If truth be told, step 2 started way before step 1. If  it didn't how would you ever know where to fly to? When I mean way before, step 2 probably started 12 months before the trip start date, step 1 was some six months later.

Picking a region of India is difficult but for first time travellers it oftens falls to either Goa, Kerala or Rajasthan. I certainly don't class myself as a traveller and I've been to all three first-timer options but that was back in 1996 and 1997 and now...I'll be travelling with kids in tow.

Although I'd seen Jaipur, Agra and Delhi before - and Jane had done Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer in 1989 - we decided that Rajasthan would be the destination. We worked out that 25 days was the most that a family with a part-time teacher could get away for at Easter time and we set about deciding which places to see.

The list of places is shown on the Where In The World page and it leaves us with only one regret: Jaisalmer isn't on the list. Unfortunately there's only so much time available and although we could have easily fitted in Jaisalmer we would have had to skimp on other places and travel further. With the kids we decided that we'd keep the travelling down to an acceptable number of hours (4 or 5) a day.