India is a country located on the continent of Asia with over one billion people. It is one of the most populous nations in the world and owing to this fact alone you can expect a multicultural diversity and variety you cannot find anywhere else in the world.
Recently, the country has recorded tremendous growth in its economy thanks to a breakthrough in Information Communication Technology. This has lead to a significant increase in the middle class. Similarly, the beautiful country remains one of the most visited places by tourist from all over the world who want to travel to India to get a feel of the country’s multilingual, multicultural and natural beauty. This Asian paradise is a great place to visit for study, trade, worship, and most importantly, have that well- deserved a vacation.
Things To Know When Considering A Visit To India
Know Why You Want To Visit India: Establish the purpose for your trip. You could be visiting for a study, research, ceremony, vacation, or tourism. Your purpose for visiting India will determine how you will plan your journey and activities during the trip. Don’t try to cover too much on a visit as it might be a herculean task. (India is a big country). Whether it is a visit for research and vacation, find out your purpose, and stick to it.
Know Where You Want To Visit: India is a big country with 29 states. Thus, not deciding on the places to visit ahead of your trip will leave you confused. Deciding where you want to visit helps your planning and booking.
Know The Time Of Your Visit: When you have established your reason for visiting India, then, find out when is the best time to visit based on the purpose of your trip. A lot of factors could influence your timing. If you visiting as a tourist, consider any time between October and March. The weather is considered friendly because it is the coolest time. Where you are visiting may also affect the timing. For example, in the north of India, the tourist season is between April and September. This helps you to articulate seasons and to know what festival they could be having. As established earlier, India is a very religious place. They have so many religious activities happening at one time or the other. So when you know the time, of your visit, it helps you plan.
Do Your Research: As a foreigner that is probably visiting India for the first time, do your research well. Find out about their culture, food, and the dos and don’t. As with every foreign country, prepare yourself for a culture shock because it is definitely coming your way. Click here for 72 interesting facts about India from Factfile.
Know If You Would Be Needing A Guide: Hiring a tour guide will save you the stress of trying to figure out everything on your own. The tour helps you with places you wouldn’t have visited if you were alone and you will be safer and less likely to get rubbed or duped when you have a local guide on hand.
Things you should do if you are planning a trip to India
With the points above in mind, you can start planning your visit. The following are the steps you will have to take for a successful trip:
1. Contact A Tour Company: You might need help in planning your visit, therefore, hiring a company to assist can be so relieving. They will work within your budget and help you take of your transportation from your location to India. They will also help with booking accommodation for you to stay during your visit to India.
2. Prepare for your arrival: you can save yourself from the stress of planning for your arrival on your own by hiring a tour company in India to handle your trip for you. This way you simply need to hop on a plane when you are ready. However, if you think you can handle it all on your own, here are some things you will need to do to prepare for your trip ahead of your arrival.
Accommodation Booking: It is possible to enter into a hotel at arrival and book a lodge. Well, most good hostels often get booked up especially during festive periods. Also, your flight could be arriving at night, so having reservations makes things easy for you.
Transportation: If you will be planning your visit without the help of a company, then you might need to hire a car and a driver. The truth is that you do not know your way around, the driver could serve as your guide during your visit to India.If you don’t want to hire a car and driver, you can book ahead for train reservation. Booking ahead is expedient because there has been an increase in the number of passengers on Indian Railways. During vacation or tourist season, the number will increase even more. Planning and booking ahead will ensure that you don’t get stranded.
Go for a medical check-up: You should do a medical check-up as you will be visiting a place for the first time. Your doctor needs to certify you as fit for the trip.
Get all necessary traveling documents: Again this is another area where hiring a tours company can help. You should get all the needed traveling papers especially your Visa.
Pack your bag: Decide on what you will be needing for your trip. What you will plan depends largely on how long you intend to stay, the purpose of your trip, places you will be visiting among other things.
Conclusion
There are plenty of reasons to visit India. There is plenty of things to see, do and even eat. Whether you are planning a trip to India for business or pleasure, you can follow the checklist above for an hitch-free trip.