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Recently, Harsh and I – both of us co-founders of Tripzuki – did a week-long trip to Goa. It was productive and certainly worthwhile; we got to meet up with some great characters – people like Aneel Verman & Dian Singh that own hotels we work with – and as always we discovered some new hotels in the process.
But this trip also got me thinking about what Goa offers, and how much better the tourist experience can be (anywhere really, but particularly in Goa), given the right advice.
You see, I had a good time in Goa because after countless visits I know the climate, I know my way around and I know how to use my time there wisely. More importantly though, I know some people that can give me the right advice.
Talking of advice, I don’t mean the kind you’d get back in [your metropolis of choice] via a glossy magazine article written by some transient reporter, but the overarching dos and don’ts that only frequent visitors can give. Better still – and this is particularly pertinent here – the kind of advice that only resident migrant westerners and Indians can provide.
If you want to know where to eat, where to go sightseeing or what to do on a saturday night, trust me, don’t ask a Goan! Why? Because they’re not, and have never been, tourists in their home state. They’ll tell you about places where they see or hear that tourists go; when I first visited Goa this led me to places like the Spice Garden, Baga beach and a temple that was impressive but just not worth the 3-hour drive to get there.
So if you don’t know the people that can give you this advice, what do you do? Well, its now easier than ever and, no, my solution is not just ‘use your phone’, because in Goa your data connection won’t stay solid, and even if it does Google Maps will drain your battery quick-sharp, guaranteed!
Firstly, ditch the heavy guidebooks and just take a pocket-sized one with a small map: it’s paper, it won’t run out of charge, it works.
Secondly, TURN TO THE BLOGS. Do some online reading and research pre-trip, forget Lonely Planet et al, look for ‘proper’ blogs, not websites full of ads for bars and clubs but articles written by people passionate about writing and travel, simply wanting to help people (like you!) get the most from their destination.
Check out Rachel at Hippie in heels or the prolific Sharell Cook, all their articles are laden with the kind of tips you need. Oh, and of course check out our Goa guide as well, it’s written by Deepti Kapoor, who actually lives in Goa but has that all-important outsider’s perspective.
At the end of my trip I jotted down my super-condensed golden nuggets for a Goa visit. This is really 90% of what you need to know, it fits on one small piece of paper or in one longish text message. They go something like this:
- Rent a scooter or use a driver all the time (find one you like and keep him). Use transport as much as possible, because if you walk and the heat doesn’t wear you out, the dust/humidity/noise/endless tourist tat will.
- Avoid Candolim, Baga and Calangute in general but especially the beaches if you’re a woman in a swimsuit and don’t want to be ogled and photographed.
- Go to Old Goa, Anjuna market (wednesdays), Arpora night market (saturdays), Mapusa market (fridays) and old Panjim. Head north to Anjuna and beyond to explore the villages, countryside and particularly the beaches.
- Get lost, go off the beaten track and have an adventure.
Check out our Goa guide we stand by it as one of the best there is. And our collection of Goa hotels, well, we’ve stayed in them all and they all make the cut.