After living in the US for 10 years, our family finally decided to visit India. We planned a one month trip and chose to explore three places: Kashmir, Goa, and of course, Kerala.
We did not choose any ready-made tour packages. Instead, we created our own itinerary – finalized dates, booked hotels online, and arranged our flights ourselves.
Later, we started searching for local taxi services in each place using Google, YouTube, and other sources. Kerala was our last destination after visiting Kashmir and Goa. While everything went well in those places, the quality of taxi service we received wasn’t very satisfactory. So, we were more careful while searching for Kerala.
Since we were landing at Kochi Airport, we searched for some good and reliable Kochi Airport taxi services. That’s when we came across a video on YouTube. It was slightly different from all others we had watched. The channel name was Tour With Anand, and the video had a good number of views. My son Aaron sent a WhatsApp message to the number displayed in the video. We received a reply soon, and it was Anand himself who responded.
We felt happy knowing that the person behind the service was directly in touch. We asked for a drop from Kochi Airport to Thiruvalla for 7 people with a lot of luggage. Anand suggested a Tempo Traveller and shared a reasonable rate. He also sent us the website link, and after going through it, we were convinced.
Booking Direct – No Middlemen, No Hassle
We’d like to mention something important here. Most of the travel platforms and hotel booking apps we use today are mediators. People unknowingly end up paying extra, while the actual service provider earns very little after giving their best. This hit us strongly. When I shared this with my family, they too felt the same. From then on, we preferred to deal directly with Anand. And he too was happy, saying that direct interaction is what they truly value—not just getting business.
Warm Welcome at Kochi Airport
We finalized the deal and confirmed our flight details. That’s all they needed.
From then onwards, everything was smooth. Anand was quick to respond whenever we needed any help or travel information. When we landed at Kochi Airport, he was there at the exit with a placard to receive us. Another staff member was also with him. They handled our luggage and introduced the chauffeur. It was a warm welcome to Kerala after 10 long years, and we were very touched.
Monsoon roads, and smooth riding
It was the rainy season, with cloudy skies and occasional drizzle. Everything looked green, rivers were full, and roads were not in the best condition. But our driver managed all this confidently. Sometimes, we were worried about how other vehicles were coming, but our driver tackled it calmly. That’s when we felt that it’s always best to hire a local, experienced driver. Otherwise, managing in such conditions would have been hard.
After our first trip from Kochi Airport to Thiruvalla, we booked the same driver again for our return to Kochi City and later for the airport drop as well.
Varughese Thomas
United States
