I have recently come across an inspirational quote which made me think about my trip to India. According to Theodor Seuss Geisel, we will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
These words made me think about what I experienced in India and about how pleasant my trip was. This is how I actually decided to talk about a few useful tips that could make your trip to the Golden Triangle of India more pleasant:
1.You should choose an organized tour because this is the most comfortable and simple way to safely visit this part of India. The Golden Triangle of India includes three important cities, Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, which have a lot to offer when it comes to beautiful tourist attractions. An organized tour usually includes the most important and beautiful places which should be visited by any tourist.
As far as I’m concerned, the tour I have chosen included a very well-planned itinerary with a coach and a local guide and also very good accommodation. This is the perfect option in case you want to save a lot of time and energy and also enjoy the beauty of this part of India. Believe me, no matter how experienced you are as a driver, the traffic in India is chaotic and it’s really difficult to drive there in case you are not a local. When it comes to means of public transport, you don’t even want to imagine how they look like.
2.It is important to choose a tour with an Indian guide because as a local he is able to provide a lot of interesting information about the places you are going to visit. An Indian guide knows a lot of things about the history and the traditions of the country and he will tell you a lot of interesting stories and facts.
The local guides are able to give you very useful tips such as drinking only bottled water, brushing your teeth only with bottled water or being more careful with your personal belongings in some places. They will also give you interesting details about the cultural restrictions you should take into account as a tourist. Beware of the fact that the local guides have their own arrangements to earn money. You should not buy anything from the places they recommend, unless you want to pay almost 10 times more.
3.India is considered a shopping paradise and almost everything there is negotiable. If you drive a hard bargain you can buy quality goods at really good prices. The local bazaars or the local street markets are the perfect places where you can practice your negotiation skills. You should remember that prices are usually very high for the tourists, because tourism is considered a real source of money. It may seem exaggerated but the prices are sometimes 10 times higher than the real ones.
4.In case you decide to book your accommodation on your own, you should be very careful when you do this because not all the places in India look like in pictures. This is another strong reason I really recommend an organized tour.
As far as I’m concerned, I was very pleased with the hotels I stayed in, during my trip to India. In my opinion accommodation is an important aspect, especially since India is a sort of cultural shock for many tourists.
5.Make sure you will have enough time to explore the beauty of this part of India. You should spend at least three days in each of these three cities, in case you want to fully enjoy the beauty of the most important tourist attractions.
6.You should always take a pair of socks and a scarf with you because you will need them in almost all the holy places. You have to take off your shoes before you enter a religious edifice and it’s a little unpleasant to walk barefoot. This is why a pair of socks will solve the problem. There are also mosques or temples where you have to cover your head and a scarf will be more than perfect. Another recommendation is to avoid very short skirts or shorts.
7.You should set your expectations in a realistic way. Expect to discover a fascinating India, but at the same time a poor and depressing one. Over 80 percent of the country’s population lives in improper conditions, worrying about the food and the water for the next day. It is an indescribable feeling to see all those people living in poverty and it’s hard not to be affected by all those images.
8.Indians are very friendly, sometimes too friendly and you should not be very sociable with them, especially with the ones who try to sell you something. It might be difficult to leave without buying something because they are usually very persistent. You might end up buying unnecessary things.
9.You should pay a special attention to the monkeys which walk freely in the streets. The guide told us that they are organized in groups and they might become violent trying to defend their territory. They steal everything from bags and cameras to money or food.
10.Wash your hands as often as possible, use wipes for everything and do not eat in the streets! Excepting the tourist attractions and the public areas, India is a very dirty country and you risk contacting a disease or an infection. I also advise you to carry a mosquito spray with you because insects can be dangerous and they can also spread diseases.
Just a few of my favorite tourist attractions in India ⇓⇓⇓
