A trip to India is an important moment in life. This country is a dream for many and a bucketlist country for passionate travellers. To plan a trip to India, we have drawn up a list of best 5 tips.
Tip # 1: Plan your trip to India by choosing your route
To prepare your trip to India, or elsewhere, you must determine itinerary. This is the right way for all countries but even more so for India. It’s a big country as the size of Europe. Addition to this, India has slow speed transportation. For example, the Mumbai-Aurangabad journey takes 7 hours by train and it is a 250Km journey. So the trips are long, hence you have to define in advance what you want to see.
If you want to admire the definitive tourist place that capture you on postcards or makes a nice image on social media, you will rather go to Rajasthan.
However if you prefer direct contact with the huge population, choose Maharashtra: If you follow one of the tours we offer, you will get to know secret corners, away from the crowd. And we will take you to meet locals whom we know personally.
It’s complicated to plan a trip to India and then changing your itinerary unexpectedly, that means transportation and the distances can make you do that. If you are in the Himalayas and want to go to the beach, you will have a journey of several hours or even a day before reaching Goa.
Tip # 2: Document yourself but not too much
It is important to prepare for your trip to India with reading books, blogs or watching video.
However, choose your sources carefully.
A travel book from the 80s, will describe India from the 80s. It may sound obvious, but very often people expect to see situations like in they have read long time ago. But India like other countries, the world is changing!
The same goes for movies. “The City of Joy” is a magnificent film, but it describes a situation from the 1990s.
Be careful with documentaries too. They describe the reality of a particular geographic area. Describing the condition of women will be different whether we are talking about the state of Bihar or Punjab. Preparing for your trip to India also means distinguishing where you are going compared to what you have seen on European media.
Ultimately, it is YOUR experience that prevails. Come see for yourself!
Tips # 3: Beware of travel guide books
A travel guide is useful for planning your itinerary and preparing for your trip to India. They are also a good introduction service to the country and its customs. But beware, you should not go overboard by taking the guide for an absolute value to follow completely.
I have two examples to illustrate my point:
=> 12 years ago, I met an Italian woman who was traveling with her travel guide in Amritsar.
I recommend her a restaurant where I had tasted delicious food with my travel companions and that we had appreciated. The restaurant was not in her guide, so she refused to go there. And it took 4 km to find a restaurant recommended by her guidebook.
=> Last year, I went to Jodhpur.
There was an omelet vendor on the street. The eggs were out all day in the sun as well as the cheese. This seller was totally busy because he appeared in a very famous guidebook. The next door street vendor had a local clientele but no tourists, for me hygienically this one was superior than another.
A travel guidebook is very useful for preparing your trip to India, but it should not take priority over your experience and your resounding mind.
This also applies to traveler review sites. Read comments carefully, whether positive or negative.
Tips # 4: For plan your trip to India well, your health is very important.
Indian cuisine is very rich in spices and flavors.
The shock is sometimes extreme for western stomachs.
If you don’t like spicy food, your trip can be a nightmare. I recommend that you prepare your trip to India with your plate, too! Two months before your arrival in India, start adding a little spices to your food. First take pinches and then increase daily. Your stomach and palate will have time to get used to it and your journey will be nothing but a tasteful pleasure.
Tips # 5: Prepare mentally
Although India is the fifth largest power in the world, it is also a country with the highest number of poor people. You will see poverty everywhere because it is not hidden or ashamed like in other parts of the world.
First, know that not all the preparations in the world will be sufficient for certain scenes. You will have emotional shocks. You have to realize that you can’t help everyone.
Organize your trip to India by thinking about the permanent solicitation ente beggars. You must at least define your priorities for acts of charity.
For example, I chose to always give to the elderly and the disabled. For the first time, I find it sad to be helpless and see people begging at a old age. For the second time, I know that the giving money for sometime is a weak option because it won’t help long and I am personally more sensitive.
Do your best to help and come up with longtime options.
If you want to help, you can also contact local associations or NGOs. So your help will turn into a long-term project.
Since the beginning of Akvin tourism, we have been engaged in responsible tourism. We support local social actions. Choosing a tour with us is participating in these actions. Following this, we are committed to give you updates on the progress of each project.
Absolute advice:
The most important thing is to make the most of your trip. You will come back with a wide perspective and admire the experience.
Do not hesitate to contact us to plan your trip to India. We have tours for everyone, that will meet your expectations.
