A Moment of Splendor

As the owner of Sodha Travel, I continually stress the importance of personalization. It is important for us to go beyond generic and tailor at least one aspect of each experience to be unique and extraordinary. Many of our clients tell such beautiful stories of what impacted their spirit during travel to India and Nepal - ones that travel to escape but instead find themselves. For sharing these moments of splendor, we thank you. This is why we love what we do.

With this being said, we recently had our own moment of splendor. My husband is Indian, born and raised in Delhi. In November, we returned to the country for our Indian wedding ceremony. Although already married, we felt it was a non-negotiable to also celebrate his culture and traditions. Besides, these traditions I have also adopted as my own.

And so, as so many of you have shared your memories with us, I wanted to share a couple photographs with you. Thank you for being a part of the Sodha Travel experience!

Dhanyavad, travelers!

To all who participated in our wedding tour, we thank you. No words can express how amazing the experience was to the both of us...pictures coming soon! And John, we look forward to seeing our picture in the Oregonian! :)

Updates: India Visa

As of October 1, 2007, the process for obtaining an Indian visa has changed. The visa collection and delivery process has been outsourced to Travisa Outsourcing: http://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com/

The consulates and embassy will continue to receive and service emergency visa applications only.

Northwest Airlines: Non-stop Service to Amsterdam from PDX!

Northwest Airlines will soon be starting non-stop service from PDX to Amsterdam. This is a fantastic route for our local clients, as those traveling to India will have an alternate airline besides Lufthansa for one-stop service to the sub-continent.

Now Reserving: South India: Yoga, Ayurveda and Spirituality

We are now reserving space for our 2008 tour of South India. The itinerary focuses on 3 fundamental elements of Indian culture: Yoga, Ayurveda and Spirituality. The tour dates are February 23 - March 7, 2008. Fly in/out of Chennai and visit Mamallapuram, Tiruvanamalai, Pondicherry and Cochin. This tour also includes daily sunrise yoga, evening music and chanting and a 4 day/3 night stay at an Ayurvedic resort on the coast of Kerala with daily treatments and massages. This tour is limited to 16 people so please contact us for more information or to register.

Tourist Visa

I have received various inquiries regarding tourist visa's to India. Standard tourist visa's cost $60 and are valid for 6 months. We recommend applying for your visa 2 months prior to your departure date, as processing typically takes only 2-3 weeks. For more information, please visit the FAQ page on our website and click on the Indian Embassy link. Thanks!

The Taj Remains a World Wonder!

Thank you to all who voted in keeping the Taj Mahal as one of the 7 Wonders of the World!

Safety: India

There have been numerous questions and concerns recently regarding tourist safety in India, particularly in reference to the riots between castes in Rajasthan. Please be assured that we are monitoring the situation on a daily basis with our contacts throughout India. The present conflicts have subsided and there has been no attempt to harm any tourist in Rajasthan. We will continue to update our clients with changes as they become available. As always, please contact us with any questions.