Pico Iyer, a minor god of global travel, would probably call Dodital in Uttaranchal a lonely place. The sort where time stops and you fall off the map. You could be perched on a promontory, the clear blue waters of the Assi Ganga drifting below you. Your only companions: the jeep parked close by and your reflection.

This summer, you could be following in the footsteps of Delhi-based Ashish Kaul, a tea executive by profession and an adventurer by spirit. He knows how to celebrate the virtues of slowness and unclip the invisible safety harness that straitjackets the rest of us.

He is not the only one. For several others like him, travel is no longer the destination, it's the journey itself. Take Mumbai adman Prahlad Kakkar, for whom diving in Lakshadweep became a religious experience. So much so that the islands is his life's Baedekar.

Increasingly, summertime Indians are becoming addicted to discovery. Amita and Satish Gupta of Delhi are choosing the road less travelled. They've just spent three months learning salsa dancing and will be trying out their twirls when they go to Spain for a week in May with their children Anjal, 16, and Sijya, 9, renting a villa near Barcelona.

It is for the people not necessarily as well-heeled that an entire non-linear-thinking industry has sprung up. (The prices mentioned here are indicative.) The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation and global major Thomas Cook have introduced a summer rail holiday for the likes of Paul Theroux-a 15-day trip of south India for Rs 22,000 per person that includes travel, stay and food.

The global Indian is also travelling with a specific purpose now. It could be retail therapy in Switzerland-the 65,000 Indians who visited the country last year spent an average of Rs 12,500 every day, the highest in the world-or taking a cruise to a Malaysian island as Gurgaon-based Maya Dittia did with her husband and in-laws.

But those weary of airports that never blink and shopping malls that never sleep have decided to opt out and challenge the technological revolution. For homemaker Sucheta Karnik, bliss is not the Canada holiday that her 12-year-old son has taken. She's headed for her annual yoga retreat. It's the same with Delhi's Rahul Sharma and Chhavi Singh. They will be sailing to the Andamans from Chennai for a two-week vacation. Only Rs 80,000 for the couple. Clearly, they have something to declare apart from excess baggage.

In the industry jargon it's called moving from group travel to free individual travel or fits. Simply put, middle-class Indians who have been there and seen that now want to go there and do that.

But with instalment plans by airlines such as Air Sahara in collaboration with Stanchart to Jain food packages for the Far East from Cox & Kings the high-fliers are keeping a parachute handy. And giving meaning even to a place called nowhere.

Travel

Four million Indians travel abroad every year. It's easy to see why: the entire industry is virtually conspiring to send them away. This year, the heightened sophistication of the Indian traveller has forced Sita Travels, for one, to set up a new business unit called Sita Holidays of the World, to cater to those who seek more than the regimented pleasure of group tourism. Cox & Kings has even put a figure to it: the 80:20 ratio of package tourists versus individual traveller five years ago has altered to 50:50 now.

CRUISE THE GANGA

The West Bengal Tourism's Ganga Action Plan is a three-day cruise down the river which gives people a chance to see the three cultures that shaped the state-Vaishnava, Nawabi and European. The launch moves through six districts of Bengal, covering a distance of 250 km, past banks dotted with villages, jute mills, old temples and palaces. A four-hour bus journey takes visitors to Berhampur in Murshidabad, once the masnad (seat) of the nawabs, where the cruise begins. Other landmarks along the way are Mayapur, world headquarters of iskcon, Kalna which has remnants of Dutch, French and Portuguese settlements along the river, and Belur, where the Ramakrishna order struck root. Meals and evening drinks on the breezy deck, halts en route to check out the Hazarduari Palace museum or evening prayers at Belur are other attractions.
Budget: Rs 5,000 per head.

HIDDEN KINGDOM

This summer, venture deeper into the folds of the Himalayas to unravel the mysteries of the Hidden Kingdom-Bhutan. If you are the kind who feels secure with planning, go for a Bhutanese travel agency tour. For the more adventurous, there's nothing like seeing Bhutan on cycle. The cycling details can be worked out on your own or you could join the pre-existing tours. It's a good way to gaze at God's windows.
Budget: A seven night-eight day pilgrimage tour costs Rs 28,000 (for a couple) and includes accommodation, food, transport and a guide.

MELT INTO THE MALDIVES

Marco Polo called the Maldives the "Flower of the Indies". Small wonder. Palm-fringed white beaches, an azure ocean, turquoise lagoons and coral reefs make it an ideal place to sink in. The 1,900 islands, comprising 26 atolls, are spread across 90,000 sq km. Find out what it's like to have a secluded island all to yourself. Which means you'll get more than your feet wet with snorkelling, water-skiing, diving, deep-sea fishing and coral gazing.
Budget: Rs 38,000 for three nights for a couple, with a day in Colombo thrown in.

TIBETAN TRAIL

By the sheer virtue of its breathtaking inaccessibility, not to mention its now iconic status, Tibet has remained a dream, especially for travellers hungering to challenge themselves. It's tough but it can be done. Besides a Chinese visa, a permit from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security is also required to enter the Tibetan Autonomous Region. There are many places, however, where individual foreign visitors are prohibited. But if you take common routes, like Chengdu-Lhasa (air) or Golmud-Lhasa (bus), you can buy both the permit and the ticket together through a travel agency.
Budget: A range of travel agencies offer packages online which can cost up to Rs 1.8 lakh.

ICE BREAKER

A tour of Iceland and Greenland could be the best way to experience the North Atlantic. For diehard explorers, there's enough time to plan. There are only three inhabitants per square kilometre but you can gaze at glaciers, geysers and the Rekjaynes peninsula. There's a package for eight days, seven nights and the tour includes airport transfers, accommodation in Reykjavik (Iceland), sightseeing, inland helicopter flights, bus excursions and an iceberg cruise (boat tour), which is optional. Says Gopika Khanna, regional manager of The Geographical Company, one of the companies offering the trip: "What do frequent fliers do after the usual Europe-US-Far East circuit? They are looking for something unusual to add to snob value." And if you don't sight a Norseman, you can always meet Bjork.
Budget: Rs 1 lakh per person (not including return airfare from Delhi to London and London to Keflavik).

GO GREECE, GO

Beginning from Athens, a number of trips are on offer to places like Old World Athens, the Acropolis, Corinth, Olympia, Delphi, Mycenae; sailing to the islands of Hydra, Aegina, Poros; driving through the mountains of Arcadia; excursions to temples like that of Aphaia, Zeus and Hera. Go where memory never fades and enjoy monuments like the Treasury of Atreus, the Beehive Tombs, Lion Gate, and the remains of Agamemnon's Palace.
Budget: Rs 40,000 for an adult and Rs 12,250 for a child includes hotel accommodation on twin-sharing basis, return airport-hotel-airport transfers and daily American breakfast.

THE WIZARDS OF OZ

It's far, it's expensive, but for those who have both the time and money, a trip to Australia is worth the effort. Ask Bill Bryson, who finds the Sunburned Country to be the best of all possible nations. There's a lot to do apart from lazing around on Bondi beach. From snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef to exciting rides in the Sea World, cableway trips to the dense rain forest and hot-air balloon rides, all assure high adrenaline levels. A three-hour bridge climb at Sydney Harbour, 134 m above sea level, is a must-do. See all of Dil Chahta Hai territory from vantage point.
Budget: 13 nights and 14 days, Delhi-Singapore-Gold Coast-Cairns-Sydney-Melbourne-Singapore-Delhi will cost Rs 2 lakh per couple.

INDULGE IN SINGAPORE

No, not shopping, but eating. There are 3,725 restaurants and 17,080 foodstalls in the tiny island that has a Rs 900-billion food industry. The Tiffin Room at Raffles or even the humble foodcourt will show you why it doesn't matter that the heavily-promoted food festival will end this month. Fares are still going cheap.
Budget: Rs 30,000 per person, including meals.

CLIMB HIGH

Test your mettle. Begin your trek from Rishikesh, go to Kedarnath, journey to Gangotri. From Triyuginarayan to Latta village is an arduous five-day trek through remote villages and meadows. It requires one to walk steadily for four to five hours every day. A 4-km trek through the Gaumukh Glacier will take you to the high-altitude Tapovan. Then stop and take a deep breath.

Budget: Rs 20,000 per person.

INCH CLOSER TO INCAS

The Lost City near Lima in Peru is reportedly eroding by 1 cm every month, so it makes sense to get there while it's still standing. Machu Picchu (literally, manly peak) is the mountain-top citadel that was rediscovered in 1911 by real-life Indiana Jones, a Yale professor, Hiram Bingham. Descendants of the Sun God, the Incas created the largest state-level society in the New World prior to the arrival of the Europeans. The civilisation lasted only 100 years but left a deep impact on popular culture. Here's your chance to see why.

Budget: Rs 69,950 per person for seven days, six nights of a package tour that takes in Lima, Cuzco and Machu Picchu. Includes airfare from Miami, US, three-star accommodation and meals where specified.