Asia India Tips

Preparing for India

Jan 14
deposition-in-india

(Source)

At the end of the month I’ll be heading to a country that I’ve been dreaming of visiting for a long time: India.

I’m beyond excited to be travelling around this extremely diverse and culturally fascinating country. I’m looking forward to the food most (of course), but also the varied landscapes, the intricate palaces and forts, the sprawling cities, the bustling markets, the vibrant colours, and all the chaos.

But along with excitement, I’m also feeling slightly apprehensive. I’m fully aware that India will be the most challenging country I’ve visited thus far; it may even be one of the most challenging countries I ever visit. From stomach troubles to scams, safety concerns, religious and cultural disparities, crowds, and pollution- I’ve been trying to prepare myself for whatever India may throw my way.

Since I’ve been scouring the web for information, I thought I would put together a list of the most helpful blog posts and other material I’ve found for anyone else who is planning to travel to India.

The one common piece of advice I’ve discovered after reading an obnoxious amount of information, is to go to India with an open mind. Embrace the chaos, be patient, and laugh off the small inconveniences and trivialities that you are sure to encounter. As Mariellen so wisely stated on her blog, don’t go to India (or anywhere else) with fear in your mind or heart, because that is what you’ll likely find.

Things to consider:

Is travel in India safe?

How much it costs to travel in India

When to travel to India

Advice for first time visitors to India

General Tips:

Most popular travel to India questions answered

India travel guide for solo female travelers

12 India travel tips every backpacker should know

Accommodation recommendations

Top 10 essential things to pack for India

Travel tips for India that you won’t find in guidebooks

Health and Safety:

Top safety tips for women traveling in India

Avoiding bed bugs, bacteria, and bad guys

10 safety tips for train and bus travel in India

20 common tourist scams in India

15 tips for eating street food

How to dress in India:

What to wear in India

Do’s and don’t of how to dress in India

Food:

Migrationology.com India archives

52 Indian dishes to try

Delhi’s must-try street eats

South Indian food

Train, bus, and flight bookings:

MakeMyTrip

Cleartrip

Expedia India

Medication and supplements to bring:

  • Pudin Hara
  • Probiotics
  • Activated charcoal tablets or powder
  • Oregano oil, grapefruit seed extract, or colloidal silver
  • Oral rehydration salts

Blogs I read for India inspiration:

This Battered Suitcase

Hippie in Heels

Breathe Dream Go

Wandering Earl

Voyager for Life

The Great Affair

Have you been to India? Do you have any additional advice for first time visitors?

26 Comments

  • Reply hippieinheelsblog Jan 14 at 12:04 pm

    Enjoy your trip!! Thanks for linking to me 🙂

    • Reply ashleywanders Jan 14 at 5:08 pm

      Thanks, Rachel 🙂 You’re welcome, and thank you for all the great tips!

  • Reply Jessica Jan 14 at 12:13 pm

    Wow what an awesome list, I’m bookmarking this for when I get the chance to go to India. I’m absolutely dying to go, so jealous! Good luck and have an amazing trip!! 🙂 How long will you be in India?

    • Reply ashleywanders Jan 14 at 5:20 pm

      Thanks so much, Jessica 🙂 I hope this list makes your India travel planning a bit easier whenever you decide to visit! I’ll be in India for three weeks- which is not nearly long enough- but I have a feeling it will be a country that I visit more than once!

  • Reply Carina Chung Jan 14 at 3:24 pm

    I hope you have fun in india! It’s a country with so much culture and history. Stay safe, stay positive, and may you have an incredibly fruitful trip dear!

    X, Carina
    Running White Horses

    • Reply ashleywanders Jan 14 at 5:27 pm

      Thanks so much, Carina! I’m so excited to experience India’s culture and history firsthand 🙂

  • Reply renucas Jan 15 at 12:20 am

    Hi Ashley! I am so glad you are coming to India (or I guess you are already here). 🙂 Thanks so much for including my blog, too! Feel free to drop me an email as well, in case you need any help or advice. Enjoy your trip!

    • Reply ashleywanders Jan 15 at 10:48 am

      Hey Renuka! I’m heading to India at the end of the month 🙂 You’re welcome! And thank you for the offer- I will let you know if I have any questions!

  • Reply Jack Johnson @ protravelblog Jan 16 at 3:41 am

    Wow…. you did a lot of work on this article. great job! Have you ever considered creating a wordpress site that isn’t “free”. It would get rid of the “.wordpress.com” part of your url… make it look a lot nicer. Just a suggestion … especially if you plan to really take your blog far… it would just make your site look so much better.

    Anyway have a great day!

    • Reply ashleywanders Jan 16 at 12:16 pm

      Thank you, Jack! This blog is just a hobby, but I will probably get rid of the .wordpress.com in the near future 🙂

  • Reply Backpack ME (@piggybackrideAZ) Jan 21 at 4:30 pm

    We hope you have a great time in India… all the best! 🙂

  • Reply Marni Jan 23 at 9:47 am

    This is a great post! I particularly love the part about going with an open mind, because you never really know what you’ll encounter. I’m sure you’ll have an absolutely amazing time in India!

    • Reply ashleywanders Jan 26 at 12:28 pm

      Yes, I think it’s so important to visit any destination with an open mind! Thank you, Marni! 🙂

  • Reply mancunianarpit Jan 27 at 9:55 pm

    Get to now about your blog from Trover. If you need any help or suggestion freel free to ask on arpitgupta.jaipur@gmail.com. I am from Jaipur, India hope you have included this wonderful place too

    • Reply ashleywanders Jan 28 at 10:37 am

      Thank you so much for the kind offer! I hope to make it to Jaipur!

      • Reply mancunianarpit Jan 29 at 1:59 am

        also a small suggestion, if anyone tries to get money out of you or you get feeling that he/she is cheating you then you can take the help of local police (although they are not very helpful) but as you are foreigner then they have to take some immediate action. Also you can inform the same to your embassy. Also there are lots of scam going in Delhi on railway station for train tickets or to sell individual tour program so you should be beware of them

  • Reply mancunianarpit Feb 08 at 12:19 am

    hello Ashley, how is your tour going on, Which destinations you have covered so far

  • Reply Amrita Apr 19 at 1:20 pm

    Indeed, you have a very deep and practical knowledge about India that is why you have rendered good information. Keep posting.

  • Reply Michael Dave Aug 24 at 4:32 am

    Great Post.

  • Reply singapore malaysia tour package Jan 02 at 12:30 pm

    Very interesting and informative article. Thank you.

  • Reply Farenexus Mar 08 at 9:55 am

    A very informative article you provide a lot of good tips for travelers. Good to know about all these things. India is one of the famous countries in the world in terms of culture, religion, heritage, and people. Keep posting.

    • Reply ashleywanders Mar 09 at 6:11 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

  • Reply vluchten schiphol Jan 09 at 1:07 pm

    Great read about Incredible India,There are certain challenges you always face on new destinations, but what makes your experience better is what you adopt and learn from there. I think this is what we call adventure and thrill of traveling.

  • Reply Air Choice One Flight Tracker Feb 06 at 1:43 am

    Thank you for the tips! Your posts about India are all super useful and cover all the subjects! I’m pinning them and I will definitely remember them when planning my trip to India.

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