In this India Travel Blog page, we’ll try to prepare you for India and give you some tips to make travel easier, smoother, and less stressful.
We’ll also give you a few ideas on where to go on your India trip, which amazing attractions and places to see, and how to get around India.
India is a fantastic country, I absolutely love it and can never get enough. Many feel the same but others never visit put off by perceived difficulties.
Travel in India is challenging, even more so with kids. Travelling around the country of India and learning more about Indian culture are fascinating and immensely rewarding.
We’ve enjoyed 20 years of India travel, as couple travellers at all budget points, ultra-budget to luxury, and as a backpacking family.
We’ve taken package holidays to Goa, spent months exploring the country as independent travellers, and, most recently, backpacked around India for a month with kids.
India with children is quite an experience.
You’ll find many travel blogs about India, some written by Indian travel bloggers, ours is from the perspective of Western travellers, but it is genuine, we have spent months in India.
We’re here to help you with that. Welcome to our India travel blog home page, family travel, with kids, or otherwise. We want you to love India as we do, to be prepared, and to have your best trip to India possible.
Welcome to my favourite country!
India Travel Blog
Highlights of India
India has some incredible world-class attractions that most visitors will want to see. Some of these include:
- The Taj Mahal
- The Beaches of North or South Goa including Anjuna Market
- Kerala’s Beaches and Backwaters
- Mamallapuram
- Wonderful Fort Cochin, Kerala
- The Dalai Lama’s residence in McLeod Ganj
- The Golden Temple in Amritsar
- The Ancient City of Hampi
- The Wonderful Cities of Rajasthan
- Varanasi and mother Ganga
- Mumbai for The Gateway to India, Elephanta Island, and Mumbai itself. Formerly Bombay.
We’ve been to them all, except, would you believe, The Taj Mahal.
I honestly don’t know why we’ve never been.
India is a huge country and has it all, beautiful beaches and quiet backwaters, arts, crafts and culture, great food, fascinating peoples and religions, and of course, incredible history and heritage.
You can even find snow and skiing in India in the Himalayas which lie to the north. Parts of India that we already cover on this website include:
- North Goa
- South Goa
- Kerala’s Beaches and Backwaters. We post about Kovalam Beach, we were there quite a while.
- Kochin or Kochi. Our Post is about staying in Fort Kochi Kerala.
- Mumbai and Elephanta Island
- Mamallapuram chilling in lovely Mamallapuram famous for stone carvers and The Shore Temple. Mamallapuram is also considered a beach destination and is south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
- Hampi – Our Post is on Hampi to Goa and includes visiting Hampi.
- North Indian Attractions
We have visited far more of India and we’re adding more content every day.
Travel in India With Children
My children were 8 and 10 when they first visited India.
We knew what to expect and we grown-ups thought we were expert enough at this part of the world and travelling with our kids, to get them around the country without traumatising them too much.
The boys had briefly visited Mumbai and the Kerala backwaters already, both wanted to return and loved the people we met and their “happy moustaches.”
We did OK, but we had some tough times.
I’m talking about long-term independent travel here, backpacking, if you like.
If you visit India with your family on a package holiday or on a more structured trip based around resort hotels or a tour of the cultural highlights, you’ll experience a much smoother ride.
That first trip was an amazing experience for the boys and it was a joy for us to share it with them but I have to be honest, I would not take much younger children to India.
People do, and Indian children live there and survive just fine, but I wouldn’t be comfortable with it.
Certainly not before the children are old enough to stop putting objects and fingers in their mouths.
If you’re just going on a short 2-3 week holiday, fine, no problem, or maybe taking a guided tour with air conditioning and transport pre-arranged, but longer trips with constant moving around, no, it’s not for very small kids.
I have many reasons for saying that, the intense heat could be too much for them, the safety concerns on trains and buses, the restricted diet that inevitably causes weight loss and decreased immune function, tummy bugs and high fevers that little ones just can’t cope with.
Also the constant crowds and sensory bombardment.
Children are more likely to feel culture shock, something I’ve never felt.
A lot depends on the child, I have one highly sensitive son, he struggled at times, particularly on packed trains.
The other was absolutely fine and “got” my love for this country.
He’s picked up the India bug, just like me.
I love India and even I find it hard some days, every visitor to India has times when they want to flee. But most always want to return.
Hotel and guest house conditions at the backpacker end of the market generally weren’t great.
We had nights where we sweltered in power cuts on greasy pillows in Mamallapuram, rooms with more holes in the windows than glass to allow in ravenous mosquitos in Hampi, long journeys, break downs, packed trains, sea snakes, bucket and scoop bathrooms, and a good measure of grime.
Of course, the thing that worried the kids most was the very on-off wifi and power situation. Squat toilets are less troublesome than no internet.
At first, the boys didn’t want the food and were pretty unhappy with us for not providing cereal and pizza, but they got used to it.
I wouldn’t say they ever truly loved Indian food, outside of the delicious non-spicy carbs like naan and chapatis, but they were cool with it by the end.
One of the kids is very sensitive, he hated to see beggars and disfigurements, stuff like that really upsets him.
He also didn’t like being crowded by curious strangers on trains and buses, but he coped.
We saw one or two people with very disfiguring leprosy, some child beggars working the trains.
He really empathises with these people and feels some of their pain.
As a mum I worried more than usual, filth levels are high in parts, particularly on trains and I was forever cleaning grubby hands. In the end, just my younger son and I got sick, quite badly.
This was my first ever sickness in India, but he recovered from high fever, nausea and vomiting in lovely Kovalam far more quickly than his mum.
Goa and Kerala were pretty easy, particularly Kochin which is very developed for up-market tourism.
Hampi was probably the toughest, but they did love touring the Hampi ruins riding shotgun with our tuk-tuk guide.
There were plenty of good times too, so much to see and experience and we rounded off our trip with a week on the beach, bodyboarding and swimming.
It was a great experience for them and they’re glad they got to see some of India. Would they willingly go back? They’re not keen. D did once say that I’d have to drag him back to India kicking and screaming.
But that was a few years ago, I think he’s changed his mind now.
Getting Around India
These days it’s easy to fly between cities, but most backpackers still use the excellent and remarkable train system.
The railways are complex in India and the booking system, along with the class system of the carriages, could cause the inexperienced a few headaches.
We love travelling by train. Train travel in India is an experience in itself and one not to be missed, but you need to know the system.
We’d suggest, that if you have limited time to get around India and a set itinerary in mind, you book major train journeys well in advance, the trains fill up with India travellers at peak times.
On our last trip we were totally unable to get on a train to the north, they were all full.
Single travellers would be fine, but as a family of 4 needing sleeper berths all together, it proved impossible.
Buses can be fun, as can tuk-tuks (rickshaws). Look out for the different styles of motor rickshaw you’ll find across India, some are quite bizarre.
You can get a taxi, the old Hindustan Ambassadors still exist but are rarer nowadays and in some cities, you’ll even find bicycle and foot rickshaws.
Take your pick, transport is cheap, but may not be outstandingly safe, the death toll on Indian roads is the highest in the world.
Get More Out of Your Trip, Read Before You Go.
Books on India for Adults.
- Lonely Planet India (Travel Guide)
- Are You Experienced? (my favourite, so funny!)
- Travels on my Elephant
- Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure
- City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi
Books on India for Kids.
There are many, but just to give you some inspiration, here are a few. There are some great movies and documentaries you could watch before your trip, too. Preparing kids for travel in India is a good idea, but more so with India, for them to make sense of the country as it unfolds before them.
- India For Kids: Amazing Facts About India
- Ramayana: Divine Loophole
- The Jungle Book
- Indian Children’s Favorite Stories
Food in India
Food in India is sometimes superb, and sometimes terrible, it’s the same in every country.
Indian cuisine is one of my own world favourites, I prefer the light vegetarian dishes of the south, my husband (the chef) enjoys the heavier, meatier dishes of the north.
These northern dishes are the dishes you’ll be more familiar with from western Indian restaurants and one of the joys of travelling around India is observing how regional foods change.
In most towns with a tourist industry, you’ll find western food easily if that is what you need. Menus will list all the backpacker favourite, banana pancakes, toasted sandwiches, even pizza.
I’m very cautious about ordering anything that hasn’t been cooked to a very high temperature in India so we tend to avoid western dishes.
Occasionally, in small towns and on trains, you’ll be faced with a bewildering selection of foods you’ve probably never seen or heard of before. The good news is, it’s usually delicious. The other good news is, train platform shops sell biscuits, crisps and chocolate.
At times we struggled to find food for the children. They developed a taste for Indian dishes as the month wore on, but they ate a lot of omelettes and pancakes for the first few weeks. In a couple of places, we couldn’t even get them that and they grudgingly had to put up with dosa, dahl and chutneys for breakfast (my favourite!).
The turning point came in Colva, where a lovely guy from one of the beach shacks cooked them a “special” chicken massala for lunch. They never looked back after that.
Coffee and tea were a major problem for me. Chef and the kids love chai, it’s hot, sweet, and milky. My worst nightmare. Black tea and black coffee were almost impossible to find, you certainly won’t get it on the trains.
Visas for India
India is one of the more difficult countries when it comes to visa applications although things are starting to improve. I can’t cover visa regulations for every country on the India travel blog page, but I can start to give you ideas. Things change, please double check.
In the past we’ve spent weeks (on UK passports) procuring Indian visas, visiting the London Indian Visa Application Office, picking up the paper forms, filling them in, getting the exact right size photos at higher expense, submitting birth certificates and family history for the children, providing a letter of authorisation from my husband as he wasn’t travelling with us. Then on top of the hassle, the visas cost a fortune. It was not fun!
The High Commission of India no longer handles Indian visa applications. Now the Indian Government has introduced an e-visa on arrival system at most airports. It’s still not straightforward and only certain airports are involved in this system (see link above). You do need to apply online and pay before arrival. This E-Tourist visa is valid for 30 days.
Obviously, the degree of visa hassle depends on which passport you hold, Australians have had the visa on arrival available to them for longer, Americans need to check US regulations. The system is incredibly complex.
Alternatively, various online Indian visa agencies exist to smooth the process of gaining your Indian visa. They can check your application for mistakes or omissions that could lead to you having to re-apply at your own expense.
What is the Best Time of Year to Travel in India
India is a huge country with corresponding climactic variations, so any time of year can be a good time to visit.
Some will tell you not to visit in the hot pre-monsoon period. We’d disagree, we’ve been in Rajasthan and Southern India and that time of year, yes, it was hot, but we still had a great time.
Travelling off-peak will save you cash too.
I’ve never experienced India during the monsoon (wet season), which starts in May in the south and then works its way north and east over the next 6 weeks, but it’s something I’d love to see.
Chasing The Monsoon by Alexander Frater gave me a fascination for this weather system, I’d love to experience it for myself and highly recommend the book.
Diseases, including malaria, are more of a risk during the monsoon and flooding is a possibility, so maybe this is only for risk-takers like me.
Electricity and Internet in India for Travellers
Powercuts seem to happen all the time in India, everywhere we’ve visited.
When the power goes out, so does the internet (often along with fans or air conditioning), not much fun when you’re putting an India travel blog together.
I can’t speak for the whole of India, but this has been our experience so far. Sometimes generators kick in when the power goes out, sometimes not.
We found Indian internet connections to be slow and unreliable. Not good news for people like us, we are digital nomads, travel bloggers, our wifi connection is vital for our business and the kids’ worldschooling endeavours.
The best speeds we found were in Kerala, but every power cut (often brought on by thunderstorms) would knock it out.
The figures are here, India has the second slowest average connection speed in the Asia-Pacific region. This list puts India in the 15th position for download speeds in Asia.
Indian electricity sockets supply 250V 50Hz ac and have 3 round holes in a triangular configuration, or, sometimes, 2 round holes.
In order to get a 2 pin adaptor into the 3 hole socket, we had to use a pencil in the top-most round hole (the larger earth connector), this lifts the protectors to the bottom two pins.
It would be far easier to buy a dedicated Indian adaptor. This one, converts UK plugs to Indian sockets and has the tricky 3rd pin. I’m looking for US and Australian versions.
Vaccinations and Getting Sick in India
Mild bouts of traveller’s diarrhoea are inevitable in most countries and are nothing to worry about.
Our experience with sickness in India is as follows, my husband was very sick in Varanasi and Calcutta on our first 3-month backpacking trip.
He was in bed for several days with pain, diarrhoea and vomiting. We didn’t seek treatment, he got better and now thinks he may have had Dengue.
On our last 1 month trip, my younger son and I both had something that gave us severe diarrhoea, pain and fever for a couple of days. My travel thermometer told me we had fevers of 103 °F plus. We didn’t seek treatment.
And that’s all, nothing else. The sickest my boys have ever been was in London with norovirus. You can get sick everywhere.
Travel vaccination and malaria advice vary. Before we left on our last trip my GP told me that malaria prophylaxis was now unnecessary in India (excluding the far northeast), so we didn’t give it a second thought.
The most important thing is to avoid mosquitos.
On our 3-month backpacking trip, we took nothing for malaria. Yet years ago we were prescribed antimalarials for 3 weeks in Goa.
We have never had a rabies vaccination. (Update: we have since, see why we finally decided to get rabies jabs) Rightly or wrongly, we have had most travel vaccinations, but not Japanese Encephalitis.
That’s just what we do. Do your own research and do whatever you are comfortable with, nothing will spoil your trip faster than worrying about health every day.
Can You Drink The Water in India?
No, not at all. We don’t even clean our teeth with it.
It’s not just bacterial contamination you need to worry about, there are other pollutants, metals and chemicals too.
Years ago there were reports of bottled water being unsafe to drink in India because of unscrupulous producers. I heard stories of people re-using plastic water bottles and buying machines to re-seal them after filling them with tap water.
I can’t find any recent information on this.
We drank bottled water everywhere in India, it was easy to get and always looked fine.
Keep an eye on the caps, make sure they are properly sealed. These days I would advise you against plastics, take your own reusable water bottle with either chlorine (or other water purification tablets) or something like a Life Straw.
What To Wear in India?
In India, above all other countries, be mindful of what you wear.
For me, this means long trousers and a flowing long-sleeved top.
My husband and the boys fit right in with the Indian men depending on where we are.
In the south, my husband often wears a lungi (a sarong of sorts) but this is terribly out of place in the north.
Mostly they wear jeans and T-shirts, the same as the locals.
I wear jeans, constantly, I’ve spent years in the tropics and find them comfortable in the heat.
You will probably prefer something a little more loose and airy in natural fabrics.
I’m not a fashion expert, I’ll just stick with my jeans. Natalia has written a far more in-depth post on what to wear in India.
I’ll warn you that being properly dressed is no protection against being groped, they call it Eve Teasing, it will probably still happen.
It even happens to me at my age and did on this last trip.
That’s all I’ve got for you right now, I’m still working on this India travel blog page. Please let me know, what do YOU need to know about travel in India? Stick it in the comments. Thanks!
If you’d like to read more about travel in India, including blog posts on the destinations we have visited recently go to our India directory page here, or see the related posts, below.
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Try Stayz / VRBO for an alternative way to find rentals on homes/apartments/condos in any country!
I appreciate your honest review of this destination. It’s refreshing to see both the highlights and the challenges of traveling there.
This is incredible. I found your article to be rather enjoyable. Well done, and keep going.
I’m grateful.
I am thankful to you for sharing this plethora of useful information. The depth and quality of your content are truly impressive.
Thanks for sharing this informative post. Do you have any further resources or insights you could share?
Loads.What do you want to know?
Please provide a one-week itinerary for the Goa trip.
Why would you want to follow the same itinerary as us? You probably have different interests.
India’s marvels beckon! From the iconic Taj Mahal to the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, each destination weaves a unique story.
I feel children are resilient and capable of handling much more than adults sicne they don’t have inhibitions or biases. It is commendable that you have the courage to backpack with children in a diverse nation like India.
The opposite really, they’re much more likely to be traumatised by things such as seeing lepers and terrible deformities, the conditions street children endure etc. Obviously they are potentially more likely to get sick and keeping them safe is hard in India. I use the photo of the open train door for a reason. Then there’s the high death rate on Indian roads. Also if they’re not used to it they will struggle with the food. It took a few weeks to get even my kids used to eating various curries at every meal. And then there were the packs of dogs.
If you and your kids hate India just say so. I guess people in Western countries grow up with so much comfort that any small incovience for them is “I hate this” . If your kids hate India no need to force them to come. India is open for people who are ready to travel with open heart and accept it as they go. If you find issue in food , air , people , places maybe you just travel to developed countries where everything suits your pallete. Millions of kids grow up in India and travel around and bitch less about all the things they hate. Maybe instead of sticking to your “I don’t like this ” you should try and be patient about it..it will help you and your kids in life. All in all.. India is a place that isn’t bed of roses. But if you are backpacking maybe you should go alone or with your husband instead of forcing your kids to come and like India. They hate India , I Get it so I would rather people who like to live in the lap of luxury don’t come to India and then bitch about it. Namaste
Maybe try reading the post properly, we all, always, have a fantastic time in India. Love it. I think I say that in the first paragraph, several times. Having a bad day? Commented on the wrong site? Been drinking?
Well thanks for sharing this blog with us.
Kindly cover Varanasi in your next trip so that your readers can get to know about Varanasi based on your experience.
If you ever plan for Varanasi let us know
We have indeed been to Varanasi. One of my favourite places in India. Just haven’t written it up yet. I think we need to go again for an update.
I feel the same way! I always say that you can never describe India as nice – it is all the adjectives in the world all combined into one! And yes! Everyone should go!!
@Wherelocated.net, Yes, it’s certainly an amazing country.
We appreciate you sharing this kind of content with us.The article is wonderful! Whenever you plan to visit India in the future, make sure to contact rajasthantours.travel. You’ll end up making the best and great memories.
We’d love to, Rajasthan is fabulous.
I think you have covered this well ! A good preface for any travel guide to India. As an extra, Ashrams of India is a guide book on Amazon (Kindle) that has links to Google Maps for all the places listed, which kind of makes it easier finding your way there….
Great, Ashrams are awesome for a certain kind of traveller in India.
This is amazing. I really enjoyed your content. Good job and keep it up.
Thank You,
My pleasure Priya.
Thank You for the Information you have given, it was very useful. And there are many more Travelling Blogs and give you idea to visit the places around India.
i have read your blog you have covered all places in india really amazing you have great expirence of writing.
Thank you very much.
Thanku so much,great nice article. this is very useful for the outsiders from India. sharing good information.
Wonderful information, thanks a lot for sharing kind of content with us. Your blog gives the best and the most interesting information.
Thank You For Sharing,
Thank you for the informative blogs. This was really helpful for me. All the information seems true and genuine. The website is among the best that i have seen so far.
Great blog and this is very useful for the outsiders from India and foreigners who would like to visit India more on the beautification the way you described it is mesmerizing proud to be born in this country.
Most of the Indians move abroad and never turn back to our country and get settle but born and brought up should never be forgotten.
Love this detailed blog. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Hii,very nice blog. You have explained your travel experience in a great way through words and pictures.
Hii, I have gone through your blog. You visited all the top most famous places in India. You have shared your experience in a nice way.
Thank you so much Roshen. We love India. Hopefully the world will be open again soon.
hii, such a nice blog. it is very informative for the blog readers.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us
Hey
People in India speak the Hindi, and English languages. The linguistic diversity of India is very diverse according to a fractionalization scale which for India is 0.8069. The followers of Hinduism are the religious majority in the country. 31.3% of India’s population live in cities.
Thanks
It is amazing. I have bookmarked your webpage and share with my travel buddies.
It’s a Wonderful Article! Thanks for Sharing! Do you need help/guidance to plan for the Rameswaram trip?
We’ve been to Rameswaram already, south, north India, all of it.
India is loaded with tons of popular and famous tourist places you can travel with family or friends. The southern part of India offers many outdoor adventure sports like bungee jumping, jungle safari, etc. During the summers one can visit uttarakhand, manali, shimla, etc in order to beat the heat.
Hey,
i am thankful that you and your family enjoyed their time in India. I am proud to be an Indian because it is place where the Culture and everything chance when you go from one district to other(no matter if it just right next to the previous one). Next time whenever you plan to Visit India, go to Taj Mahal, you’ll like it.
@Komal Goyal, I know! I have no idea why we never went there. Next time we most certainly will, and I plan to visit Shimla and Rishikesh too.
Wonderful blog!! Thanks for the amazing post. It is really a great blog to use for the travel lovers it gives more beneficial towards to plan some excellent trips. It was a great post to read which is very sufficient for the travelers.
Your post is amazing.
Thank you for sharing this information, Goa is an amazing place.
Loved your article, learned so much, there is so much to explore in your information itself. Loved how you used tuk tuks, they are amazing.
I found a blog that covers some more areas these in detail with fabulous photos if you are interested:
Thanks for the information on the famous tourist place in India with various heritage, culture and amazing attractions. It offers life time holiday experience which visitors can enrich in their mind for long period of time.
You should also visit kolkata. You will love if you visit here.
Will wait for yout kolkata visit article.
We have been ! My husband’s grandmother lived there for many years.
Thank you for such information of India which is indeed very helpful for the people who are travel freaks and not aware of the environment and other things of India. The types of clothes, information related to the eating and drinking, curing the illness during the trip and the best time along with the internet facilities helped me a lot during my travel to India.
Last time when I traveled India.I used train transport .This service are not so good.Thank you so much for information.
Lots of good information here in your article Alyson. Thanks. We are thinking of traveling to Cochin, Munnar, Periyar, Kumarakom, 1 night in a houseboat then Kovalam and back to Cochin. There are plenty of tours doing that route. How easy would it be to get taxis in between each place instead or to have a driver? Have you had experience traveling this way?
We usually take trains or tuk tuks. Sometimes taxis, but the kids prefer tuk tuks. Why don’t you take the train? Taxis would be pretty easy but off the top of my head I don’t know the distances, Kovalam to Cochin is one heck of a way to do by taxi.Longest we’ve done by taxi ( actually a tuk tuk) was about 45 Km when there was no train available. Or there’s buses, but they can be really packed.
Thank you Alyson for this information.
It’s funny your blog is among few that taking about getting sick in India.. because getting sick in India is absoloutly part of the travel at some point for most travelers.
Yes Sachar, my younger son and I were very sick indeed last time. I ended up being treated for giardia when we got home, whatever he had passed without treatment. But I think that’s the first time I’ve been sick in India over several years and months of visits. My husband was terribly ill too once. But that’s life, you accept it, you roll with it. The kids were also very ill in London…it’s a bit of a lottery!
I agree it’s a lottery!
Eating where the locals are eating is my key to stay safe 🙂
Thanks for the the information. I’m taking my kids to the South of India next week and it’s their second time. They love it but I totally understand the sensory overload that one can experience in India (grown-ups included). Would love to to hear some recommendation for Madurai, Pondicherry and Chennai, if you have some to share 🙂
You have a great time! We love it too.No, no real recommends for those places, Chennai we just pass through from the airport, hotels are really expensive there for some reason. Madurai, I remember, but it was so long ago. I remember elephants on the street, great masala dosa and cow pujas. Pondicherry, I don’t think I’ve been to.
Thank you for a very interesting article. I greatly appreciate the time you take to do all the research to put together your posts. I especially enjoyed this one!!
My pleasure Shiwani.