags.com, budget.com and priceline.com. Every link on the website will lead you to coupons and deals like eBags coupons, savings from Travelocity and discounts from CheapCarribean.com.

The website displays deals from Marriot Network Hotels, cheaptickets.com, Sandals and Beaches Resorts, Florida Vacation Station and others.

Meanwhile budget website eurocheapo.com has recently launched travel guides for Bratislava and Krakow, extending its coverage to 21 cities throughout Europe. Eurocheapo also increased the volume of expert hotel reviews within its Paris and Venice travel guides. Worth a run down before you backpack for Europe.

Cruise check
Cruise West, the largest American-owned cruise line and pioneers in small-ship cruising is inviting travellers for a chance to get up-close, casual and personal with the waterways of America's Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes on the Spirit of Nantucket's final year of East Coast sailing.

In 2008, the line will be deploying the Spirit of Nantucket to the north. Until then, the line will be celebrating the dynamic offerings of the East Coast region with eight distinct itineraries for 2007. Check their site https://bsmedia.business-standard.comwww.cruisewest.com to get more details and also book your cruise. The itinerary includes East Coast destinations such as the Great Lakes, Hudson Valley, islands of New England, or Antebellum South.

Cruise West's smaller ships "" nine in all "" hold between 70-138 guests each. The experience is personally enriching through onboard narrative and lectures, special local guests from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the library provided on each vessel.