Everything you need to plan your trip for Derick's wedding.
Depart Atlanta at night for Bengaluru.
In transit.
Arrive Bangalore 3 AM. Recover, explore, dinner.
Bangalore Bach Party Day.
Recovery + fly to Trivandrum.
Shopping, souvenirs, explore TVM.
Dance practice, prep, welcome event.
Derick's wedding + reception.
Open / reset day.
Individualized cultural exploration.
Combined Kerala group tour.
Bus to Kumarakom. Houseboat and backwaters.
Flying back to Atlanta from Kochi.
If staying: relax in Kumarakom / self exploration.
Shawn & Biya's wedding and reception.
Recovery day.
Extension return from Kochi to Atlanta.
Recommended recovery day back home.
Example flight: Etihad Airways, 9:20 PM from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Plan to reach the airport around 6:20 PM, earlier if checking bags or traveling with a group.
Example arrival: 3:00 AM at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru. Use the day to sleep, reset, lightly explore Bengaluru, and have dinner together.
We’ll be up to the usual Derick chaos before heading to Kerala.
Recovery day in Bengaluru, then an evening flight to Trivandrum. Example flight: IndiGo, 6:20 PM from Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru to Trivandrum International Airport, arriving 7:40 PM. Plan to reach the airport around 4:20 PM.
Shop for wedding/event clothes, handle souvenir shopping, hang around, and explore Trivandrum.
General wedding preparation during the day, with the welcome event planned for the evening.
This is the core wedding day and will be an all-day commitment.
A lighter day after the wedding. Good for rest, family time, or unplanned exploring.
Experiences will be planned around specific interests so the day feels personal instead of like a generic tour.
A shared group experience highlighting Kerala in an easy, coordinated way.
Take a bus to Kumarakom for a houseboat day and to see the slower, water-based side of Kerala.
If leaving after the core trip, the example Qatar Airways flight leaves Cochin International Airport at 4:05 AM and arrives in Atlanta at 3:15 PM the same day functionally. Plan to reach the airport around 1:30 AM.
For those staying through Shawn & Biya’s wedding, remain in Kumarakom.
This is an open day in Kumarakom to rest, explore, or keep things slow.
Wedding day for Shawn & Biya.
Keep the day light after the wedding.
Example flight: Qatar Airways, 4:05 AM from Cochin International Airport to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, arriving 3:15 PM. Plan to reach the airport around 1:30 AM.
Recommended day off after getting home.
These are planning estimates based on the current route options. Prices may change, and flights could become cheaper if airspace restrictions settle and war-related oil surges resolve. Aim to book no later than October.
Saturday, January 23 · Economy · 1 stop
Wednesday, January 27 · Economy · Nonstop
Thursday, February 4 · Core trip return · Economy · 1 stop
Monday, February 8 · Extension return · Economy · 1 stop
Projected total per person for the core trip.
Core trip: Jan 23–Feb 4. Estimate about 9 weekdays away, or 10 if taking Friday, Feb 5 to recover.
If staying for Shawn & Biya's wedding: Jan 23–Feb 9. Estimate about 12 weekdays away, including Tuesday, Feb 9 as a recommended recovery day.
Kumarakom resort pricing not includedTo reach the projected $2,600 total by January, plan around this monthly pace.
This assumes seven savings checkpoints from July through January. Saving slightly above this gives more cushion for flight changes, baggage, shopping, and unplanned extras.
Accommodation will be prearranged for the planned group portions. Shared stay costs are estimated and split with other guests.
Entire serviced apartment in Bengaluru. Estimate: $696 for 2 nights.
Avenue Kowdiar. Entire home in Trivandrum. Estimate: $1,400 for 7 nights.
Resort pricing is not included in the projected total. This applies especially if staying through Shawn & Biya's wedding.
Weather, practical notes, FAQs, and an interactive packing checklist.
For late January and early February, plan for daytime highs in the mid-to-upper 80s°F and nighttime lows in the low-to-mid 70s°F. It is usually one of the better times of year to visit Kerala, but humidity is part of the experience.
Prioritize cotton, linen, rayon/viscose, light woven fabrics, and airy silhouettes. Avoid heavy polyester and synthetic blends when possible because they trap sweat and can make odor more noticeable in humid weather.
Hydrate, take breaks, and keep a small towel or handkerchief with you. Planned activities will have flexibility built in.
Food, transportation, cultural immersion, and excursions will be planned most days. You can still detour from the schedule, rest, explore on your own, or skip an activity whenever needed.
Kerala is known for coastal food, coconut, spices, seafood, appam, dosa, idiyappam, rice dishes, curries, tea, coffee, and a lot of deeply comforting home-style meals. American options are also common and easy to find. We’ll be hitting spots that highlight the cuisine experience here without messing with stomachs or breaking the bank.
Mosquitoes can show up more in the evening, early morning, gardens, outdoor dining areas, and around the Kumarakom backwaters. Repellent is useful, and most basic remedies are easy to buy locally.
Bidets/health faucets are more common than toilet paper in many Indian bathrooms. Toilet paper is still available in many places, especially hotels, nicer restaurants, airports, and guest accommodations, but it may not be as universal as in the U.S. Carrying a small tissue pack during excursions is useful.
Most basic medication and toiletries are available for purchase in Kerala at reasonable prices, including common pain relief, stomach medication, allergy medication, cold medicine, pharmacy items, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, razors, skincare, sunscreen, hair products, snacks, and bottled water. Bring prescription medication and any very specific brands you personally prefer.
Pack breathable clothing. Cotton, linen, rayon/viscose, loose silhouettes, and light woven fabrics will be much more comfortable than heavy synthetic blends.
Your checks will save in this browser. Most forgotten toiletries and basic medicines can be purchased in Kerala at reasonable prices.
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore, is one of India’s major modern cities and the capital of Karnataka. It is known for technology, startups, cafés, breweries, shopping, nightlife, gardens, and a cooler highland climate compared with coastal Kerala.
Tech culture, food, nightlife, coffee shops, shopping districts, parks, and a more cosmopolitan city feel.
It gives you a softer landing into India before Kerala: time to recoup from travel, lightly explore, eat dinner, and have a social party day before flying south.
Compared with Kerala, Bengaluru will feel more urban and fast-moving, with easier access to international food, rideshare, malls, lounges, and nightlife.
Trivandrum, officially Thiruvananthapuram, is Kerala’s capital and one of the historic centers of the old Travancore kingdom. The city grew around Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, royal institutions, coastal trade, education, art, and administration. Today it blends temples, churches, museums, beaches, government institutions, colleges, markets, cafés, and neighborhoods that still feel deeply local.
Temple architecture, Travancore heritage, museums, beaches, classical arts, food, and a slower rhythm compared with India’s larger metros.
Kovalam, Varkala, Ponmudi, Poovar, Akkulam, Veli, and Kumarakom make the area feel like city, coast, hills, and backwaters are all within reach.
This is the Kerala setting around the wedding week: family, food, faith, coast, history, and everyday Malayali life all overlapping.
Kumarakom is a quiet backwater village near Vembanad Lake, known for houseboats, canals, coconut trees, paddy fields, birdlife, and a slower view of Kerala. It feels very different from the city: more open, green, water-based, and resort-oriented.
Backwaters, houseboats, lake views, seafood, village canals, resort stays, and calm mornings by the water.
It gives you a completely different side of Kerala after the wedding week: less city movement, more nature, boats, water, and time to decompress together.
If staying for the extension, Kumarakom is also where the slower resort days and wedding weekend will be centered.