Meghan H
I'm planning to go to India on a backpacking trip with my boyfriend. I would like to know from others who've done this what they brought and about how much it cost. Include as many expenses as you can think so we can plan accordingly. Also if you have a tip of a cool place to visit please let me know. As a female going to India do I need to be cautious about clothing? What should we make sure to bring? How much did it cost you? where was your favorite place? How long of a trip was it? what season/time of year is best to go? Maybe a local could help out too?
thanks!
Answer
First: the season you go in will dictate what areas you should be in. Since I visited India in the summer months I spent my time farther north. I had a wonderful backpacking trip in Himiachal Pradesh (the valleys are beautiful and very relaxed. Each valley has it's own character, and you can get rooms in villages very easily). Ladakh is only open for tourism in the summer, and has beautiful views (it's very high altitude) and different cultures: a mix of Kashmiri- Muslims and local Buddhists (similar to Tibetan Buddhism).
I also visited some amazing Hindi cultural centers such as Varanassi and Rishikesh.
I'm not sure how high or low end you personally want to go when it comes to accommodations, but you really can live on 15 US dollars a day pretty easily. It all depends on your demands of a room, food, etc.
As for clothing: You will be able to tell when you reach an area what you will be comfortable wearing. If there are more tourists, you might feel fine wearing a tank top. In villages, sometimes it's less pleasant. Expect to be stared at. In no situation did I feel comfortable wearing above the knee shorts, and when it comes to packing I'd bring more t-shirts than tank tops, but overall it's obvious when you reach a town what is appropriate.
What to bring really depends on where you will be, but if you plan to be in villages, I've found that the most useful thing ever is a head-mounted flashlight. I bought one after someone rightly said to me: "If you want a flashlight than you will also want your hands". It's incredibly useful if you are in a small place with less lights at night, or if you want to check out a cave. Other useful things are basically any medication you feel likely to need: Pepto Bismol is a good idea. But Doctors in India speak English and if you get sick don't hesitate to go to your nearest clinic. I had very good experiences with the medical care there.
Mosquito coils are also quite useful, but again, it really depends where you will be. If you are planning on low end accommodations, the BEST thing is to have a comforter cover, or sleeping sack (these are more compact and you can get them at stores that sell camping equipment). You can then sleep in it if your bed seems unclean to you. It's particularly useful when you reach somewhere late and are too tired to be picky about where you spend the night.
I really enjoyed my trip in India and I hope you guys do too!
First: the season you go in will dictate what areas you should be in. Since I visited India in the summer months I spent my time farther north. I had a wonderful backpacking trip in Himiachal Pradesh (the valleys are beautiful and very relaxed. Each valley has it's own character, and you can get rooms in villages very easily). Ladakh is only open for tourism in the summer, and has beautiful views (it's very high altitude) and different cultures: a mix of Kashmiri- Muslims and local Buddhists (similar to Tibetan Buddhism).
I also visited some amazing Hindi cultural centers such as Varanassi and Rishikesh.
I'm not sure how high or low end you personally want to go when it comes to accommodations, but you really can live on 15 US dollars a day pretty easily. It all depends on your demands of a room, food, etc.
As for clothing: You will be able to tell when you reach an area what you will be comfortable wearing. If there are more tourists, you might feel fine wearing a tank top. In villages, sometimes it's less pleasant. Expect to be stared at. In no situation did I feel comfortable wearing above the knee shorts, and when it comes to packing I'd bring more t-shirts than tank tops, but overall it's obvious when you reach a town what is appropriate.
What to bring really depends on where you will be, but if you plan to be in villages, I've found that the most useful thing ever is a head-mounted flashlight. I bought one after someone rightly said to me: "If you want a flashlight than you will also want your hands". It's incredibly useful if you are in a small place with less lights at night, or if you want to check out a cave. Other useful things are basically any medication you feel likely to need: Pepto Bismol is a good idea. But Doctors in India speak English and if you get sick don't hesitate to go to your nearest clinic. I had very good experiences with the medical care there.
Mosquito coils are also quite useful, but again, it really depends where you will be. If you are planning on low end accommodations, the BEST thing is to have a comforter cover, or sleeping sack (these are more compact and you can get them at stores that sell camping equipment). You can then sleep in it if your bed seems unclean to you. It's particularly useful when you reach somewhere late and are too tired to be picky about where you spend the night.
I really enjoyed my trip in India and I hope you guys do too!
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