Why you need to put India on your Bucket List

Why You Need to Put India on Your Bucket List

The Taj Mahal

There’s a reason the Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Seeing it in person was absolutely unreal. I’m known to get emotional over art and creation, but this was a new high for me. When we got back to our room afterward, I actually cried because I just couldn't hold it in anymore! I don’t know how else to explain it except to say that pictures truly don’t do it justice.

Pro tip: If you go, make sure to wake up early and get there before the crowds. It makes for a much more peaceful, spiritual experience. Note though, a lot of our photos were a little blurry because it was pretty dark when we got there. So while I loved having zero people there. I wish I would have grabbed a few more photos at the end when it was lighter. 

The People

One of the things I loved most about India was the lack of judgment. From my perspective, there is such a wide range of beliefs and ways of living, even within the same family, yet everyone seems to love and accept you for who you are. People were so kind to us simply because we were different. It was a beautiful experience to be so wholly accepted by people who knew nothing about us—it just didn’t matter to them.

The Culture

I have never seen a place that has kept its culture so vibrantly alive. From the clothes and art to the colors and traditions, it was amazing to see a place so unified despite its diversity. As an artist, I was especially drawn to the architecture; the amount of detail and personality they bring into their buildings is incredible.

The Animals

In India, the zoo comes to you! You’ll see monkeys, cows, elephants, and peacocks all living in total harmony with the people.

Tips for Making Your Trip a Success

We only had two weeks to plan this entire trip! Kaden found out last minute that he was going for work, and I quickly decided to join him for the second week. Despite the rush, here are the things that made our experience seamless:

1. Book Private Tour Guides

In India, private guides and cars are incredibly affordable, and honestly, I’m not sure how you’d navigate without them. Most sites don't have signs explaining the history, so having an expert to tell us the story of each place was a huge win.

It also took the stress out of navigating. We had our list of "must-sees," but we let our guides take us "off the beaten path." They took us to local markets and workshops to see how things are made. In Jaipur, we even convinced our guide to help us find a spot where we could walk on the city wall—since you aren't allowed to in the main tourist areas. He found a spot his son had visited, and it ended up being a major highlight of our trip!

2. Sort Out Your Transportation

We used a mix of Ubers and scheduled private cars. Driving in India is an experience in itself, so you won't be able to get around without someone taking you to and from places.

• Private Cars: We booked these through our hotels or our travel site, Trip Masters. (I highly recommend them for any international trip—their prices are unbeatable, but that’s a story for another time!)

• Uber: We never had an issue using Uber for shorter trips.

• Tuktuk: These are the little powered bikes with seats behind. Super fun to experience and quick to get around but you wouldn't arrange these ahead of time. For us it was more to experience it than used for actual transportation.

While most drivers speak some English, it isn’t always a ton—which is another reason why having a tour guide is so handy for learning about the culture. We arranged almost all of our transportation at least a day in advance (or before we even arrived), which was a huge relief.

3. Lean Into the Nice Hotels

Hotel prices in India are much lower than in many other places, so we were able to stay in five-star accommodations for a fraction of the usual cost. Not only did this make our "down time" feel like a true vacation, but it also made everything easier—any tours or transport we arranged through the hotel were always a fantastic experience.

What Cities we visited and what I would do different

1.5 nights in Mumbai (I got in at 2 am)

1 night in Delhi 

2 nights in Agra 

3 nights in Jaipur

As a city alone (architecture, sights to see) I was not a huge fan of Mumbai, Mumbai has a lot of British influence and very little of the Indian architecture that I loved in the other cities. I don't feel I would have been missing out by not visiting Mumbai. I would rather have done 2 nights in Delhi. 

2 nights was perfect for Agra, we were able to see what we wanted to see and had a little downtime. 

3 nights in Jaipur was maybe 1 night more than we needed to see the city and the sights, but it was really nice to have the last day to relax before our 8PM flight. So that being said, I wouldn't change it for our trip. But if you're short on time you don't NEED the extra night. 

Addressing My Concerns (And How I Overcame Them)

• The Travel Time: It was a 24-hour trip there and 30 hours back. Honestly? It wasn’t that bad. I slept when I could and didn’t stress about it. We arrived in Mumbai at 2:00 AM, so I went straight to sleep and set my alarm for 8:30 AM to force myself onto the local schedule. It worked like a charm! Coming home was actually harder, probably because the "travel excitement" had worn off.

• Getting Sick: If you’ve done any research, you know "Delhi Belly" is real. And yes... we both got sick. To manage it, we ate breakfast and dinner but skipped lunch so we wouldn't have issues while out and about during the day. We only ate at our hotels thinking it would help, but we still got hit halfway through. It’s tricky to avoid, but it didn't stop us—I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

• Visas and Travel Forms: These were super easy to get. Just don’t make the mistake I did: remember they use the Day/Month format for birthdays!

• Vaccines and Malaria: It’s not ideal, but it was easy to handle. We only needed two vaccines and took malaria pills for the duration of the trip. We got eaten alive by mosquitoes, so I was very grateful we had the medication.