wowsunshine

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice on my travel itinerary, particularly which cities to book flights to/from during my upcoming trip to India.

I will be there for 3 weeks in February (first time there!), and I'll be meeting a friend who will be there for 5 months. We plan on meeting in the south and traveling around for 2.5 weeks until I leave her to take a quick trip to Delhi/Taj Mahal before heading back to the US.

I'm having difficulty deciding on which cities to book my flights to and from (I'm based in NYC). Price is my biggest concern. Roundtrip tickets are cheapest, but as I'll be starting in the south and leaving from the north, it seems I'll have to get 2 one way tickets. Here are my questions:

1. My friend and I initially said we'd meet at the Thiruvananthapuram airport and head to Kerala from there, but I'm wondering if Chennai would be better (and cheaper)? Our travel itinerary is pretty flexible -- we want to spend some time in Kerala, but are otherwise open to seeing where our days take us.

2. After 2.5 weeks of traveling around the south, what city would be best to book a flight to Delhi from? I realize this is a vague question that depends on what area we'll be in, but our itinerary is open. I'm wondering if there's a city we should strive towards after 2.5 weeks of traveling.

3. Should I even go to Delhi to see the Taj? This leg of the trip seems to be causing me the most problems, but I can't help but feel that I have to see the Taj if I'm in India. Is it worth it? I'd be spending ~$400 in travel fees to see it.

Any other tips would be much appreciated!

Thanks.