Your next road trip could be to Ranakpur!
Your next road trip could be to Ranakpur!
Bored of the lockdown’s? Tired of the incessant video calls with your boss? Fed up of doing all household chores?
If your answer to the above questions is yes, it is more than likely that you are thinking about taking a holiday! Although, all communications from the government and organizations such as WHO seem to be suggesting that all non-essential travel must be avoided, there are some of us for which the next holiday cant wait any longer. If you are amongst these brave & adventurous one’s, we have come up with a list of 8 steps which you can follow to ensure that your holiday is memorable for the right reasons only.

Step 1

Road Trip!

Road trips with friends/family make for some of the most memorable holiday’s. There is no time like the present to plan your next road trip to a destination which is at a comfortable driving distance from your home. For example, Rajasthan is a great road trip destination for travellers coming from Delhi/NCR, Gujarat & Madhya Pradesh as well. In fact, the resorts in Rajasthan are already seeing people coming to stay with them over weekends to beat the stress. Driving down in your own vehicle is the safest way to reach your destination in the present scenario. It is advisable to pack enough food & water for the drive to avoid stopping along the way for meals although a toilet break may be necessary!

Step 2

Destination research.

You may have many choices of places that you would like to go for a short break. However, it might be prudent to look at the number of Covid 19 cases reported in the area, city or State before you make your reservations. Needless to say, if your choice of destination has seen a recent spike in number of cases, it is best to avoid the same. Along with the above information, it might not hurt to look at holiday options where there are fewer people in general. For example, consider quaint little towns like Ranakpur or Kumbhalgarh in Rajasthan as opposed to city’s like Udaipur or Jaipur. They are all great tourist destinations offering some of the best hotels in Rajasthan, but a remote spot may offer you an added sense of peace. Plus, an offbeat travel experience is always an exciting adventure to be ticked off your travel bucket list!

Step 3

Choosing your hotel.

A lot of holidays goers are choosing staycations over the site seeing dominated tours which were popular before the Corona virus showed its ugly face. Staycations are the obvious choice for the simple reason that travellers feel more safe & secured in the boundary’s of the hotel they choose to stay at. After all, the best hotels in Rajasthan have had a reputation of being squeaky clean even prior to the advent of the virus. And now, the added hospital like cleaning protocols have made these hotels and resorts a very safe environment. Hence it is very important that the traveller’s choose their hotels carefully. Although the first choice for most travellers today are the national & international brands, independent hotels and small chains also are doing a great job at ensure proper safety & hygiene at their property’s. For example, Mana Hotels in Ranakpur is a safe choice for travellers who are wanting to visit this oasis in the desert state for a weekend getaway.

Step 4

Questions to ask the hotel before making your reservation?

You may have selected the best hotel or resort in Rajasthan for your upcoming road trip; but there is still no harm in doing some additional investigation to see how the hotel will make your stay safe & healthy. Some common concerns to clarify are:
  • Are they following the proper guidelines for cleaning various areas of the hotel?
  • Is the hotel staff scanned for health issues on a regular basis?
  • Is good oral hygiene, social distancing and hand sanitation promoted at the property?
  • Are there hospitals/doctors on call available to address any emergency situations?
  • How are they facilitating minimum contact during they stay to reduce chances of transmission?
  • How busy is the hotel in general?
Although the best resorts in Ranakpur would be well equipped to address your concerns, talking to the hotel management about these issues will give you more peace of mind knowing that you are taking your loved ones to a safe resort.
So call up the hotel and fire away with all your concerns and while you are at it, negotiate a great deal with them as well 🙂

Step 5

Packing your bags!

Packing for a trip may not always be enjoyable for everyone but this is the time to make a list to ensure that you don’t forget anything. So how is packing now different than it was before the virus came around? Well, the basics are still the same but it is perhaps a little more important to ensure that you have sufficient change of clothes and some in spare to minimize the need for contact with outsiders. For instance, under normal circumstances, a traveller would not think twice about giving dirty linen for laundry. However, in the current situation, it is advisable to carry your dirty linen back home and wash it at home.
In addition, make sure that you are carrying sufficient quantities of your personal health and sanitation items so that you are not dependent on the hotel for the same. Face masks, alcohol based sanitizers, gloves, alcohol wipes etc. are useful to have in sufficient quantities during your holiday. If someone truly wants feel very very safe, there is no restriction in carrying some of your own linen as well. However, the best hotels in Rajasthan offer clean linen which is washed after every use with hot water to ensure that no germs are transmitted.

Step 6

Best time to save trees!

The push for saving paper has been around for a while. However, the public at large has come to accept this green initiative thanks to the Corona virus. Registration forms, bills, feedback forms, brochures and other countless paper products were a staple part of a visit to the best resorts in Rajasthan. However, now we see these being replaced with online forms & documents. Any hotel would be happy to email you your bill rather than presenting you with a hard copy. In addition, you can always keep a scanned copy of your government issued ID card ready to share with the hotel staff at the time of check in. Some hotels are asking for this information in advance by email/instant messaging to make the check in process seamless & contact free. Lastly, thanks to the digital push by our government contact less methods of making payments are available by the dozen.

Step 7

Your rooms are safe.

This is the best time to enjoy room service and binge watch your favorite shows within the comfort of your hotel room. The best hotels in Rajasthan are taking several steps to ensure that the rooms are sanitized to the highest standard of hygiene between uses. Keeping this in mind, once you have entered your room, avoid allowing any one including housekeeping or room service staff to come inside. Instead, ask them to leave your food order or amenity request at the door which you can collect at your convenience. This is particularly handy for short stays where you may not even need a turn down service of your room. If you choose a resort kind of hotel with Villa style rooms, your stay can be particularly enjoyable since these villas offer large areas and also private sit outs for you to unwind in privacy away from the crowds.
Enjoy large rooms in the lap of nature!
Enjoy large rooms in the lap of nature!

Step 8

Stay vigilant!

Now this may seem contrary to the idea of going on a vacation. A vacation is the time when you want to lay back and forget all your worry’s. Then one might wonder why are we suggesting that you stay vigilant! Unfortunately, this is a self defense instinct which we will have to keep up at all times particularly when we are outside of the comfort of our homes. We as individuals might take all precautionary steps such as wear masks & maintain social distance, other around us may act differently. In such situations, it is always better to be prepared to protect ourselves by informing the hotel staff of the same or simply vacating the space to avoid any risk of contamination.
All the hotels and resorts in Rajasthan are taking all steps necessary to keep public areas sanitized, a little extra effort from your side will not hurt. For example, keep a pen or tooth pick with you to press buttons in an elevator or on a credit card machine. Carry a small bottle of sanitizer and use it everytime you touch something in a public place.  These are simple harmless steps which will keep you and your family safe.
These are difficult times for everyone. Travel for leisure has been worst affected and is of the lowest priority to almost everyone. However, for those who would like to travel for their own mental & physical rejuvenation, the above steps will go a long way in making the trip hassle free.

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