lallyr and GUwonder,

Thanks again for your posts. I'll definitely take your advice into consideration especially regarding booking everything in advance. I came across another option but would like your opinion on how legit and practical it is. Someone on another website recommended taking a coach bus directly from DEL to Ludhiana. Suppodedly they leave every 2 hours, so we woudln't need a hotel the first night and could leave straight to Ludhiana. Here's the website.

http://indocanadiantransport.com/delhitopunjab.php

Have you ever used this service or know anyone who has?