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“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”
– Mahatma Gandhi.
From a small kid to a 100 years old grandpa; from the crowded passages of the city to the soothing valleys; from the empire of white desserts to enchanted beaches and from the tip of Kashmir to the end of Kanyakumari, you can find an insight into the rich cultures and traditions of India. Come let’s explore it.
Airways is the most efficient way to go to India and that is my favorite. Whenever I think about the flights, I get a serene picture in front of my eyes. I remember sitting on a comfortable seat, where the sweet cabin crew members are offering hospitality. I can see myself flying above the bed of clouds. Then, when the altitude of the plane reduces, I could see the vast oceans, green mountains, big football or baseball stadiums, crazy highways and roads, houses and cars that look like ants moving around. Oh! what joy.
I am sure that you must be feeling excited to hop on a flight journey. So, what are you waiting for? Let us prepare for an amazing and memorable trip to India.
1. Decide your goal.
A trip without a goal is like simply wandering around some clueless places! Hence, the very first step towards preparing a trip to India is deciding your goal for the trip. In other words, you need to decide the type of vacation you want to have. If you want to have an explorational and adventurous vacation in India, then you would require at least a month to visit all those inquisitive destinations. It is never possible to explore everyplace in just one trip because India is so huge and dense that you always go a level deeper as you come across another place in your journey. If you want to have a short and sweet vacation, where you want to just taste what it is like to be an Indian, then you can also learn a lot in 15 days.
Additionally, you also need to consider your personal time constraints. One thing to keep in mind for those who are in United States is that you should consider at least 4 days as flight time out of your whole vacation time because it takes at least 25 hours to fly from United States to India plus few hours of wait time at the airport and traveling time from the airport to your accommodation. Definitely, the time will vary with respect to the state from where you want to start.
2. Plan the travel destinations.
Now that you have an idea about the time you have for the trip, you can start making a bucket list of all the places that you are interested to visit. To figure out the list of places that you want to visit, you need to browse about the places in some relevant travel blogs, vlogs and list of top travel destinations.
Click here, if you want to have a look at the top travel destinations in India by Google.
Here is a quick guide on how to decide those places.
As you must have seen that here are numerous places to visit, your goal for the trip will help you figure out the list of places. If you want to experience the enchanted and soothing natural beauties, you need to definitely explore places like Jammu and Kashmir, Leh Ladakh, Sahyadri Mountain Ranges, the most famous Rann of Kutch, Manali, Coorg, Madikeri, and Dhanushkodi.
If you want to delve into the holy and religious places, then you should have a look at Amarnath, Varanasi, Amritsar (Golden temple), 12 Jyotirligas, Shirdi, Tirupati, Shrishailam, great saints samadhis, and graceful monasteries,
However, if you have a niche to know about the history, then you can pick places like Delhi, Agra (Taj Mahal), Punjab, Mysore, Vijaynagar, Aurangabad (Ajanta Ellora caves), Jaipur, Udaipur and Sabarmati.
3. Get a valid passport.
Now that you have a rough plan of what will your trip looks like, it is time to prepare for necessary documents. As we all know that passport is the most important document that you need to exit or enter a country, make sure that you have a valid passport whose expiry date should be at least 6 months after the travel date.
If you do not have a passport yet, then you should start applying for it one month in advance. There are various online resources that can inform you about the procedure for passport application. If you are an U.S. citizen, please refer to the State Department’s website for more information on the application.
4. Check for the Visa requirement.
Along with a valid passport, fulfilling you visa requirements is also important. For some countries the process of getting a visa is difficult and time consuming. Therefore, make sure that you have enough time before the travel date to fulfill your visa requirements.
If you are an U.S. citizen, then you can refer to the State Department’s website for more information on your visa. You can also consider enrolling yourself in the Global Entry program by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This will help you to get easy clearance upon arrival to the United States, which is what every passenger desires for!
5. Book flights, hotels and travel guides
It’s time to prepare yourself for the take off! I would suggest that you book your flight tickets at least two months in advance. In this way, you will have the privilege to get good deals for flights. Delhi, the capital of India, is the best place to start if you want to begin exploring India from the north. Whereas, if you want to start you journey by savoring the delicious south Indian food, then go for Bangalore or Hyderabad.
I would also suggest to land on Mumbai, the financial capital of India. It has a large range of hotel options and also other luxurious facilities that can match every pocket. You would also be able to find international cuisines, if that is what you are looking for. This place is amazing because you get lucky to experience the real diversity on the crowded roads, passages and in the famous Mumbai local trains. Do not forget to hit on some street food!
You have to also make sure that you book hotels according to your preferences while you are booking your flight tickets. Pre-booking is necessary because the travel trends in India is highly unpredictable. Especially in the vacation time like Christmas and New year, the tourist places get pretty crowded. You can use certain websites and applications to find out best flights and hotels according to your budget. I would usually use the websites of British Airways, American Airlines, MakeMyTrip, Expedia, Trivago and TripAdvisor.
Booking for a travel guide is also necessary. There are a lot of tourist who do not take a travel guide, but I would suggest hiring a government certified travel guide. If you are going to a new place, then it is necessary that you gain complete knowledge about a place. Travel guides are like an interactive encyclopedia about that particular place where they are assigned to. In that case, you will be also free to ask questions, if you have any. It is always good to have a knowledgeable and trustworthy person with you, as you would be safe and will be guided about new things that you are not familiar about, such as the right directions from the crazy passages or the right fare for a taxi.
6. Get a travel credit card and sufficient Indian currency.
Money! – the number one thing that you would need the moment you exit an airport in India! So, contact your bank and get a valid international travel credit card.
I would highly recommend keeping Indian currency (Rupees) with you because a lot of times you can end up in a situation where there is no way for electronic payment. In this way, having physical currency will keep you safe and stress free. Make sure you get the Indian currency in advance before your travel date.
7. Purchase a travel insurance.
What if you had a pleasant flight journey. You come out with your kids and family, joyously. You do the immigration check-in and stand near the baggage belt to collect your baggage. What would you do when you realize that you are the person who did not get the luggage? Don’t panic. Travel insurance can save you at that time.
So, make sure you get a travel insurance. Most of the banks also provide travel insurance along with your travel credit cards, so you can check with them. Certain websites or applications like MakeMyTrip will also offer you some deals of flights along with the travel insurance which you can also consider.
8. Contact your mobile service provider.
Mobile has been a very necessary part of our lives. Rather, it has become a symbol of safety. So, at least a week before your travel date, contact your mobile service provider and ask for enabling international roaming. If that is not possible, then arrange for a new sim card that you can use internationally.
9. Check the baggage allowance and restrictions.
Have you ever come across a situation where a strong and strict police officer is checking your baggage and your sweat is dripping from your forehead and gradually slipping down to your neck even though you are confident that you are right? If yes, then abide by the rules for the baggage allowance and restrictions to avoid such frustrating situations.
Every airline company has its own limitations and restrictions on baggage. Generally, you will find instructions that restrict you from bringing sharp and dangerous materials or certain liquids.
Most of the time, you can find the instructions on your ticket itself. You can also check for the instructions on their official website or directly call the airline company.
10. Pack your bags and get ready to enjoy the travel!
Now is the most fun part: packing your clothes. Especially for women because whenever we pack our bags we picture ourselves in the clothes that we are packing and then think of all the activities that we want to do with it, such as clicking a selfie and posting it on Instagram with all certain hashtags (e.g. #fun, #vacation, #travel, etc.).
I would recommend taking variety of clothes that could match every weather. I am saying this because, recently, it is unforeseen if you will experience unbearable heat, chilling cold or drenching rains. But usually it will be colder in the north and warmer in the south.
Pack you medicine and all-important sanitary materials.
Then pack all the necessary electronic devices. Make sure to get a good camera device to capture your moments in India. Take power chargers and sufficient batteries with you. You would also need to purchase a universal adapter as there can be difference in the voltage requirements as well as the plug shape of your devices.
You could contact some well-known travel agency and a book a whole package. However, planning a vacation on your own will give you the autonomy to explore some stunning places except for few of the prominent places that tourist usually visit.
Come let us acquaint ourselves with the INCREDIBLE INDIA!
If you have any questions, please ask me in the comments section below. Please follow by blog page by signing up with your email address, so that you can get notified as soon as I post a new blog.
Pack your bags, fasten your seat belts and get ready to ride!!😎
Journey Through India. 