Travel Guide for Goa, India - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Having a movie or short film in competition at a city or state level is prestigious enough, but entering a piece in a national festival means competing on a whole new level. That's why receiving an invitation to participate in the International Film Festival of India is such a big deal. Hosted by the Indian state of Goa, the festival puts the spotlight on the best films from Asia, Africa and other countries around the world.

Traveling to the International Film Festival of India

Getting to Goa from the United States requires some careful planning. The most efficient route is catching a domestic flight to New York's Kennedy Airport (IATA code: JFK), where you can connect with an Air India flight to Dabolim airport in Goa (IATA code: GOI). On the trip to Dabolim, there's typically one stop in Mumbai. After you land in Goa, you can catch an A2B airport shuttle into the city of Panaji.

Goa is a pretty popular tourist destination, so you will want to book a room in Panaji as soon as possible. GoaIndiaTourism.com has a pretty good breakdown of hotels and other places to stay during the International Film Festival of India. The site also offers some good ideas on things to do when you aren't attending screenings or panels.

In addition to a U.S. passport that's valid for at least six more months, you will need to apply for an Indian travel visa, but this can be done online with a company called Travisa Outsourcing. It's also a good idea to register with the U.S. State Department's travel site for e-mail updates before and during your trip to India.

Enjoying the Festival

International Film Festival of India screenings typically are scheduled in auditoriums and theaters in the cities of Panaji and Margao. Special seminars, classes and workshops also take place during the festival. The high point of the event is the Golden and Silver Peacock Awards, which are given to outstanding films and performers. The most up-to-date festival information is available on its official Web site, so make sure to bookmark it on your home computer and in your smartphone's Web browser.

Sources:

www.iffi.nic.in

www.iffigoa.org/esg/index.php

http://home.airindia.in/SBCMS/AIHome.aspx

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1139.html

www.goaindiatourism.com

www.flightstats.com/go/Airport/airportDetails.do?airportCode=GOI

www.a2btransfers.com/en/index.asp?AID=168&s=v7j&destination=goa

https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com/homepage