Traveling to India Solo

nuckeythompson

Im planning a trip to India this year for 3-4 weeks. What exact time of the year Im not sure on just yet.
This is a place I have always wanted to go to since I was a child. So I will do this on my own to get the best experience.

Im 39 yo male

The thing is as much as I know about the culture Im not too sure where in India to go to. The place is so vast and so little time to fit everything in.

The thing I am looking for in this trip is very simple. Meeting people , food and discovering some of the culture through rail travel.

Considering the duration of the trip being 3-4 weeks does anybody have any suggestions.

Has anyone done thing before? Any general advice about traveling in India?

Many Thanks

Nuckey

hytrogen

nuckeythompson wrote:

The thing is as much as I know about the culture Im not too sure where in India to go to. The place is so vast and so little time to fit everything in.

I'm only back from two weeks around the subcontinent, mostly did Rajasthan and then to Goa for a few days. Had a jam packed trip around the Golden triangle (Delhi Agra Jaipur) for about 8days including tiger Safari in Ranthambore. A huge amount of culture jam packed into such short time. Ok it wasn't back packing but guided tours with a private driver the whole way, even got to experience the train from Agra to Ranthambore, the ICR carriage not the cattle class that looked frightening.

nuckeythompson wrote:

The thing I am looking for in this trip is very simple. Meeting people , food and discovering some of the culture through rail travel.

That safer train was booked 3months in advance, it had AC, isle service for snacks tea etc. And room to stretch!
Few safety tips, don't eat the street food no matter how cheaper it is we non-indians aren't built for its explosiveness!
Cash is king but they had a glut the last two months (I'm astounded this wasn't reported in our media while it happened) that current accounts were frozen to limit withdrawals of 10,000ruppies (€140~) per day so everytime we showed up at an ATM we were turned away by the locals, the limit only got lifted last week!
Tip everything whether you want to or not, they won't let you leave peacefully without the tip, it came close to fists a few times we hadn't any cash on us. 20ruppies goes a long way too (loaf of bread) so remember that when you're ordering food from a restaurant or tipping.

nuckeythompson wrote:

Considering the duration of the trip being 3-4 weeks does anybody have any suggestions.

Best time to go is from Nov to March, it's the coolest in the north and not as dry or unbearably hot as the rest of the year. Also it's height of the tourist season because of the weather, don't do like that gowl on TV Francis Brennan did, I'm surprised they aren't suing him, I didn't watch it but heard enough grief before we left about it all..
Smog is rampant inland, every other day we woke to really bad smog, the severity of you couldn't see your hand or thw tut tut in front of you driving along!
Fair winds and have a blast!!

nuckeythompson

Thanks for the detailed reply, do you mind telling me who this was booked through?

I like the idea of something guided for when I arrive there and then head of backpacking on my own.

hytrogen

Last note, bring the Andrex wipes, medicines malerone and toiletries but pack far less than you think you need to wear! It's cheap enough to get stuff laundered in hotels or buy t-shirts etc there.
Finally whatever price you see al a carte add about 50% taxes and charges extra to that, sneaky lads work on the US model of pricing with taxes and services charges, especially the 15% tourism tax was painful, 17 - 25% vat, ~5% service 3% tax on service and then expecting a tip afterwards. There's your culture shock if anything!!!!
Beautiful pleasant people nonetheless

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I flew into Kozhikode and out of Trivandrum. You get to see jungle (tiger, elephant, etc.) tea plantations, sea side (Varkala), etc.
You avoid the big cities, massive tourist centres and some of the really bad poverty that exists in India.

hytrogen

nuckeythompson wrote:

Thanks for the detailed reply, do you mind telling me who this was booked through?

I'll PM you their details, I would recommend them and their flexability

dory

I've travelled there quite a bit (actually am in India right now!). 
For a 3-4 trip I would suggest Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur - most of Rajasthan really. I went to Kerala last year and it was lovely, nice seaside places there. The mountains are great - you have Shimla, Leh etc up the north west and Shillong, Darjeeling to the East. If you're in Kolkata look up Calcutta Photo Tours. The guy who runs that is amazing, he's a photographer who'll show you how to take great photos, but he'll also tell you about the history and bring you to a nice chai stall and show you tasty, safe street food. We were all fine after it. 
If you have a kindle download the free sample of Lonely Planet India to see recommended itineraries. Not a bad place to start (and you can read it on the computer if you don't have a kindle).

stenan

hytrogen wrote: »

nuckeythompson wrote:

Thanks for the detailed reply, do you mind telling me who this was booked through?

I'll PM you their details, I would recommend them and their flexability

HI hytrogen, do you mind sending me on them details too. Planning a trip at the moment and it's pretty much the same route. Also do you need to book the train so far in advance?

hytrogen

stenan wrote:

HI hytrogen, do you mind sending me on them details too. Planning a trip at the moment and it's pretty much the same route. Also do you need to book the train so far in advance?

PM sent, yeah the train was like their business express line and wasn't as full as you typically see on an Indian commuter train (or an IR commuter now more often than before) with people hanging on the side or sitting on the roof, although several of those passed as we waited at the station in Bharatapur junction. It depends how adventurous you are really if you think you will hop on the train with luggage.

j.s. pill II

For booking trains in India see this here guide. Set up an an account with cleartrip.com and book any trains you know you are going to be taking as far in advance as possible. There are tourist quotas that you can get near enough to travel on SOME routes but best not to rely on these.

https://www.seat61.com/India.htm

^^^ Absoloutely brilliant guide for rail travel anywhere in the world in fact.

I would say if you're limited to 3-4 weeks probably best not t spread yourself out too much geographically. That said, internal flights are quite cheap.

If heading to Goa, AVOID at christmas/new years. I love Goa but found it unbearably crowded at that time of year plus prices for everything (accommodation, motorbike hire etc.) are multiples of what they usually are.

All depends on what you're looking for in the trip. happy to offer suggestions if you give us a rough idea of what you like (big cities, beaches, jungle, desert, mountains, backpacker/social, completely off the wall sh1t)

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Currently in India (Andhra Pradesh)
Not a tourist destination but I'm visiting Indian friends so have a chaperone.
Unbreakable rules. Only drink water from sealed bottles. Only eat it if it's piping hot, boiled or fried. Never eat anything without a skin or a broken skin or is exposed to the air.
Be careful where you walk and don't touch a cow.

We're having a great time but not doing the touristy bit. Seeing and doing things which you'll never see and do as a tourist.

Kerala is worth a visit. We've an invite there but not on this trip.