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I'm currently in school earning my Bachelors in Psychology and will graduate this December. My future plans include going back to school to obtain either a Masters or another Bachelors, but before that I want to take about a year off to find a better job and save money.
However, before that I want to treat myself to something before actually joining the real world. At my current job, I'm working near full-time to save as much money as I can. So what is it I'm saving for?
Well, sometime next year, I would love to visit India. For both a vacation, as well as a religious pilgrimage. With that in mind:
1.) What visas do I need? As far as I know, there is no official travel agreement between India and the US.
2.) How much money should I take to be well off for about a month or so?
3.) I may or may not be going with someone who goes every year. If I don't go with him, what should I do about places to stay (hotels, hostels, etc.)?
4.) As a westerner who has never been to India before, what general information should I know about before going?
Just came back from Northern India. You definitely don't need several thousand dollars for a mere month, actually that sounds ludicrous.
Probably if you have decided on India you are already prepared to sacrifice some basic comforts. I'm telling you right now that no matter what hotels you stay at, and what upscale places you eat at, going outside and wandering around is going to expose you to some of the most shocking and filthy conditions you've ever seen. You won't be able to avoid that no matter how much money you spend, so you mine as well dig in to the local life a bit.
That being said, I thought India it was well worth a visit. The morale of people in India seems to be high despite the obvious poverty. So just try to take everything in stride, have a sense of humour, and you'll have a good time and meet all kinds of interesting people. You will also be shocked at how many Indian seem to enjoy a middle class lifestyle, too.
You will need to apply for a tourist visa, although they are apparently working on visas on arrival. If you live in a big city, check how to apply with their consulate in person (easier). If not, you will have to mail an application with your passport, photos, paperwork, etc:
You must do this well in advance in case stuff goes wrong and you run out of time before your flight. Visas are usually issued with 6 month validity, which are active the minute they are handed out, NOT when you enter India. So plan accordingly. Don't let the visa stuff scare you away though. It's totally worth the extra effort.
I was there for just under 3 weeks and only spent about $400 there. Not including airfare from Toronto, Canada, of course. You'll get a bit more rupees to the dollar than I do with USD, so that's a bonus.
1 USD = ~58 Indian Rupees
A very nice and comfortable hostel will cost you about 200-400 rupees/night. A decently clean private room with a private bath, AC, warm water, etc. should cost about 700-1200/night depending where you are. Honestly, the one hostel I stayed at I much preferred since it was spotless. A good hostel can't get away with much in my experience. They survive mostly off foreigners from the West who don't want to feel uncomfortable at night and many have private rooms if you can't sleep among strangers. But in general, if you're spending in those brackets you won't find your rooms or hotels to be unacceptable.
As for food, it's cheap even in modest sit-down places. Towards the end of my trip I was leaning towards street food because I found it better, cheaper and more exciting, but I can see how many would not be in to the idea. I found it difficult to get in to the jive of it until some people I met showed me the ropes of eating out of carts. Expect to pay between 50-400 inr per sit-down meal. 1 litre bottles of water seem to be between 10-20inr.
Try to go in the spring, fall, or winter, when temperatures are cooler. The amount of water I went through in May/June was disgusting. The plains and deserts are stifling by April, so take care of yourself if that's where you are heading.
Some other stuff: Cycle rickshaws are cheap to get around. I already can't remember what is reasonable to pay, but probably like 15ish rupees per km. Maybe 20 if it's an autorickshaw. Be prepared to haggle hard for everything. Stand your ground. If someone is ripping you off and you know it, and they feed you some good acting or BS story, stand up to them.
And don't forget to ride the train. It's a great experience. AC Tier 3 is a cheap and clean enough class for most foreigners.
PS: I visited a few different states only, and prices are going to vary regionally, but this should be a decent, mostly accurate outline. Goa will be exceptionally more expensive.
P.S.S: you are not "extremely likely to be raped" anywhere in India. If even ten tourists get raped in Delhi in one month, you are still only extreme unlikely to be raped. Don't let people scare the hell out of you and ruin your trip, but also don't forgo your wits either.
You can buy water bottles off of vendors. Just check to make sure the cap seal hasn't been broken, and that there are no parts of the bottle that look deflated or scrunched up. Always crush your empty water bottles before disposing of them. Some people collect empty bottles and fill them with the 'government supply'.
As for the street food.... Can you see what goes on inside the kitchen of a restaurant from the dining room? Not usually. But you can always observe how street vendors cook, handle their food, the turnover of the ingredients and meals, and also the sanitary conditions. Not gonna lie, India in general is not very clean and there is a much lower standard of cleanliness across the board, but I was able to find some food joints that prepared in an acceptable manner most everywhere I went. If it's busy and stuff goes out fast, it's probably a safe bet. Otherwise, you'll spend half your trip on Tripadvisor.
You can buy water bottles off of vendors. Just check to make sure the cap seal hasn't been broken, and that there are no parts of the bottle that look deflated or scrunched up. Always crush your empty water bottles before disposing of them. Some people collect empty bottles and fill them with the 'government supply'.
As for the street food.... Can you see what goes on inside the kitchen of a restaurant from the dining room? Not usually. But you can always observe how street vendors cook, handle their food, the turnover of the ingredients and meals, and also the sanitary conditions. Not gonna lie, India in general is not very clean and there is a much lower standard of cleanliness across the board, but I was able to find some food joints that prepared in an acceptable manner most everywhere I went. If it's busy and stuff goes out fast, it's probably a safe bet. Otherwise, you'll spend half your trip on Tripadvisor.
Prepare to be taken aback, no matter what you think you're ready for. I only say this because it applies to most places, but India more than most places.
You can't do a pilgrimage there. If you don't believe me, you will find out when you get there. All you can do is try to absorb what's going on and enjoy it for what it is. It is a gorgeous place, but for a first time visiting, from a (very) foreign country, any idea of what you expect is probably way off. Go there to observe and learn. It's not that they are smarter or dumber, or that they won't respect a respectful visitor, it's just that you have to go there with no preconceptions.
I have been to India four times in the past 15 years. One trip, a decade ago, was a 3 1/2 month "grand tour" of the entire Indian sub-continent.
It was a religious pilgrimage as well. You see I am a Buddhist and I really enjoyed going to Buddhist holy places like Bodh Gaya and Sarnath. I visited the Hindu spots as well: Varanasi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Pushkar, etc. as well as the Sikh holy city of Amritsar and the Jain temple at Ranakpur in Rajastan.
Now, to answer your question about getting a visa. Yes it is required, I believe a 6 month Visa is about $50 US and you have to mail your passport and the fee to the Indian embassy. Don't worry, they process it very reliably and you'll get your passport back in a couple of weeks. Don't wait until the last minute!
Things have gotten much more expensive now over there than my first trip in the late '90's. I would budget at least $50 a day to be on the safe side. Remember, even admission price to see the Taj Mahal is something like $30 these days.
As for places to stay, get yourself a guidebook. There are plenty of clean decent 2 or 3 star hotels that are not too expensive. Don't stay anywhere less than 2 stars ... and don't travel on second-class trains.
My travel agent in New Delhi is Invicta Tours & Travels, located in the heart of the Pahar Ganj market bazaar right across the street from Delhi's main train station. They even have a Facebook page. They served me well over the years. Say hi to Shaafi.
In South India try not to miss the glorious temples in Madurai. Another place in South India I truly enjoyed visiting was Mysore (the Maharajah's palace! Jewel encrusted doors made of solid silver!) Buy some of the fragrant sandalwood soap there.
For beautiful scenery I always visit Manali in Northern India ... snow capped Himalayan mountains, the Tibetan marketplace. A lovely "Hill Station" in the north is Shimla. Shimla is a popular honeymoon destination for young Indians, and they have huge number of great restaurants there.
Of course, just outside Delhi is Rajastan, which I consider the most colorful and "exotic" state in India.
I went to grade school in the Himalayas in India. One of my classmates now has a tour business there, Momotours. He's Buddhist, but grew up with people of many backgrounds. I don't know his business, but as a guy he's really great. When I was little his mother, a Tibetan door-to-door jewelry seller, gave me a wooden fish with turquoise eyes. He knows Americans well, and Indians too. In fact, he's a Bollywood movie actor who never has lost sight of what's important in life. He now lives in a house in the mountains that's just below the house I lived in there. In grade school we, his classmates, gave him the nickname "Momo". We were in the Woodstock School class of 1980.
I have also been considering visiting India at some point as well. However, I would only be able to go in the summer. I have heard that that time of year is the monsoon season. I looked with one tour company that had tours to a few national parks (I am most interested in seeing wildlife, especially if I saw a tiger) but none of the operated in the summer. I found another company that did offer tours in the summer to some of the national parks. For those of you who have been there, would you recommend going during the summer or are the rains so torrential that it would be an unpleasant experience?
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