Namaste! Thanks for taking a look at our ‘Concierges’ section. I’m delighted to be able to offer you tips and advice on travelling in India, enabling you to make the most of your trip and, more importantly, travelling safely. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on India, even though I was born there and speak a couple of the languages. There’s no such thing as an ‘expert on India’; anyone who claims to be is  full of shit. How can you be an expert on a country of just under 1.5 billion people, over 440 languages, and varied geography and climates? I’m particularly amused when travel agents/tour operators, who obviously don’t speak any Indian languages, claim to be “experts” and “specialists” Oh, and by the way, it’s the ‘Amer Fort’, not the ‘Amber Fort'(again, it’s impossible to specialise in such a vast country and selling holidays to Goa and ‘The Golden Triangle’ and eating the odd curry doesn’t make you a “specialist”).

I will never know everything there is to know about India. Not in this lifetime…or the next. India for me isn’t a destination, it’s a country masquerading as a life-long journey. The fact that I don’t know as much as I would want to about the land of my birth (and my spiritual home) just makes me want to go back as often as possible! The upside is that I keep discovering something new on each trip, while simultaneously staying close to what’s been a part of me for decades. A little new goes well with the old and India is just that: the old and new co-existing. You’ll know what I mean when you’re out there.

Whether it’s Indian cuisines you want to know about, or books about India (my favourite is Gregory David Roberts’s Shantaram!), art or just travel tips/advice, feel free to get in touch.

I’m Della Driscoll, a writer, and travel-obsessed gal who loves nothing more than planning my next trip away or writing about my adventures. My passion for travel is something that has grown massively in my twenties and I adore the feeling of knowing there’s so much more of the world to see and explore. I love discovering new places, meeting fellow travellers, experiencing what each culture has to teach me, and tasting the globe’s finest dishes. There are many places I love to visit around the world but Italy is my favourite country and a destination that always feels like home.

Growing up part Italian, I’ve always had a huge fascination with the country and as soon I was able to, I booked a flight out there, and my admiration for the Italian way of life remains. There’s something about the old-school charm, authentic cuisine, familiar locals, and sights that I never get over that make Italy so special. I love everywhere I’ve visited in Italy from the famous cities of Rome to Venice, although Tuscany as a whole holds a special place in my heart with Lucca and Siena being two of my favourite spots I’ve ever roamed around. Each destination in Italy has a way of touching my heart and teaching me something new.