Amature traveller to India

[kathrina]

Hello

Greetings from Germany!

I have a couple of questions to ask. I have a month for myself in March and I was thinking of visiting India. I really want to make this trip, but I am a bit concerned because I have never been to India, in fact this is my first trip abroad. I am a German girl in my mid 20's and looking forward to travel alone in India.

What are your suggestions for this trip and how should I plan it?
I wanted to travel with my friends, but I am unable to find anyone who can make this trip with me so is there any possibility that I can find a travel partner in India?
My housemate thinks that I should plan and book my travel in advance before leaving for India, but I am interested in backpack travel on my own. What is your take on this?

Thanks,
Kath

 

[GauravSeth]

I personally think that the backpack idea would only be good if you had someone else with you on the travels. Otherwise I think you should preplan your holiday making sure you have a proper itinerary.

 

[mscaver86]

Yes please be careful! People can smell tourist from miles away and some people are not so friendly! I would definitely try harder to find a travel partner there is a separate section travel partners on this forum itself where you can post your requirements.

 

[Alexandoy]

Yes please be careful! People can smell tourist from miles away and some people are not so friendly! I would definitely try harder to find a travel partner there is a separate section travel partners on this forum itself where you can post your requirements.

This is one thing I would want to ask but I was just stymied for it might offend Indians. How is the security of tourists in India? I'm sure it depends on what state you are in like in Delhi or in Mumbai, etc. In all our countries we have been to, we had no apprehension on the security although in Beijing, we were approached 3 times by Chinese who seem to want something from us. In the Philippines, I would caution a foreign tourist to go alone in the city or elsewhere for he may be victimized by enterprising Filipinos.

 

[turtledove]

I wouldn't recommend the backpacking idea unless you're with someone else, as mentioned before. Unless you're sticking to really busy areas.
There are definitely some safer parts in India, and also some safe times. I would definitely say that you should try and avoid being out at night alone, and being in a deserted area. Try and stick to crowded areas, that too try and be outside only during daylight hours.
Another thing to be careful of is Indian markets. Often, people at different stalls will raise the prices a whole lot just when they notice a tourist, so that's definitely something to be careful of. If you have any Indian friends, or you make any on your trip, it would be very useful to get a list of the typical prices of a few basics. It can be difficult to get to grips with what's expensive and cheap in a different currency, and you probably wouldn't feel comfortable bargaining either.
The areas I would recommend would be Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. They're all very crowded, so you should feel relatively safe, and there's a lot to do in these cities too!
I hope this helped, and I hope you have a great holiday!

 

[nomad]

If you're like me then you prefer to have as much as possible pre-planned, just for reassurance! I'm sure you'd have a great time if you plan things out yourself (or even leave a lot of the planning until after you arrive!) but if you want a little guidance and to meet some like-minded travelers you could try booking with a company like Contiki or Intrepid.

I a tour group for Greece/Rome tour years ago and I really enjoyed it. Now I quite like to do my own thing but it was reassuring when I was younger and wasn't confident I would make the right decisions about accommodation etc.

Seeing as you're interested in backpacking on your own you could always book a short tour and then backpack after it finishes. You might meet some people on the tour that are interested in doing that too.