HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR FIRST TRIP TO INDIA

The Average travel advice for India is full of cliches such as “expect the unexpected”, or even “prepare to lose yourself”. Unhelpful as they might sound, there’s a reason for these cliches. Over your journey to India you’ve come to realise that life somehow seems much “larger” there – there’s the chaos, the bustle, the beauty, but also the sheer number of people somehow ensure, that whatever your opinions on what to expect from your first trip to India, you’ll never be quite right.
Boarding our flight from Bangkok to Delhi once, we posted on our Facebook page “Ready for India” and one of our friends wrote back “You are never ready for India. But the good thing is, India is always ready for you!”. And it is true. Nothing prepares you for the reality of India. It really is like no other place on earth.

India is a country that is not only divided by culture and languages. Along with the diverse geography of the country, it is a perfect travel destination with a wide range of places. From the beaches to the mountains, you can savour it all in the subcontinent. The country is blessed with some amazing flora and fauna. There are amazing spots spreading across the region which is suitable for people of all ages and cultures. There are many hidden gems in India that have been scarcely explored. With so many amazing places that can provide you with a perfect vacation, Here are the top 5 places in India that you shouldn’t miss out to visit.

Goa – The Party Capital

Goa is the dream place that every youngster and party lovers in the country wants to visit. It is a happening place with all the buzz and booze. You can experience everything from the astounding nightlife to the crazy beach shacks. No top 5 best places in India list will be without this amazing place. Goa as a state is sustaining because of tourism as it has so many attractions that attract people from all over the world. There are many discrete experiences to savour in Goa.
The best time to visit Goa will be from the months of November to February.

Photo by alexey turenkov on Unsplash

Leh-Ladakh – A Dream Journey

Leh-Ladakh is one of the best places to visit in India’s hands down. It is the go-to destination for all travellers looking for an adventurous vacation. A trip to this place is filled with various amazing elements such as the winding bike rides, tent stay in the middle of nowhere and much more. All of this at a chilling temperature of around 15-25 degrees celsius. Nubra Valley, Khardung La, Shanti Stupa, Magnetic Hill, Pangong lake and Leh palace are the places that you shouldn’t miss on your trip there. You can rent yourself a bike to travel around in Leh-Ladhak.

Cherrapunji – The Wet Dream

Cherrapunji is the place to visit in India for a distinctive experience and have the best of times while embracing nature. It is one of the surreal experiences you’ll have and provides you with a relieving break from routine. Nohkalikai Falls, Dainthlen Falls, Thangkharang Park, Kynrem Falls, Mawsmai Cave, Seven Sisters Falls are some of the main attractions in the region. The average temperature of the place is around 18-25 degrees celsius.

Image by Tareq Shuvo from Pixabay

Andaman – The Water Paradise

If you are or hydrophile or a hydrophobe, Andaman is the perfect place for you to embrace your water love or to break past your fear of water. You can get into the deep seas and take part in the amazing marine life. You will end up craving for more of this experience. This aquatic paradise in one of the best places to visit in India if you are especially if you have an Atlantean soul. You can have some of the amazing water sports experiences like the Banana boat rides, snorkelling, parasailing and jet skiing. You can also board aa cruise from Chennai, Vizag and Kolkata to Andaman. The average temperature of the region is 24-37 degrees celsius. You can also feed your inner beach lover by visiting some of the popular beaches like Radhanagar beach, Corbyn’s Cove, Wandoor Beach and Merk Bay Beach.

Photo by Deepak Kumar on Unsplash

Assam – Land Of One-Horned Rhinos

Assam is a beautiful land overwhelmed by the landscapes, flora and fauna. The wildlife expedition is different from any other safari that you had taken. You can fancy yourself a jungle walk and boat ride if you visit the place during the months of November to April. As you navigate along the Brahmaputra river, you can witness the animals in their most natural habitats. Assam is one of the most naturally beautiful habitats and is one of the best places to visit in India.
There are various attractions including the Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Kamakhya Temple, Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra and Assam State Museum which makes you fall in love with the place and its heritage.
It’s very tough to filter out top 5 places from a country like India with such diversity and heritage. There are many other places like Kerala, Srinagar, Pondicherry, Sikkim and much more.

Photo by Parichay Sen on Unsplash

Staying Healthy in India

• First off – not everyone gets sick in India!
• A first aid kit is highly recommended for India – bring disinfectant liquid, cream, plasters, broad spectrum antibiotics, mosquito repellant, sunscreen and meds for stomach upsets. In case you do need medical help, the major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore have world-class medical facilities.
• Travel Insurance! A must for India – don’t leave home without it.
• Water filtration / purification equipment & water bottle as tap water is not safe to drink in India (but commonly available filtered (RO) water is fine.

What to Wear for Travel in India

This is much more for the ladies – lads get off lightly and in general men will not have to make many adjustments to normal clothing.
Bear in mind that it can get cold in the North of India – the whole of India is not always hot! In Delhi and the North temperatures regularly get down into single figures, and a coat might even be necessary – it gets cold at night or out of the sun. The south of India is generally warm-hot and humid the year round.
Many people prefer to stick with closed shoes for travel around cities in India – as streets are not that clean. After some time though, you may decide that constantly tying and un-tying shoes to enter houses and temples is a pain and revert to your sandals/flip flops. Forget any idea of high heels unless you’re going to be mingling with the who’s who in the big cities.

What to Wear in India for Male Travellers

You’ll see the vast majority of Indian men in t-shirt and jeans, shirt and jeans, or work-shirt and smart trousers. That’s about the variation. Kurta Pyjama / Salwaar Kameez is all but reserved for formal occasions or worn in some rural societies, and is not needed for visitors. Shorts are becoming more common in India but long trousers are still the norm. Avoid walking around top-less and you won’t offend anybody!

What to Wear in India for Female Travellers

As a female traveller, covering up makes a huge difference to how you may be approached: in general always cover your shoulders and knees. You don’t need to wear Indian dress unless you want to, in which case buying a few beautiful Kurtas (tunic tops) may prove hard to resist!

A few do’s and don’ts for what to wear in India for women:

✓Take a light cotton scarf or two – these are really useful to drape across your chest/shoulders or your head if you’re getting unwanted attention! I’ve used scarves to hide myself on buses and places where I wanted to be inconspicuous! You’ll find plenty of beautiful of scarves to buy though so don’t take too many.. 😉
✓ Wear light weight, long trousers – showing “leg” is not really the done thing in India (unless you’re on the beach in Goa or in a trendy Mumbai nightclub that is).
✓ Cover your shoulders – as above, 90% of ladies cover their shoulders. Cleavage or any hint of chest is a no-no.

As a solo or independent traveller you get to run your own schedule, move at your own pace and have plenty of conversations with new friends over chai. Enough said.
With a group or on a tour, you have less freedom but more feeling of security, ready-made friends, and in the case of a tour most of the pain of organising things is done… leaving you to enjoy your holiday.

In case you decide to join a group for an amazing trip to India, please do not hesitate to contact us:

toptravelgreece.com

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☎️ +30 6906698170 (call or WhatsApp)