7 mistakes to avoid when travelling to India

It's no secret that India is an amazing country. It's full of culture, history, and natural beauty—not to mention the food! But if you've ever visited India, you know that there are certain things you just have to do to make sure your trip goes smoothly. Moreover, you may be asking is India a safe country to travel to.

There are many viewpoints and pieces of advice available regarding visiting India, but we observe that there are a few blunders that visitors to India repeatedly commit. Here are some of the most typical errors people make, along with advice on how to avoid them.

We believe that preparing for an India trip is just as much fun as actually travelling there, therefore it is well worth the effort to avoid some of these pitfalls.

Here are some of the biggest mistakes visitors to India make, along with advice on how to prevent them.

Not defining where you want to go.
Setting a destination creates a target to work toward. Many people make hazy generalisations about travel. They only ever state that they are moving, never where. Choosing a destination is crucial since it offers you a clear objective.

"I am going to Goa in the summer" is far simpler to mentally accept than "I'm going to India" or "I'm going anywhere." Your vacation will not only become more tangible for you and simpler to commit to, but it will also make preparation simpler because you will know what to strive for. Provide specifics about your plans. Your ability to achieve your goal will increase with how clear and definite it is.

There are factors to take into account, such as the fact that it can be very challenging to schedule certain activities at the last minute if you're short on time and want to see a lot of destinations during your time in India. In high season, some hotels and resorts may fill up, trains may be crowded and require advance reservations, and you may have to pay more if you decide to arrange things on the fly at the last minute.

Make a plan for your vacation and prioritise each of the locations you wish to see. I suggest this because you want to ensure that you have planned out each segment of your vacation while yet leaving room for unforeseen events or experiences that could cause delays in that segment. Whether you're travelling for leisure or work, you want to relax. Isn't it?

Prepare for scams
Is travelling to India Safe? Unfortunately in India, especially in busy cities getting scammed is common, whether you are local or a tourist.

Travellers to India are frequently the target of scams that prey on the inexperienced, such as individuals who have just arrived in the city or nation or wealthy visitors who have a lot of money to spend but little time to haggle.

You'll likely find yourself in a situation where the good or service you're paying for is something you know very little about. It's advisable to wait a minute or two to learn the truth before making a decision. For instance, if you're in Goa, find out the cost of the cab ride from point A to point B before getting in. Since using the metre is unusual here, there's no way to tell if you were taken advantage of.

A first-time traveller may find India's streets and jewellery shops to be rather intriguing. Because there are so many exquisite designs to choose from, you run the risk of becoming distracted by all the sparkling things around you and becoming a victim of fraud.

Therefore, avoid making a transaction unless you are certain of what you are doing to avoid being a victim of a bigger fraud.
We advise travellers to conduct some research before departing for India because these are undoubtedly the more significant scams to be careful of. Being cautious but not overly worried is crucial because most people will be watching out for you rather than trying to take advantage of you.
Scammers are in every country, the type of scams may differ and the degree to which one may scam you will vary as well. That being said India is safer than most countries Be cautious, travel to India safely.

Not deciding the length of your trip
It goes without saying that you will either exceed or save depending on how well you have planned your duration.

Are you taking a week off? six weeks? A year?
How much money you need depends greatly on how long your journey will be. Think about that for a while until you have an answer.

Are you taking a week off? six weeks? A year?
India has a fortunately wide variety of accommodations, so you must be as detailed as you can about where you want to stay and whether it actually matches your budget. If you're not going to be using the features of the property you're staying in, take into account the time you'll spend exploring the state.
Here, you might effectively budget yourself while still having money left over for additional costs you'd prefer to pay for.

Overpacking to Get More Done on Your Trip
We all experience the fear of missing out on something at some point. Understanding this could help you avoid a lot of hassle on your journey.

Probably the one where we still make mistakes is this. Whether you have a week, a month, or six months to spend in India, the temptation can be to attempt to cram too much into your trip.

On the other hand, trying to see a new location every day when travelling in India is a recipe for misery (or fainting from exhaustion after your vacation! ), especially when mixed with jetlag and culture shock.

It is extremely possible to see all the attractions you have planned for, but it is nearly impossible to experience the area thoroughly, especially in one day, so I advise separating viewing from experiencing the region. If you like the region, think about returning there again because it will get more desirable, and possibly grow on you each time you visit thanks to fresh experiences.

Travelling to India on an overly tight budget
Thanks to the way India has been portrayed by the media, the misinformed are more likely to assume that everything is cheap here. Contrary to popular belief and information that has been spread on some blogs, the days of travelling India on $10 per day are long gone.

The cost of travelling has increased dramatically over the past few years as a result of global inflation. Even though India is a lot cheaper to travel if you are on a budget that doesnt mean the budget you had five years ago is going to work out for you today.

The good thing for you is that food is inexpensive, and if you have accidentally gone over your budget, you can at least figure out how to obtain healthy food for much less by dropping all of the expensive restaurants off your list of priorities.

Even while you can get by on $30–$40 a day, it is not recommended for lone travellers to eke out an existence on the cheapest types of travel. Even though hygiene and cleanliness might not be your top priorities, choosing these options could jeopardise your safety.

Not embracing local culture
In order to distance themselves from India's everyday existence, many visitors decide to travel through the nation while still having some reservations about it. This is most likely a result of the fact that you excel at research and it has brought out the best in you. you began with "is travelling to India safe, and after reading 100 blogs, you came to the conclusion that it might not be a good trip.

Whilst there is nothing wrong with sticking with your tour guide, and hopping in and out from the comforts of your hotel that's certainly all you are going to experience if you are going to explore the country paranoid.

The best way to experience India is to spend a few hours exploring the region, visiting temples, engaging in conversation with locals on trains and buses (as long as you get along with them), stopping for a cup of chai at a street tea shop, trying some of the street food, and learning about the locals there.

Prejudging India Too Soon
When someone visits India for the first time, it frequently happens that they have an inaccurate generalisation of what the entire subcontinent is like. Travelers who have visited several cities must acknowledge that India's culture and experiences vary greatly from one state to the next and even inside a single state's borders.

Please refrain from drawing generalisations about India as a whole if your first visit there was unpleasant. Un uneducated doubt of whether India is a safe country to travel may cause you to alter your plans because of a fear that's most likely unreal. Don't judge India too early; your experience will likely vary depending on where you stay both within and between states.

Remember that some tourists have become so enamoured by India that they have abandoned everything in search of a better life here.
That sums up so much of what we have to offer, just by itself.

Posted On : 25/09/2023

Written By : Calangute Chatterbox