Welcome to India! Home to over a billion people with diverse rich cultures and colors, it boasts of different sights and interest that would truly make a remarkable and unforgettable holiday. If you are planning a trip to India, the sites, religious festivities, and cuisine are bound to give you an experience like no other.
Planning a trip to India is relatively inexpensive depending on your duration of stay and places you would like to visit. With an array of cheap delicacies, affordable public transportation, and accommodation, you can have the best holiday in India without making a hole in your pocket. So having chosen India as your next destination for your holiday, here are 7 tips that will help get you the best holiday experience.
1. Prepare your budget: This should be your first step after deciding to spend your holiday in India. Get yourself acquainted with the currency exchange rate. The Indian currency is rupee and since that is what you will be spending there, you should prepare your budget with that in mind. Get information about the places you’ll be visiting during your stay, find out how much it will cost and budget for each. More often than not, you’ll need some tour guide of a sort especially if it’s your first time.
Asking the locals for direction is not going to be enough, although it could give you more experience, you will get tired easily and there is also the risk of losing your way or getting duped. Accommodation and transportation are necessities to be considered. Depending on whichever part of India you would be lodging in, accommodation expenses differ. The basic means of transportations are the trains, cabs, and rickshaws which are not so expensive but must still be budgeted for.
2. Prepare yourself for culture shock: India has a very rich cultural heritage and with diverse religions, you need to prepare yourself to experience an entirely different culture from what you are used to. The bright colors, smells (spices, cows and even humans!),
Dressing, dancing and singing, and different modes of communication are definitely not
What you are familiar with, so just keep an open mind and look forward to the experience.
Click here for some tips to help you avoid culture shock when you travel to India.
In India open displays of affection among couples, wearing of footwear into temples and revealing clothing’s for females is usually frowned upon. Haggling of prices in the
Market place and waggling of the head are trademarks of their culture, so you might need to
Learn them in order not to lose out too much both in experience and expense!
3. Keeping up with hygiene: With a population a little over billion, hygiene is not exactly easy to keep especially in public places, so you’ll need to be wary about what you eat outside. Avoid drinking tap water and eating food that has been washed in it. Fruits, salads and ice creams sold on the streets can also be avoided mainly because these might have been prepared with tap water and in unsanitary conditions. Have a portable hand sanitizer on you always. Most Indian cuisines would most likely consist of delicacies you are unfamiliar with so its best you take it slow when trying out new dishes, so as not to upset your stomach or get the “delhi belly”. If you feel ill or unwell visit a nearby pharmacy,
And whatever you do, do not travel without comprehensive health insurance.
4. Exploration; plan well: India is a whole lot to try to take in within one trip,
Especially if your trip is not a long one. With the different mountain top experience, wildlife encounters, beaches, and sights such as the taj mahal, agra fort, pink city and so much more, you’ll need to plan an exploration that matches both your time and budget.
Focus more on your interest and be realistic in the choice of places to visit. You most probably won’t be able to visit everywhere. A tour guide would be of great assistance for planning exploration and choosing the best places to visit. It is advisable to explore fully either the north or the south of India if you don’t have a long holiday to get the maximum experience of each. But if you’ll be staying for long, you could always decide to have the best of both worlds. Be sure to plan out time for resting so you don’t burn out early in
Your exploration.
5. Visit other places: Exploring the big cities and popular places can be exhilarating, but visiting other places like the smaller cities, villages, public temples would give you more insight into the heart of the Indian culture. These seemingly small places are pregnant with memorable experiences that you won’t get anywhere else. You
Would be able to get a perspective of their different lifestyles, culture and also develop
Connections with the locals, both young and old.
Check out these beautiful destinations in India when next you visit the country https://www.tripzilla.com/india-tourism-beautiful-travel-destinations-india/51318.
6. Eat outside: There is no better way to experience the culture of a people than to do so through their food. India is widely known for its variety in spices and food that you might not be able to exhaust them all. So much more than eating in 5-star hotels and high-end restaurants, go downtown and try some of the food prepared by the locals on the street. Do not forget to be hygiene conscious, wash hands before and after meals
Especially because most Indian food tastes better when eaten with hands.
7. Don’t get scammed: Being a tourist in a new environment can be daunting.
Just the fact that you are new and don’t know how things run makes you susceptible to swindlers and of course, the language barrier never helps. Be careful of cab drivers and agree on the amount before getting in, know the shortest route to your hotel and major landmarks leading up to it. Avoid giving money to beggars, check bottled water carefully for tampering before purchasing, count your change very well and, if you do get scammed don’t get too worked up, it is part of the experience.
Conclusion
Have fun and enjoy every bit of your trip to India. The experience is challenging and second to none other, you’ll be glad you went.
