Have you ever thought of travelling to see a far-off country unlike any other? A country where there is nearly a BILLION people? A country that is so large it’s referred to as a sub-continent? Try India! From beaches to mountains and everything in between.
Reasons to travel are more numerous than the countries of the world and every traveller gets something a little different out of setting out on an adventure…. but you still have to pick a place to travel to!
The List:
1. It’s Exotic
According to many travellers, or at least the more pretentious ones, you can’t truly say you are a traveller until you’ve “done” India. There are many reasons for this, but they basically boil down to it being nothing like back home, unless home is Bangladesh or Pakistan. From the moment you get off the plane India hits you like a punch to the gut. (This is magnified by the fact that so many international flights seem to land after midnight and 16 hours after you leave home). The sounds, the smells, the colours, the sheer number of people! It all screams adventure and it’s hard to compare the feeling of walking through an Indian backstreet to anything else.
2. It’s Changing
More than more developed countries, although maybe not as quickly as it’s population boom cousin China. Old is starting to make way for the new especially in larger cities. A rising middle class are setting up their laptops at Starbucks and making some street corners of Mumbai look like Seattle, Tata is mass producing cars for the rising demand for automobiles, and cell phones are ubiquitous. Don’t get me wrong…. “Authentic” India is alive and well, but the India of twenty years from now could be very different from the India of today.
3. It’s Famous
The Taj Mahal is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, Goa features world-renowned beaches, The Himalayas stretch across the northern border. Delhi, Kashmir, The Ganges river, Bengal tigers, Bollywood, the 2011 cricket champs… they’re all in INDIA!
4. They Speak English
Ok. To be honest many India’s do not speak English and many of the ones that do sometimes are not easy to understand, but there is still a large number that you’ll be able to communicate with. And if they don’t speak English they’ll often have a friend that does.
5. It’s Cheap (Once You Get There)
Once you get over the cost of the flight you can travel as cheaply or as expensively as you like. For as little as a few dollars a day you can find food and shelter (maybe those should be in quotation marks), but I suggest splurging for a slightly higher daily budget. Still, a decent hotel with room service or dinner in a restaurant in many parts of the country will cost you less than you’ll pay for a bluray back home. The train system is cheap and efficient, auto rickshaws can get you around shorter distances with ease, and with a little planning you’ll have enough left at the end of the trip to grab a custom-made suit for a fifth of the price of one back home.
6. It’s Customizable
Don’t like adventure and want to stay in 5 star hotels? India’s got that too. Want to visit the Taj Mahal and spend the rest of the day at a spa? We’ve got you covered. Feel like volunteering in an orphanage? I’m sure they’d love the help. Want to spend a week scuba diving? No problem!
From $5000/night presidential suits to crazy adventures like The Rickshaw Run an Indian holiday can be anything from beaches to shopping to a spiritual journey and from 5 star to barely star.
7. They Could Use the Money
Even though it’s cheap to travel there every dollar you spend helps a country that is still deep in the third world. If that pizza place you love in metropolitan Orlando closes because you don’t visit I’m sure the owner will land on his feet. Whereas if tourism in India suddenly went south there would be much more serious repercussions.
8. Your Usual Vacation Spot Sucks
I get it. All-inclusive resorts are easy and enjoyable. You can bake all day in the sun sipping drinks and eating. I would never take that away from anyone if that’s what they enjoy, but travelling is meant to broaden the mind and open your eyes and you’re not getting that just because you tried an interesting take on the burrito. I equate it to watching a sitcom as opposed to reading a book. The sitcom is enjoyable, no one’s arguing that, but it’s also a little too easy. Reading the book is enjoyable as well, but it’s a higher level of enjoyment, it’s something that may stick with you and may even change your views on the subject matter. The point I’m trying to make is that easy isn’t necessarily better and a relaxing vacation while well-earned and necessary sometimes shouldn’t be the be all and end all.
