Thinking of a trip to India - advice please

[JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon]

We are thinking of a trip to India next year, just me and DH. We have never been to India or indeed Asia before so would love some advice.

We're happy to travel independently, use public transport or drive and get off the beaten track in Europe and the USA but don't feel very confident about India.

We don't expect or need high end luxury but don't want to rough it. We need a proper bed and a decent shower and air con in hot weather.

We want to see the sights, the main priorities being Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Lutyens New Delhi and Jodhpur.

Any advice on travel companies to use, whether a guided trip is best, when to go, how to get around (if not on a tour), things to keep in mind etc.

We have brochures from trailfinders and exodus to begin with

I ised Explore Worldwide, they are fairly ethical and use hotels that are locally owned rather than internationalv owned

I've been to India a few times - once with a group of friends and a couple of times with dp and dd.

We travelled independently each time. The train system is amazing and very reliable.

No need to stay in international hotels as a pp suggested. More money will go to the local community if you stay in locally owned hotels and there's a wide enough range to suit all budgets and tastes.

Be careful with drinking water and ice. Avoid buffets where food has been sitting around. We tend to look for small, basic restaurants where we can see plenty of locals eating.

Sexual violence against women is awful. There was a horrific case recently of a 14 year old girl who was gang raped and then burnt alive.
But as a tourist, I have never had any problems with being groped let alone anything worse.

If you have only got a couple of weeks, I wouldn't try to cover too much. Probably best to stick with the Golden Triangle or Kerala.

Jules Verne do a great trip www.distantjourneys.co.uk/india-tours/the-golden-triangle-ranthambore-tour/

I have been to India many many times.
Have travelled solo and with others and loved it. Have stayed everywhere from basic rooms/tents to 5 star hotels.
Yes it's different to our western lives. Of course there is poverty, there is wealth too.
The Indian people I have been fortunate enough to meet are warm, funny, friendly and welcoming.
I have had tea in a slum & champagne in a palace and both were wonderful experiences never to be forgotten.
India is colourful and gritty and human and full of every kind of person imaginable.
OP I hope you love India as much as I do!

We did the Golden Triangle, plus Jodphur and Udaipur but over a 4 week period. You may find it tough going to do it all in less time.

I have been to India many times - spent six months backpacking when much younger, took my 70yo dad for a month in 2020 and stayed in booking.com humble accomodations and we had a blast, and now going with my baby girl to meet her grandma (coincidentally my DP is from India). I personally love it. It is so full of life. I always felt safe. But I have always looked for adventures rather than luxury-type holidays. I think you either love it or hate it. However I would say stay away from the cities and the tourist spots as much as possible...

Gosh, was interesting responses.. I have been to india a lot and have travelled the golden triangle twice, last time with my children...I booked hotels myself and our Delhi hotel sorted us a driver for the tour to Agra and Jaipur last time, plus guides. It was amazing there is nowhere like it and it's worth it. Yes there is poverty, yes you get hassled, I had my photo taken by Indian tourists and multiple selfie requests which I refused. We stayed in international hotels mostly due to a nut allergy and they tend to have international standards. Don't trust restaurants reviews on trip advisor ask for recommendations, know your driver gets backsheesh taking you to a shop but the shopping is great ....!! India is incredible - it takes a trip to get used to it! Highly recommend a beach week to follow your northern tour.

Hmmm all interesting, thank you. We have been looking mainly at fully guided trips and it sounds as though that would be a good idea and not over cautious, but maybe we should consider other options 🤔

We've not done much outside Europe and North America, only Egypt, Turkey and Mexico.

Time of year is entirely flexible.

I would go somewhere else op. How about Vietnam?

I've travelled the world solo buy never felt as unsafe as I did in India, with my then partner, by my side.

It's hard work even when it's unsafe.

South East Asia is far safer and its FUN. The food is incredible, its safer, but it will still be a massive culture shock for you.

I did the triangle back in 2001. I was a lone female but went on an organised trip with a group and tour leader. I didn't get any hassle but that was probably because we literally went from mini-bus to sightseeing and back to the hotel. We stayed in excellent hotels. I'd love to go back but I would only do it that way.

Having a driver is very convenient, you can stay as long as you like at the sites, go to the restaurants you want, go to various shopping areas. We stayed for hours at the Taj Mahal just watching it change colour throughout the sunset. It took a couple of trips but I am quite comfortable being in India, I don't find it unsafe. India has a huge middle class, many of the tourist you will meet in the hotels are Indian, we enjoyed chatting with them, generally we have always followed the well healed crowd in India and have not run into problems, if people approach us outside sites then we don't engage. The culture is different but it's not generally unsafe. I would recommend buying some clothes there to wear, I have some things from Fab India i wear there which are loose and comfortable, generally lots of linen or cotton trousers and either t-shirts or Indian style cotton tops. The shopping in Jaipur is fantastic - one of my favourite places ever. Delhi is very green, we went the first time in February when it was quite cool and we watched the light show at the red fort, it was April when we went last and there was a lot of mosquitoes in Delhi in the evening which was annoying as we had to leave the light show as there were so many mosquitoes. It's colder up there in the winter but it's not a bad thing if you are sight seeing, and I think less mosquitoes! I haven't been to Kerala but I would recommend a few a days on a beach resort in South Goa (which is lovely in January or February) if it's your first trip there, its just a lot more chilled out and less hectic than the north and it's easy to book flights within India and the hotel can do transfers.

I’ve travelled all over, and lived in Asia, my exDH is Pakistani. I work with Indians who understand this perspective, but now I’m older I would actively choose not to spend any money in a country which treats females as badly as they are treated there. It is endemic. It is heartbreaking.
I would go elsewhere to spend your tourist capital.

I did India with my cousin. As 2 females we paid for a guide who took us everywhere. Expensive but worth it as we got sheltered. We're told categorically to go nowhere on our own.

Taj Mahal and Jaipur are breathtaking. Delhi is hard-core.we got a hotel with a pool for some chill time.

TransIndus have arranged three trips to India for me. Each trip was fabulous and tailored to exactly what we wanted. We opted for a private car and driver as this gave us the freedom and flexibility to alter days if we wished. The drivers we had were excellent and had very interesting knowledge and insights to the places we visited.