Group tour to India

[MaitlandGirl]

My wife and I both have milestone birthdays next year and we've decided on an organised tour to India.

Has anyone used Wendy Wu Tours? They really appeal as everything is covered (apart from drinks) and they organise flights as well.

As a same sex couple will we have any problems in India? I'm getting conflicted advice on this with some people saying "yes, it'll be awful" and others saying, "it'll be fine". It's not as if we'll be snogging on the streets or anything but we do hold onto each other as we walk (but that's due to my wife having appalling balance). Does anyone have any direct experience of what we can expect?

Who knew getting old could be so exciting?!

I haven't used Wendy Wu to go to India but my elderly neighbours have and they were very happy with their tour.
I don't think you will have any problems if you are sensible about how you behave in public, that goes to even heterosexual couples as physical display of affection is not the cultural norm. Where are you going to in India ?

I did an organised tour of India with Riviera - done a few trips with them and they have all been excellent.

As for same sex couples, I wouldn't have thought there would be a problem - I went with my friend and there were a few other same sex friend couples, whether any of them were gay I've no idea!

We’re looking at going to Delhi, Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, Bundi, Ranthambore National Park and Agra.

We know about the dress requirements for the Taj Mahal and the Jama Masjid but I don’t want to offend anyone by having to hold onto my wife.

We used Wendy Wu for China. There were a number of things wrong with the tour, & we eventually settled for 10% refund.

We're also thinking of India, & are looking at Riviera. We've used them 4 times, & have always been happy with the holidays.

Is that riviera travel? We’re in Australia so not sure it’s the same company you’re looking at. .com.au only does cruises.

Yes, rivieratravel.co.uk Don't know if they're connected to com.au.

I don't think anyone in India will be offended by you having to hold on to your wife, after all she could be your friend or sister.

India is a big busy society no one is going to be looking at you both!

But I've only been there once on a 10 day trip so not an expert - I'm sure some Indian heritage members here can give you some definitive advice.

Nobody will be offended by you holding on to your wife, as Indian women and men hold on to each other all the time. Don't kiss her in public, and perhaps avoid telling everyone you are married. Most people in the big cities won't care though and will assume you are friends or sisters.

Don't eat salads even in posh hotels. You are always better off eating something cooked, preferably veggie. Be prepared for terrible heat as there is a heat wave on at the moment, and likely next year too.

We went to Japan with Wendy Wu and weren't very impressed. Wendy Wu is based is Australia, so attracts a lot of Ozzies. They were very nice, but wanted to eat 'English' food all the time. Our courier bowed to this, so we didn't eat Japanese food as much as I'd hoped for. The courier was not great in other ways too, but that's the luck of the draw with any organised trip unfortunately.

Eating English food in India would indeed be a great tragedy! Plus you would get food poisoning from eating badly cooked steak or whatever they dished up. Eat Indian food in India. There is plenty of non-spicy food.

It is very common for same sex folks to hold hands in public in India - particularly men, so much so that it is noticeable. You will have no issues with holding on to your wife in public.
It is almost inevitable that you will get sick. When I travel there for work I can avoid it by staying in hotels with water filtration systems and only eating food in those hotels. This is very limiting though when travelling for fun. My fun travels to India have always resulted in a bad case of Dehli belly (despite my best efforts) so go prepared. My Indian colleagues say it is due to the water used to wash dishes / prepare food etc..

Deep fried food is the lowest risk. Ice cubes in anything but the topest of top hotels are a no-no.

I've done exactly the route you are proposing. Ranthambore was disapointing because the guide was mad for finding a tiger and zipping all over after radio reports of a tiger. We didn't enjoy the sights we could see (and the pressure to provide a tip when he finally got us a tiny tigery glimpse was huge). The Taj Mahal is beautiful at dawn, you have to remove shoes. Udaipur was my favourite.

Be aware that if you take your own taxi or tuk tuk that you will be taken "shopping". The driver will take you to multiple places owned by his mates or his family that you didn't ask to go to in the hope of getting you to spend money. We learned to negotiate a price for a trip without "shopping" quite quickly.

The noise is horrendous, the smells are intense, the poverty is heart breaking, the bathroom facilities can leave a lot to be desired if you step off the luxury tourist track, there are cockroaches the size of dogs... but the monkeys are funny, the food can be glorious, the culture is so excitingly different, the people are lovely if you can get to know any in any depth and the sights can be beautiful!

I am glad I went travelling there, I am pleased I can revist on work's budget and with proper organised transport and colleagues to take me sight-seeing.

A friend recently went to Ranthambhore and saw several tigers, btw.

I dont get sick in India but perhaps that's because I am of Indian heritage and have an iron belly. I only eat freshly cooked stuff. Hotel buffets may not be the best choice.

@MaitlandGirl

I haven't used Wendy Wu, but I've been to India.

These are my tips;
Go to the most expensive hotels you can. If possible , look at a UK company like Audley Travel and see where they go and what hotels they use. Taj Group are reliable. (They won't be using tourist bungalows - a story from our first holiday in India!) ! Be very choosy.

We have used 2 bespoke tours and a group tour with Cox and Kings. They used decent hotels but we upgrade hotels if they are not good enough. Look at what British, Australian and USA travellers think of the hotels via opinion sites. Always consider heritage hotels. Some amazing properties.

You will not be sick! Do not eat uncooked food! (Eg salads). Indian food is amazing. Don't look for Western food, except for breakfast. Enjoy what is eaten in India. A good guide will know reliable places.

Ranthambhore gets stupidly busy. The tigers disappear. It's a beautiful NP but is now overrun with tourists. Make sure you are guaranteed to actually get a vehicle to go into the park. The last time we went it was a scrum. The first time in the 80s - on our own! Do look at other tours to compare prices and hotels.

I would not necessarily do PDAs but you need to judge when you are there. You will be in a tourist bubble on a tour. You will always remember India though, so do go.

Totally agree about freshly cooked food and we had amazing food in beautiful hotels.

Also there are Government craft shops which you can ask to go to. A tour guide took us a sari shop but the fabric was cheap, so no big issue. We have also bought silk scarves and pashminas. It's fun to shop and we never felt pressurised to tip.

We use llama travel. They're great and have tours to India

Don't look for Western food, except for breakfast. ….no, have masala dosa for breakfast..OMG.

drink lots of bottled water from reputable sellers, hot chai, and keep your salts and sugars up. I’ve been twice ate in a variety of places by put generally food you could see cooked freshly (not hotel buffets), ate train snacks, and wasn’t sick. Husband was but that was dehydration.

Wash your hands after touching money.

it’s a bonkers country.

We did what sounds like the same tour in 2019 just before Covid hit. Loved every minute.

If you have blonde hair you will find you get lots of attention. I felt like a celebrity with people either asking for photos or trying to take a surreptitious selfie with me. Never in an aggressive way.

Also at a lot of the tourist hotspots there were parties of school kids who were practising speaking English and would very politely ask if we could chat.

Good advice about food - hit piping food in good hotels. Bottled water and wash your hands before eating. No salads or cold food. Carry a hand sanitizer with you all the time.
I haven't been to Rajasthan but have been to Agra and Delhi.
You won't have any issue holding hands or assisting your wife in public.

We went with Wendy wu tours to Vietnam. The guides were great as was the planning and organisation. The hotels were pretty basic and I feel that they could have provided nicer accommodation for the cost of the holiday and in India, it would be even more important to stay in a decent hotel so my advice would be to check the reviews of the hotels they offer very carefully before committing.

Thanks everyone - we really appreciate all the advice.

We’re looking at November / December next year to take advantage of the cooler weather. We’re both really excited and currently trying to decide if we can afford to add on a few days in the Maldives afterwards.

Personally I would stay in fantastic heritage hotels in India and enjoy India. I would not go on to anywhere else. What you could do is have some downtime as you travel in India and up the standard of hotel. You would not regret doing that.

It’s a long time since I have been to India but I can’t imagine anyone will bat an eyelid at a same sex couple, or even realise your relationship is romantic. In India it is really common to see men holding hands, they are not gay, it’s an entirely socially normal friendship thing. It’s really noticeable. Can’t recall noticing women doing it but that’s because local women usually carrying kids or shopping when out! The men tend to be the ones who just hang out.

it’s an amazing place.

When I was in India quite a few years ago now young men held hands all the time just walking down the street, I found it really odd to start with but it's just what they did. On the other hand it was really frowned upon for single men and women to hold hands or show affection. If your partner obviously has difficulty walking I don't think anyone would think it odd to help. My knowledge is really out of date though.