India with teens

[Snoopsnoggysnog]

Has anyone done this and could recommend an itinerary? Looking at late March / early April for about 12 days.

E-visas have now been reinstated, so you shouldn't have a problem getting your visa now btw.

I don't think you meant to reply to me but this is utter rot. Of course Goa and Kerala are the real India. It's a subcontinent, it's not homogeneous.
If op can let us know what she most wants to get out of her trip we can advise specific itineraries. Otherwise it's a shot in the dark.

Great ideas and thank you all

just to clarify I’ve visited India many times so do have some familiarity but not done a trip like this with the DC. They have however already been to Goa.
DH and I have also been to Kerala but we’re keen to probably stick to the north this time and focus on the golden triangle and Mumbai as well. We were also considering Gujarat if anyone is familiar with that side?

DH and I have already been to Ranthambore… and it was a bit underwhelming, great fun but no tigers!

Diu, Gujarat is a beach resort that I've heard good things about. Will be a bit more conservative than the beaches of Goa and Kerala.
Everyone I know who's spent time in Ahmedabad doesn't recommend it, sorry!
I'd concentrate on the golden triangle mentioned but add on Jaisalmer. It's on the edge of the Thar desert with Pakistan and an absolutely stunning medieval sandstone wonder. I remember it being magical. You can take a safari by camel into the desert for a couple of nights and sleep on blankets directly under the stars. Kids'll love it.
Udaipur is also very, very beautiful and less hectic than Jaipur.
Lucky you guys!

I second the recommendation for Jaisalmer and Udaipur.

That’s a really good shout about Jaisalmer thanks. Will also look into Gujarat beach!

Thanks @RunAwayNow for the heads up r.e. E-visa, we can now consider going next winter. We had planned for 3 weeks this year and had the leave approved from work (me) and school (DS2), but that will be harder to get next year as DS2 will be in year 10. 2 weeks is just long enough though.

@Snoopsnoggysnog
What a shame you didn’t see a tiger. We first went in 1987 and again 20 years later. Saw tigers on both trips. However there was a marked difference in visitor numbers.Saw 0 besides us in 1987! So I would do Bandhavgarh. It’s a bit of a slog to get there but it’s very rewarding.

I wouldn’t bother with Mumbai personally. Staying in the North and adding Udaipur makes better sense.

Hi op, we travelled around India a couple of years back with 3 dc. We used a company called stubborn mule and I'd highly recommend them.

We did Mumbai, udaipur, jaipur and Delhi with a couple of more random stops in between (a safari being one of them!)

I think using a driver for your travels is the best way forward. We had a mini bus for the 5 of us and even though it seems quite contrived the driver / guide did take us to some places off the beaten track so to speak so I don't feel like we lost out.

We did a mixture of big tourist attractions and random local bank street sort of tours. Undoubtedly the latter were what really made the whole thing very special.

I hope you have a lovely time - it's an amazing experience!

I think it helps if they have done goa. I did an India tour when I was 19 as my first out of Europe experience and it was a massive culture shock. It was mind blowing in a good
way but I had a lot of hassle and got mega bad food poisoning. Think I did golden triangle plus Varanasi and the latter really stuck with me. I’ve gone back to my photos and seem to have a lot from Khajuraho (the Kama sutra temples). Could be fun or excruciating with your teens!

Always eat in restaurants recommended by guide books or in hotels. Always be safe, not sorry.

Again, not necessary, and you'll miss out on loads of delicious local meals if you do this. If you're worried about getting sick you could go veggie for the trip, veg food in India is the best. Make sure food is piping hot, send back if not. No salads. I'd also avoid ice.
Food in hotels is more likely to have been sitting around. Busy, local places. If you can see food being prepped so much the better. But you probably know all this having been a good few times.

India is one of my favourite places but please check the weather & temperatures of where you are going as it can get extremely hot depending on location!

I’d agree that busy local places are best. Food that’s been freshly prepared. And stick to veg. a lot of it is common sense really. No ice, unless you v sure of the source, and no salads.

fish that you know is fresh. There’s places in kerala where it’s grilled off the back of the fishing boat.

a lot of sickness is also caused by dehydration. My husband is useless at drinking enough water, salty snacks and sugars. Every time we go away somewhere hot he ends up dehydrated and I’ll. It’s finally clicked with him.

Would India be safe to take DS8 with husband and I?

Thinking of doing Delhi/golden triangle but he does get fed up on long journeys. We had thought about a national park but but it may be too much for him and he might not see that much if we are unlucky ? Maybe an animal sanctuary would be better

Gujarat, not a huge amount to see for tourists generally (but a huge state) I would certainly not recommend a visit to Ahmedabad its an awful place. Its not really a good state overall for a visit.

Better to go up to Rajasthan

Oh can add that Gujarat is a dry state, as a tourist you can get a liquor licence to use only in licenced liquor stores but its a faff on, so that means you cannot buy alcohol in hotels etc either. If you do buy alcohol you can only drink it in your room.

Drove me mad.....

It is perfectly safe to eat outside of hotels and guidebook recommendations. You just need to be sensible and use common sense.

If you can see vegetarian street food bubbling away, or an omelette is cooked to order you're unlikely to get ill.

I have been to India many times and while I did have changes in my digestion I have never been ill.

Bottled water (check the seal) including for teeth brushing, only fruit you can peel, lots of protein, no meat (most Indian people are vegetarian - better to stick to what most people eat), fish only where it's been locally caught that day, no salad, no street drinks with ice, avoid lukewarm food

Is it just me, or do other find the term "done" instead of "we visited" or "went to" rather grating? It makes it sound like a tick box exercise.
Maybe I am showing my age.

I've been to Goa, I haven't "done Goa".

Yes, and some of the journeys are amazing - we loved taking the trains. So much to see and people to talk to. The roads are terrifying but you soon realise there's a system to it. Again so much to look at, camels, elephants, whole families on scooters - the most amazingly piled up trucks and cars.

The national parks were a bit of a disappointment to be fair, after South Africa, there's a lot to see but nothing big if you see what I mean. It's more birds and nature. And they were crowded with tourists - all talking very loudly on a grand day out. Which was fun in itself. I think if we'd had a private guide in the parks that might have been different.

Not just you- my husband says it and it grates while I cringe a bit inside....

Food safety is vital. Fresh food is best but you often don’t really know what’s fresh and the most people I’ve seen ill have eaten street food. Or salads. Definitely not drunk enough water. With Dc you need safety for food and you need to take care. Hotels such as the Taj hotels don’t usually make guests ill. I’ve had wonderful food in India and never been ill. I’ve paid for high class hotels and eaten food in lovely restaurants. All sorts of unhygienic cooking and food safety can be found in India. Any walk around will show you that. Unwashed hands, toilet facilities and multiple use of prep areas is an issue.

I agree. I haven’t “done” India.

The Taj Hotel chain and other high class restaurants might be lovely (and I would absolutely expect not to get ill eating there), but IMO, wouldn't really give you the experience of travelling around India and for the vast majority of people would not come within a travel budget.

Food that has been kept lukewarm whether it be in India or your own kitchen is a health risk.

Street food that is cooked in front of you is likely to be safe.

India is the one place I have never eaten street food and never would, I have had dysentery around 4 times whilst living in India and ended up in hospital more than once. I have also lived in many areas of Asia and never suffered like I did in India. Even being so careful in my own home with hygiene I was still ill.

No matter where you are be it a 5* hotel (yep been ill on a couple of those inc very high class places) or a street stall or coffee shop, there is always the chance of being ill with something, quite a high chance. Only sticking to veg as opposed to non-veg (meat) does not guarantee you will not be ill.

Of course you can adhere to all the guidelines of ice/salad and so on but it maybe water from the shower (yes keep your mouth closed, it can be contaminated) and never touch warm rice. But there are always those who have been away for 3 weeks and have been fine, great but be very careful

You are right of course. There are no guarantees, it's about being informed and lowering your risk.
When we travelling with our then young son I was quite anxious, but I have family in India which helped ease my mind. I knew that if he became ill and declined rapidly as children can, I could call on help - help that would know exactly what to do.