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Having traveled solo and with family for over 18 years I know the best India travel tips to make sure your first trip goes exactly as imagined. The net is filled with travel tips to India but the ones below are the most important in my opinion. It touches on all aspects of health, cuisine, adventure and planning. These tips are going to make sure you have an amazing and safe trip.

Wondering how to plan your India trip? Checkout my Ultimate Step by Step Guide to Plan your Trip to India.

Ultimate Step by Step Guide to Plan your Trip to India

1. Don’t drink tap water or eat street food

The tap water in India is very unsafe for consumption and my first tip to traveling in India is to never drink it. You are going to end up with a nasty upset stomach if you end up drinking it. You should only drink bottled water or filtered water. In restaurants the waiter will ask you if you want bottled water or normal water. In this case they mean normal filtered water which is completely safe.

Fruits, salads and street food from stalls are a big no. The locals are used to these and there will probably be huge crowds which might dupe you into thinking that the food is safe. The food is safe yes, but only for the locals. Not for the foreign sensitive digestion. It’s better to miss out on some street food then end up in the hospital for food poisoning.

2. Season depends on region

India is a huge country and the season you travel to India depends a lot on where you are going. The peak season is from October until March which is winter for India. The temperatures in these months range from 10 to 20 degree celsius. This is perfect weather for travelers coming from the west with cooler climates.

If you are traveling to the Himalayas then the perfect months to go are April to June. During the colder months the mountains are covered with snow and travel is restricted. If you would like to add Himalayas with your peak season itinerary then plan to go to the mountains either in late March at the end of your trip or at the start of October. The months of June to August should be avoided for the entire country because its peak monsoon season and torrential rains are expected in every part of the country.

3. Explore outside North India

This is one travel tip that most people skip over. India is divided into 6 different regions – The Himalayas, North India, South India, West India, East India and North East India. Each of these are vastly different from the others. First time travelers to India choose to do North India because this is the most well known region. Surprisingly travelers coming back more than once choose one of the other regions. You have to realize that North India is completely different from any other part. The cuisine, the culture, even the language spoken isn’t the same. Most people in the south or the east don’t even understand Hindi. 

A quick recap of what each region has. North India encompasses the Thar desert with the city of Jaipur, the capital Delhi and Agra with the Taj Mahal. The Himalayas have serene estates and ashrams. South India has the beautiful Kerala backwaters, mangroves and houseboats. West India has Mumbai with the Bollywood industry and famous street food as well as Goa, an international party destination. East India is West Bengal and Orissa known for their temples and the Sundarban Tiger Sanctuary with Bengal tigers. Lastly, North East India is the region bordering Tibet with Buddhist monasteries and protected rhino sanctuaries. Each of these regions is gorgeous and you should definitely plan to visit more than one.

4. Try the local cuisine

Indian cuisine in my biased opinion (hehe) is the best cuisine in the world. It is unlike anything you have ever tasted before. I have to be honest, Indian restaurants in western countries do not really serve authentic Indian food. In the words of my idol Lily Singh – “They are for white people trying not to be racist”. 

If you are coming to India, you have to try the real cuisine. This includes Kashmiri mutton, Himalayan dishes, Bengal fish, dosas made with coconut milk and daal baati. This is the real cuisine of India and no it is nothing like what you are used to. My ultimate guide to the Top 30 Restaurants in Delhi for the International Traveler introduces you to all the local cuisines and some very amazing restaurants in Delhi. Delhi is a gastronomical hub and these restaurants are legendary and personally tried and tested by me. If you are spending a few days in Delhi then try to get through as many of these restaurants as you can starting from top first. It is worth it trust me.

5. Be wary of scams

This India travel tip for first timers is included in every blog and rightly so. As in any country the local douchebags are going to scam you to the best of their abilities. I mean I don’t blame them, they don’t make much and they need money too. But I side with the travel community and I don’t want you to get scammed. The culture shock combined with the fact that you are going to be way outside your comfort zone makes international travelers the perfect targets for scammers. I mean I am a local and I still got scammed once. 

But I have gotten more wily and can spot a scam from a mile away now. I scoured the internet and found 1 guide that lists all the scams that I have seen play out in Delhi. This guide to the Top 27 Scams in India to Avoid is all you need to make sure you are safe. If you are ever not sure about something then walk away. It is always better to say no then find out you got scammed later. Err on the side of caution and you will be just fine.

6. Have space in your luggage for clothes

India is a conservative country and to avoid any unwanted attention you would want to cover up your shoulders and legs – especially for women. It also tends to get pretty hot and western clothes aren’t really suited for it. Jeans will have you melting like a popsicle on the sidewalk. Don’t pack too many clothes and keep lots of space in your luggage to buy some. 

Once you land in Delhi or Mumbai you can purchase good quality loose Indian cotton outfits which will keep you cool. The clothes aren’t expensive and there are some really great shops like FabIndia and Anokhi which have an amazing selection of clothes. You can pretty much buy 10 outfits for $20 and they are top notch high quality clothes. 

Checkout – Best Cotton Clothes Stores in Delhi.

7. Plan diligently

India has so much to do that it is easy to get overwhelmed if you don’t plan your trip in advance. Once you are in the country the days will be filled with adventure. You will barely have time to slow down let alone decide what to do next. From where to stay to where to eat and what to do, you should have a general outline of everything.

Hotels during the peak season tend to book out months in advance. I always book the hotels for my entire trip before arriving. If I need to cancel I keep that option open but having that sense of security especially in such a crazy country will do wonders for your mental health. You are going to feel overwhelmed and completely out of place at times. This is normal. What you want to do is read my Ultimate Step by Step Guide to Plan your Trip to India and make sure you are caught up on all of the sections before arriving. Make notes in a tiny notebook of all my India travel tips and refer back to these during the trip. It’s going to make your trip 90% easier.

8. Prepare for adventure and go slow

This trip is going to be a huge milestone and adventure mixed in one. You are probably super hyped for the trip and you aren’t going to be disappointed. You might even get more adventure than you were hoping for and you want to prepare for this. For example it is common for tuk tuks to drive like they are racing in a movie and even bump into a few cars along the way. This is fine and no one cares.

You will see cows sitting bang in the middle of the road and a lot of poverty everywhere. Some things are going to hit you hard and make you realize your privilege and others are going to astound you with their beauty. It’s all part of the adventure.

If you start to get overwhelmed, take a day off to just chill by the pool or go to the spa. This is one of my top travel tips in India. Don’t feel pressured to be out exploring the country every single minute of the day. The hotels in India are beautiful and they are an adventure in themselves. Why not take a day just to taste the cuisine? It isn’t a day wasted, it’s a day spent nourishing your heart.

9. Have a physical guide

India doesn’t have the well laid out road system and the general way of operating is pretty chaotic. Most tourist attractions will look like a chaotic mess. If you are traveling in a group your tour guide can pretty easily figure this stuff out. If you are traveling solo you will be totally lost. The best tip while traveling in India is to have a physical guide with you at all times. Write down the information about places you are visiting and contact information that can be accessed quickly.

My mom has been traveling India for over 30 years and she still carried maps when we were exploring Kerala or when we were monastery hopping in the North East. There isn’t much information about these destinations online yet. Sure if you are going to the Taj Mahal you can find tons of information because every single traveler goes there but if you are exploring like a local you want the physical guide with you.

I recommend getting the Lonely Planet’s Guide to India. The Lonely Planet Discover India is a smaller guide that covers north India if that is the only region you are visiting. These books are going to turn out to be indispensable for you.

Take your camera with you

You have seen the gorgeous shots of Taj Mahal and all the pretty architecture. It all exists here, waiting to be captured by you. Keep your camera by you at all times. You will find plenty of opportunities to photograph subjects you wouldn’t have even thought about. My top three photography travel tips for India are –

• Wear neutral or white clothing – The architecture is so captivating and colorful in places that wearing bold colors will distract from it. If you are shooting for Instagram, wear neutral clothing like white. This looks great against the bright sun and really makes you pop in the picture.
• Go very early in the day – There are so many people in India that you will be surrounded by them if you don’t show up early. It becomes impossible to capture some shots with hundreds of people milling about you. Be at the entrance of the attraction before they open up so you can be the first ones in. You can then take your time exploring later after you have got your shots.
• Research your destination in advance – It is really hard to find where exactly some of the pictures in India were taken. The monuments are huge and wandering aimlessly hoping to stumble across the spot where that IG person took that picture won’t do it. If you are looking for a particular spot, research ahead of time exactly how to get to it.