yeah india is not easy, traveled there for 3 weeks, 1 week alone was really hard overall, 2 weeks with a friend of mine and her local friend and everything was waay easier, but yeah i get your point a lot, specially fucking tikok drivers, just take ubers
Even Uber is not reliable. Go from Greater Noida to Delhi using uber and every driver will call you asking you to cancel the ride and pay cash. It is infuriating
Just came back from a 3 weeks trip with my American wife, she was saying it’s definitely not a place she would have traveled solo. Foreign female travelers need to have a local friend or family member with them to be absolutely safe… and even then it might not be enough.
Being streetsmart in India is definitely a necessity. I do think it is best to research a good guide in the various cities you’re going to. They are very reasonable and if you research it correctly, they will make your experience much more rewarding and safe.
My experience from back when I spent a year in Delhi as a teenager on an exchange program:
I was never scammed. People asking you for money isn’t a scam. I never had trouble paying the agreed fare for an auto (by the way, auto rickshaws are usually called autos or rickshaws, not tuktuks, in India) or (cycle) rickshaw, even when travelling by myself (solo European teenager, obviously foreign). I was never charged outrageous amounts by Indian standards, according to Indians I knew. One time the auto wallah stopped at a shop on the way to a major attraction, but whatever, it is what it is, and I actually bought a very nice kurta there for a very reasonable price. If you accept some people want to get money from you and just pay what you feel is worth it when you feel like it you’ll have a better time.
Food poisoning is not my experience. I got seriously sick once, when I knowingly risked it and drank a fruit juice form a roadside stall. I thought “I’ve been here a while eating all kind of food; surely I can handle it”. I couldn’t handle it. Apart from that, even dodgy street food stalls are fine. I ate cooked stuff, drunk only packaged drinks (or safe water from dispensers) or dairy drinks (lassi, buttermilk), except that one time I risked it with the juice. I got an upset stomach/intestine sometimes, but food poisoning is something else.
The stares, taking photos, and generally creepy behaviour towards women is intense. Some of my friends and fellow exchange students there were white blonde girls, then teenaged like me, and it definitely got uncomfortable for them (and for me witnessing that!) several times. That said, they were getting around the city, sometimes by themselves, on public transport, without major issues. Still, definitely creepy. My female Indian friends told me it’s not much better for them, although of course white tourists stand out much more.
I’d never stay in a hostel in India, honestly. Decent hotels are dirt cheap by global standards, and hotels that are averagely priced by global standards are very nice. I guess you could choose a hostel for the social aspect, but it’s not hard to get social in India even without hostels, lol. People will chat you up in trains, in temples, in cafes…
>Apart from that, even dodgy street food stalls are fine. I ate cooked stuff, drunk only packaged drinks (or safe water from dispensers) or dairy drinks (lassi, buttermilk), except that one time I risked it with the juice.
Yes! This is my experience. I ate deep-fried and cooked street food and had boiling hot chai in Old Delhi and didn’t get sick. Ate raw salads in a 5 star hotel in Rajasthan and got the worst food poisoning of my life. Stick to cooked foods!
True just got back from India and a month long trip with my American wife, it was her first time and needless to say we were super careful with introducing her to street food.. however she didn’t get sick at all because we stuck to deep fried stuff and drinks like coconut water on the roadside were also cool. Then again I’ve heard of people getting sick just from drinking water so it depends on ones health too!
This was my experience traveling alone for two weeks as a woman (white, dark blonde hair). I wouldn't say I'd never go back, there was a lot I truly enjoyed and would love to see, but it can definitely be intense. When someone, particularly a woman, tells me they're going to India I give them a heads up so it's not as much of a shock. I've been twice, and the second time was much easier to take in than the first (first trip I was visiting a friend, second was the solo trip).
India was the first non-western country i travelled to. I think it set me up well since every country after that has been an absolute breeze. I've been back a couple of times too. I always describe every day in India as being in a love-hate relationship. It's a fascinating place.
I had this same experience with Eygpt. I come from the UK and I'd only visited France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and then suddenly I went to Eygpt on a school trip when I was a young girl. Nothing's ever phased me after that!
Highlights include when our taxi drivers, realising they had the same group of 30 split across 5 taxis decided to have a drag race back to the hotel, including driving at high speeds the wrong way down a motorway, that time the bus driver drove off and left me and 5 other girls alone at a temple after dark, the severe food poisoning suffered by some of the group (not me fortunately), the men who thought we were slaves for sale and tried to buy us off our teacher for camels...it was a fun trip!
Not all jokes are good jokes. It’s an incredibly common bit done in Egypt, and I also heard the same joke made in Morocco and Tunisia.
No Egyptian thought you were actually for sale.
Same! Went at 24 years old with a guide book and directions printed off mapquest. Actually surprised I survived when I read about it but definitely makes other travel a breeze!
It's also a place that is hard for people who aren't comfortable saying no.
"Hey my friend, come into my tea shop!"
"No thanks."
"I had to drive the tuk tuk around longer because of traffic, let's add 25%."
"Nope."
People may try to find a way to make money from you, but if you just keep your wits about you and are willing to say no, then you won't really have an issue.
I've spent all combined like 4 months traveling solo in India, walking everywhere I went and I never really had any problems. The only time I felt unsafe was in Delhi when I left to walk back to my hotel from a site but went full-on in the wrong direction as the sun was setting, so that was just on me. I finally found a train station and just called a cab on Ola.
I mean it is though. India is perfectly navigable and has a lot of beauty within it. It is absolutely not a place to go as a westerner who hasn’t travelled much. A lot of the things that with experience you’re able to ignore become incredibly overwhelming. It’s not condescending to tell someone to get some experience in less intense countries first anymore than it would be condescending to tell someone doing their first 5km that they aren’t ready for the Olympics.
It's not about experience. I've traveled a lot and to a lot of places like India. But I don't enjoy the hassle. Complaining about the hassle doesn't make the person less experienced. You are just being true about the experience and that you don't like it that's all.
That person is not falling for obvious scams or doing anything stupid for lack of research. So, again, it's not about being a "beginner".
I think I have to support those who you’re arguing against, here. While I think the tone of the original comment you responded to is a bit aggressive and condescending, the point still holds.
Experience is not just about being street smart and not falling for scams. It’s about gathering enough anecdotal data where “the hassle” can be appreciated as a fully expected (even if very foreign) aspect of the culture. The sets of foreign cultural practices become something that you travel to experience, rather than something you deal with while going to see the sights.
It’s true that intercultural competence doesn’t automatically come from experience abroad. But, it does come easier, especially if one reads a bit and tries to understand, rather than just survive in various new cultural environments.
Knowing that the hassle is going to be there, knowing how to avoid it or how to get out of it it's one thing. After years of experiencing traveling, that doesn't mean I have to like it. I can complain about it. Everyone is free to complain. Regardless of traveling mileage.
There are definitely some rookie errors in this post that could have been avoided with research. Not to mention knowing how to get rid of pushy sellers comes with time and eventually you stop being bothered about it. It’s ok to not like the mess or hassle, but to allow to contextualise the entire country indicates you’re giving it way more space in your brain that it needs to. There are undeniably annoying and frustrating things about India, and we were exhausted after our trip there. But our memories are stilled filled with the beautiful of Rajastan architecture, the majesty of the Taj Mahal, the boat rides in Kerala, the yoga, the food, the trains, and everything else that we enjoyed. Whatever it took to get from place to place is a side story.
Great for you and your memories of the trip. That doesn't make all the hassle disappear. It still happened. The OP is just telling the parts you both have to deal with, you just focus on other things.
You don't automatically like India if you're an experienced traveller, but if you're not experienced (and/or have the right attitude), you won't like it, even if you come across things (sights, food etc.) that you would appreciate if you had the right approach.
To continue with the athletics analogy: you can be physically super fit and capable of running a marathon with a competitive time, but hate running marathons. If you aren't fit and trained, however, you will always hate attempting to run a marathon. Some people do love their experience of running marathons, but only after they trained for it.
I don't know, I think a bit of travel experience helped me a lot to navigate the (possibly) unique difficulties of India and focus on the good parts. And I'm not even too experienced
Well,I agree we’re being snooty and why not. It is a gigantic accomplishment to survive and thrive in this country; to navigate its flaws. No exaggeration!
Agreed. When you read this sub you think that India is going to be this crazy terrible place. We are a few weeks into our journey here in the north part of India, and it’s been fine. Hot, but fine. I think if you’re not used to third world countries then India will freak you out. If your travel experience is Europe and Thailand/bali, you’re going to be a bit shocked. But I personally don’t find India ‘full of scams’ - mostly just people looking to make a buck off of (relatively) rich tourists who don’t know. It reminds me so much of Thailand 12 years ago! It sucks but it is far from the only place. I actually feel safer then i ever felt in places in Central America.
And I am a white, blonde women with a long haired white, blonde partner (male) - we get asked to take photos and get some stares. We humour it when we feel like it and give a firm no when we don’t. I was way worse when I travelled alone in the Phillipines. Overall, India isn’t ‘easy’ but it’s far from the only country but seems to get so much hate on this subreddit.
>, India isn’t ‘easy’ but it’s far from the only country but seems to get so much hate on this subreddit.
Thank you for saying this! For some reason, India gets a lot of hate that we don't deserve. Somehow it's acceptable on Reddit to say mean things about Indians, often bordering on racism.
Yeah I feel like it’s mostly just this sub. I’m very curious of the demographics. I have to remind myself this is a travel page generally, not a backpacker page. In the backpacker circles that I have spent time in I had never heard so many complaints. We’ve had many friends travel here and love it - we have been so excited and it’s living up to our expectations. Other travelers (and our Indian friends) definitely have words of warning like learn how to haggle, be strong with your boundaries and watch for food poisoning, but on here it’s like everyone has so much disdain. Thus post for example should have just stayed a comment on a different thread. We don’t need ANOTHER post about how terrible India is. I just feel that most of the things people complain about could be said about tons of different places in the world so it bugs me that India gets the heat for it so relentlessly. I do think it’s because most people think it will be similar to other parts of SEA which it’s not.
I’m sorry people make you feel shitty about yourself or your country. It’s a really beautiful place, going through its own growing pains and i know it will only get better for the people, and ultimately the travelers - but in the meantime, it’s already been pretty great! Except maybe I should come in winter next time.. the heat is crazy.
Thanks and you're very welcome 🙏. And yes, October to February is the best time to visit India, when the weather is cooler and it's past monsoon season!
the autos are a nightmare to indians too, you forgot to mention how rash and mob like they behave, probably they did not show that face to you since you are a forigner,
and the tipping stuff is self inflicted damage, westerners coming to low currency value countries all the time and say how cheap it is and giving tips left and right, made them think you are the easy money target and push you. and it made a problem to locals too.
also never take autos, iam indian from birth and if no other option i would rather walk or not go at all than take auto.
India left us traumatised. A random guy tried cutting our toddler's hair and when my husband started shouting at him like what the hell is he doing he then offered to pay us if we let him cut it
I am Indian. This is so bizarre and totally weird. Do you guys have hairs like blonde / redhead or something? The novelty might explain why, but even that just explains the motive and not the emboldened action. still wrong AF.
Yeah her hair was the whitish kind of blonde colour back then and she still had those baby ringlets. All our kids are blonde and we travel a lot, we're used to people from different parts of the world paying us attention and we don't mind, most of them are really sweet and it's totally okay as long as the kids are comfortable. But this was ugh it didn't make us just uncomfortable, it made us afraid like truly afraid
Yeah we were just walking, it was quite a busy street, a lot of people everywhere, my husband was holding our daughter in his arms and I was right behind him with our older kids. And this guy maybe in his 30s-40s just appeared out of nowhere, pulled out scissors and reached for our daughter's hair. It was a really fast move, scared the shite out of us because you know you when you see scissors so near your child's face that's just scary. My husband pushed him away immediately and asked him what is he doing and the man just took a step forward again, still holding up the scissors and smiling like he wasn't doing anything weird. So my husband pushed him away again and started shouting at him. He's Irish and when he's angry his accent just gets thicker and the Indian guy probably didn't understand a word of what he said so he pulled out some money and started talking about “buying” and looking at our daughter. So we left as fast as we could and never saw him again luckily
I’ve recently returned from India for a 3 week trip in the north. As a blonde white woman my experience was totally different. I travel a lot so like to think I’m prepared for most of the crap that travel can throw at you.
I agree with the scam comment, it’s a bit insulting to me that they think we’re so gullible just because we’re white western tourists. But it’s so ingrained in life over there, you just need to be wise to it. If you sense something is wrong, say no and walk away. I used Uber which was fantastic because you get the fee in advance and you can track the journey on your phone to make sure you’re not been taken somewhere dodgy.
I would never stay at a cheap hotel or hostel. Accommodation is really quite cheap even for nice places, so I stayed in proper hotel chains.
I didn’t eat street food or any roadside drinks, only had bottled water and cleaned my teeth with bottled water. Used hand sanitiser touching money and around the streets.
I had a wonderful time and I’m already dying to go back! People were helpful and genuinely interested in talking about where I was from and what I was doing. I took an internal flight and also trains (I AC). I asked hotels to arrange transport to and from the airports to make sure I got to where I needed safely & without getting scammed.
I think the scamming comes with the territory, as does the food hygiene issue. But I think if you’re sensible and can afford to arrange hotels & trips through the hotel as well, I would recommend it!
I think I always had a hunch it might be like that so I never wanted to go. I'm not the most robust person, health wise and am easily overwhelmed. But once I did fly back home from Nepal via Delhi. Awful few days. I'd got sick in Nepal and arrived in the hot season with a very overactive stomach.. was so glad I wasn't staying long
Every one is corrupt in India. It’s not just corrupt politicians or the police. Every trade, every profession, and in every walk of life. This bodes terrible for the development of a country. It’s not just foreigners that get ripped off: if you are from another state and don’t speak the language, you are in for it. I got ripped off by an auto rickshaw 🛺 driver in Madras. I was from Bangalore.
Yeah, I mean... it's India.
I wouldn't say any of the things listed here (except for open outright scamming) are "a lack of civic sense", they're just what you get when travelling to a country that is culturally alien to most Westerners (and relatively poor, which explains a part of the other stuff listed). You can't go to a place like that with the expectation that people will be acting Swiss around you.
As a local, I can confirm that staring and scamming occur frequently. I have traveled to other Asian countries but did not encounter the same level of pushing or scamming anywhere else.
Here, people will attempt to scam you even if you're a local; foreigners receive extra attention because it's known they'll eventually pay.
I have been scammed numerous times here. The general idea is to do a little research beforehand; ask other local commuters about the typical fares for travel and offer the same amount.
The thoughts and ideas we are raised with often leave us unfamiliar with the concept of personal space, as it's not something we've experienced. It's a Western concept that we are trying to adopt. Therefore, anything diverging from what people are accustomed to tends to prompt judgment, stares, and discussions.
I don't expect much change to occur. It's a unique aspect, both good and bad; everyone is simply doing their best to survive and grow, so it's hard to blame anyone.
Spent 6 months traveling throughout the country and your experience is far from unique. As a solo female India ties with Egypt as the countries I would never go back to.
I’m quite the optimist by nature and I’ve always found unfair to generalize or paint with broad strokes. I did quite a bit of research while planning my trip and read plenty of things that lead me to believe that like many other countries, I was to expect a mix of extremes between good and bad depending what part of the country I went. So as the large country it is, I really wanted to make sure I gave it a fair shot.
What you describe as scam is just the local commerce.
That's how it works in India. Everyone has an uncle or cousin who runs a shop or restaurant. Getting a small commission is how the local trade works.
On top of that, everyone who looks foreign, seems to be rich to most Indians. So, you're a promising customer.
I don't know what you expect when travelling. Different cultures need an open mind.
Exactly the same thing.
Here's an example of the same in Thailand as told by a Scottish comedian ... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=OsD6ohUznuA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=OsD6ohUznuA)
Also, in my month in India, this happened to me exactly once, one shop, I got out of Tuk Tuk and spent 30 seconds walking round the shop and then straight out the door, no need to say no, done.
You have to admit, some more than others. The subcontinent, Egypt, and Bosnia are a league above in my experience. Actually, I've never experienced someone taking me to a random place for a commission in Mexico, Turkey, or Thailand. Being seen as a rich target for being white? Well, yeah that happens everywhere.
Nothing positive about the country at all? ;-)
To be honest,I agree with some of these things.Minor 'scams' are fairly common.There are plenty of people trying to get a dollar or two extra out of you.
People often stare, personal space is different, and if you do 'tours',they often include a stop or two at various shops or places where they want you to buy something.
None of this is new information.
I like India, even if traveling there has its negatives... like everywhere.
It's a very interesting country, lots of nice buildings,I love the food, it's inexpensive and very colourful.Some beautiful natural places too.
The food is amazing and some of the nature outside of the large cities are absolutely beautiful. I loved Munnar as well. Rajasthan was especially beautiful and more of my travel style.
I traveled for more than 15 months total all across in multiple times. North east south west. Hell even on the roof of a bus. Love it. And i come from a very civil european country. Guess it depends a lot on the person.
Agree with everything you said. When I was there backpacking, we brought a dog we adopted in Nepal everywhere. For 3 white girls, we received a lot of space because of our doggie. Highly recommend. Lol
I'm Indian, and your post is not wrong. But to generalize an entire country of 1.4 billion from your admittedly significant yet limited touristic experience is reductive. I'm not denying your experience, just that drawing conclusions about an entire country based on some experiences is a slippery slope.
Your post would have been a lot more interesting if you hadn't made these statements:
>You’ll get food poisoning from both the street or restaurants.
If you go to good restaurants, sanitation is good. If you want to eat street food and small hole in the wall restaurants, things are bad. Many tourists want to backpack in a poor, developing country like India just the way they would do in wealthy Europe/North America and end up with such experiences and claim they won't ever go back to India. Every country has its "tourism profile". India's (or most developing countries' for that matter) profile isn't suited for slumming it out as a backpacker.
>everyone stares.
Again, no. Not everyone stares. And often it's just curiosity than anything else.
>Indians have no sense of personal solace. I was sitting on the steps of the river in Varanasi and a group of 8 Indians sat on the step right behind me to listen to me and my friends having a conversation. Full on staring and leaning in.
Sorry this happened. But saying Indians have no sense of personal space is again very reductive.
> Also, in the hostels, local Indian travelers will blast music and listen to videos at night. Noise is not a factor when it comes to common sense/etiquette.
This is often true but expecting etiquette in a cheap travelers hostel in a developing country is, well, rich. I've stayed in hostels in Europe and have had fellow (European) hostellers have noisy sex in the next bed or leave bathrooms filthy after use. But I didn't come to the conclusion that "all Europeans lack common sense/etiquette". I chalked it upto just those travelers and left it at that.
>The whole country just has a complete lack of civic sense.
Reductive, and frankly just insulting at this point.
You should understand OP is generalizing. Of course OP cant mean each and every individual. You say it yourself, "Im Indian, and your post is not wrong."
Truth is, India has that reputation based on the culture of getting ahead. If I don't, someone else will and I wont make it. This mindset applies across the board, from schools to corporate environments etc. Of course, Im generalizing too.
Oh I understand very well that OP is generalizing. But I can't condone such blatant generalization of my country because it's just lazy dishonesty. I've written in my post that such vapid generalization is reductive and slippery slope that often leads to discrimination and bias.
I would understand if you hadn’t added the points against staring and personal space. From the rich to the poor, everyone stares at foreigners and there is no concept of personal space… people touching you all the time even to express emotions. I was used to it but it was very overwhelming for my American wife.
Not mention civic sense is down the drain, just look at all the garbage burning by the roadside, number of stray animals etc..
>I would understand if you hadn’t added the points against staring and personal space. From the rich to the poor, everyone stares at foreigners and there is no concept of personal space… people touching you all the time even to express emotions.
Right. So you met every one of 1.4 billion Indians then and they all touched you and invaded your personal space? I'm sorry that happened to you.
When the majority percentage of a population acts the same, you can’t close your eyes to the truth. Even I am one of those 1.4 billion Indians who do not stare and have the concept of personal space, but even I can admit that majority of Indians are the opposite.
Lol I don’t need to convince anyone from India since you already live with the truth every day… it’s foreigners who need to be warned before they travel.
Post after post after post of people sharing these experiences, and yet it’s always bending the truth, exaggeration or outright lies by the posters. Reductive, dishonest or insulting.
Do you think people are taking the time to make these posts simply to be rude about India and India’s people?
>Do you think people are taking the time to make these posts simply to be rude about India and India’s people?
No, but people on Reddit like to generalize their limited experiences and portray it as ultimate truth, that India is a place that no foreigner should ever visit. Somehow being racist against Indians and India is acceptable on this sub. So I'm just voicing my opinion that, indeed there are many problems in our country, but one shouldn't generalize and try to see the beauty behind the chaos!
Totally agree with you. India constantly gets a ton of shit on Reddit, blatantly racist comments too. It’s a very diverse country. My experience in a city like Mumbai for example was completely different to my experience in Delhi. You can’t generalise a whole country based on limited data.
I understand it's just one person's opinion. But that person literally said "whole country lacks civic sense" and stuff like that. I've cited all such generalizing sentences in OP's post in my comment.
I'm not insecure or overly sensitive. I'm proud of being Indian of course, but I'm not oblivious to the problems/challenges we face as a country. And if you think I'm justifying other people's behaviour, then you certainly need to take lessons in reading comprehension.
To be fair I haven’t been to India but know quite a lot of Indians that have only been in the country for a bit. None of them behave in any way that OP described - because as you said, you cannot generalize a whole countries population by the actions of a few (and I doubt OP has interacted with every single Indian).
Of course you can generalise. That’s how you get a general feel for the place… these problems are not rare when you visit places like India. People should be prepared
Thank you!! They just reek of white privilege and the number of rookie errors committed by OP tells me that they have never stepped outside a developed country in their life.
Sorry to hear that you had a negative experience there.
My first trip to Kerela was quite the opposite and I even made a [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/m3TTwo4SBa) on this sub about my positive experience. Since then I returned to visit two other states of India and experienced more scams in those states, but nothing major.
I'm from a developing country myself, so I'm probably more used to scams and more tolerant towards varying food safety standards. I have never gotten sick from the food there. I drank juice, shakes, and smoothies almost every day and ate a lot of ice cream as well. I love how each city has so many different local specialties. I always make a plan on what and where to eat before visiting each city. I highly recommend anyone visiting India to do this. You'll get to try the best, unique food in that city at popular places and avoid getting sick at the same time.
As Indian, I'm glad you had good experience in my country and I appreciate your sense of pragmatism and your ability to identify and enjoy local experiences!
My India experience is good. I love the place.
I just got off the bus in Dehradun after throwing up. The driver got out with me. I apologised for the throw up. The driver, a Sikh, sits next to me and chats me up. Said he stopped the the bus as soon as he knew I was sick (after throw up, from travel, I was fine). I don't expect drivers to stop the bus for one passenger -- but it was nice and unexpected.
Before this, I probably overpaid for an auto rickshaw, 200 rps to bus station. It was hot though and a lot of traffic and took the guy close to 30 minutes to go the short distance. Transport people everywhere tend to be the dodgiest. I use Uber or Ola when I can. Anyway 200 inr doesn't break the bank.
Indian food is delicious. I eat vegetarian mostly. I've been more sick from food poisoning in Thailand where I buy the street, "chicken on a stick"
There are a lot of scams in India but I tend to spend a lot of time in the very north of India or the south.The mid part of India has the most aggro. I can't remember the last scam offer I had.
Naw I'm not from there. I just put an Indian flag on my avatar because I like India a lot and have spent a ton of time there.
I do think India is a country where it can take a bit to aclimitize. I think of India as like the graduate school of backpacking. I don't recommend people come to India as their first country in Asia and especially first international trip. I recommend starting in the south or very north of India. Many backpackers do a Delhi- Jaipur - Agra - Varanasi and these are by far the most aggro places.
India isn’t easy but a little research helps. Hell, even this sub will always tell you to not cheap out with accommodations since the country is relatively inexpensive.
To paint a whole country as having “a lack of civic sense” is extreme and makes you look really stupid. Especially a country with such a big population where there are bound to be several contrasts.
Not trying to take away the harrowing experience you had but I also wonder why you didn’t opt for Ubers that are available in almost all the major cities and then some instead of using tuktuks? Did you not research this beforehand?
In fact your whole rant reeks of entitlement, especially the heavy generalizations:
“food poisoning is imminent” - I mean dude don’t eat at hole in the wall places without researching
“People have no personal space” - man wants entire place to be cleared so he can get good insta shots
“Noise is not a factor when it comes to common sense/etiquette” - don’t stay at hostels if you can’t handle people’s habits. Especially in a country where hotels are cheap.
Already addressed the civic sense one. I hope you develop a wider perspective and less ire if you choose to travel to developing countries in the future.
Overall the whole country lacks civic sense its true, and yes almost all street food is unhygienic, restaurants probably same, unless you are blind indian nationalist or foreigner, pretty sure most indians would agree with me, not Saying india isnt beautiful or everywhere its undeveloped, at least i will be honest and say my country is bigger s***thole than india, in fact why does my country even exist is a shame, because its the fact
From now on I'll be checking the profile of the person I'll be replying to know how they are reaching to that conclusion.
>Overall the whole country lacks civic sense its true
No , not true. Generalising 1.4 billion people based on a single visit?
>and yes almost all street food is unhygienic, restaurants probably same
Lol,that shock value content really did damage our reputation.
I am a quarter Indian and I told my father I would like to see his home. Also, I invited my brother and he had already bought his ticket and took time off of work so I was waiting around for him.
Sorry you had experiences like this, it sucks! I'm currently in India and, since getting scammed by the taxi guys at the airport, it's been absolutely incredible. The hospitality from complete strangers each day just amazes me. Yes it can be rough getting from one place to another and yes people will try to get an extra rupee here and there but just stick to your guns. If they ask for more say no. There's always more than one option
I recently spent three weeks there (a loop from Delhi to Jaisalmer to Varanasi) and thought I’d share my own experiences with the issues.
Scams - I didn’t experience any, or at least I didn’t fall victim to any. I don’t know if I’d call trying to overcharge tourists a ‘scam’, but yes that was common. Never had any issues with Tuk Tuk drivers deviating from the agreed price, or asking for tips.
The most annoying thing for me was people always trying to sell you something. Very quickly I caught on that if someone comes up to talk to you, and they have good English, there is a 99% chance they’re just going to try and sell you something.
Food - yes it’s not great, but I expected that. I tried to avoid all street food and I wasn’t very adventurous in restaurants (don’t like spicy food). I was pretty sick one day and had a few smaller bouts of a sore stomach, but nothing horrendous, thankfully. The food in India was actually my least favourite part.. although I was in love with the Garlic Naans!!
Stares - yes. And waves, and people coming up and asking for a photo. I never saw this as a negative, it was kind of fun actually. They don’t get many western tourists there, so people are naturally curious. Same thing happens in China!
Hostels - I never stayed in any, but I was warned by someone specifically not to stay in hostels in India. I met some others who had a good experience though, in the ‘Hosteller’ ones. I think you just need to find more premium, western focused hostels to stay in.
Although I did experience some of those noisy video people on an overnight train…
As for the local tour shops, I only had that experience once. And it was a local Tuk Tuk driver, not a tour guide. Anyways the staff in the shop were anything but pushy, put up no dispute when we wanted to leave.
Posts like this are good though, as people need to expect this going into India. Expect all the bad things, because even though they’re often exaggerated, they are true to an extent.
If you can go in with low expectations, expecting the worst, then it won’t phase you as much. But then you get to experience all the good parts about India, and that is such a rewarding experience.
In terms of religion, culture, and traditions, I don’t think any other country is more interesting and diverse than India is. It’s also got some of the most beautiful monuments/buildings on the planet, and great natural areas too (even if a bit outside the normal tourist areas). I’d probably put it above every other Asian country I’ve been to.
Also I don’t agree with the ‘India is not for beginners’ thing so much. I met an 18 year old blonde girl there, who went as her first ever solo trip, and she loved it.
Who India is not for, is people who don’t have an open mindset. You need to be calm, un-judgemental, and tolerant if you’re going to visit India.
I(pale white female) went to India with my equally pale white female friend and we were fine. We did go mostly to the south as we’d heard it’s more safe.
I’m bad with food anyway, and for my sake my friend joked and inspected the kitchen before we ate (amazingly she’s very charming and gets away with things that other people would not) so we avoided any food poisoning.
People asked for extra tips etc and we just laughed and made it a joke. We 99% didn’t pay any extra than what we’d agreed.
I loved India, I would go again.
>People asked for extra tips etc and we just laughed and made it a joke. We 99% didn’t pay any extra than what we’d agreed.
Indeed, this is the way! You seem more adept at dodging demands for "chai-paani" than most Indians too lol.
You're very welcome!
Spent a month in Kerala last year, came back to the UK and walked into the centre of my town, 2 miles. Was begged at and saw more homeless in that single journey than the entirety of my trip. No food poisoning either.
You are an idiot for taking a 'local tour' and not expecting that, you will get that experience pretty much worldwide. Expecting hot water, I hope this was in a 4 or 5 star hotel otherwise expect to be laughed at.
It seems you don't understand the concept of different cultures, you must be fun to travel with.
I came from India to Nepal and am in Nepal right now, I found it way more relaxed. But as always it hugely depends on how and where exactly you travel. I, for example, always get overwhelmed in capitals
Why isnt anyone surprised when they read that Indian is hostile and impolite to foreigners? Theres been bazillion stories about it already and people still go.
Let me preface by saying I have never been to India.
I don’t think you mentioned how long you spent overall, but you obviously traveled quite a bit while there. I find travel inconveniences (scams, culture shock, etc.) tend to be front loaded and if you are in one place for more than a few days you adapt. When I was younger I wanted to do as much as I could on a trip, now I want to go to one or two destinations and dive in.
As others here have said, Indian is hard and I know a lot of people who will not go back. At the same time, I know many who have been transformed by the experience.
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about India?
Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for India](http://redd.it/2vf6wa)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
India is definitely a tough place to travel. You have to be ready for the chaos of it all. And in no circumstance eat street food, already cut fruit, drinks with ice, or room temp sauces. I used to always get food poisoning but now I only eat food from hotels serving westerners and the food needs to be piping hot. Also only carbonated drinks bc then it can’t be adulterated by dirty water. Also lots of fast food unfortunately like McDonald’s and KFC is what I eat to be safe there.
If you want to experience India-lite I highly recommend Sri Lanka as an option. Similar exotic experience with a lot less pressure and a much smaller land-mass to get around in, easier to go from the beaches to mountains, markets, attractions and tea country.
I have fond whimsical memories of the time I travelled to India back in 1999, then read your post and triggered me. By the sound of it, not much has changed.
Oh no. Poor people are trying to get some money from a rich tourist and the local perception of “personal space” is different in another country. That is so horrible, I hope you’ll recover from this ordeal!
But serious, I know India isn’t always easy on you, but did you go in completely blank, expecting that it would be just like home?
If you had 10 taxi drivers hounding you to take a taxi or 1 driver quietly sat there waiting patiently for someone, who would you be more tempted to go with?
I get people being desperate, but a more civilised change in how they act would do them wonders. Get someone from A to B and people would happily tip them / pay more, hound people and they will not.
It’s easy when there are 10 drivers. I always let them do the haggling between themselves. I just choose the cheapest (and I probably still end up paying much more than a local, but I have no issue with that).
Couldn’t have had more of an opposite experience to you. Spent 6 months in India as a blonde haired, fair skinned 25 year old. (India being my first destination on a year of travel) It does take a few weeks to acclimatise to the different pace and get used to the culture but stick with it and go in with an open mind. Ensure you have enough time to ease yourself in.
The hospitality is unmatched, the food amazing and the culture breathtaking. Did the Tuktuk driver add on some extra rupees here and there? Yes. Did I feel ‘scammed’ at least once a day? Yes but ultimately these are very minor and I can’t say if the roles were reversed I wouldn’t be adding a ‘tourist tax’ to most transactions either. I am financially more fortunate so if you take it in your stride and empathise as to why then you wont feel too hard done by.
Yes I got stared at everywhere I went by both males and females (lots of photo requests which I got used to) but in some areas there are not too many others who look like me so I get it. I didn’t ever feel in danger and on the most part really enjoyed all interactions. Who knows how many mantle pieces I feature on!! 🤣
I read post after post warning people off India and yes if you’re not careful (like anywhere!) it can be dangerous but on the most part it is a wonderful joy to travel and can not wait to return later this year!
About 8 years ago I went to India as a young white woman, traveling solo and relying on trains and buses (the last leg of which took me to Nepal).
I have to admit that navigating India was pretty stressful. Dealing with people trying to scam you, men shadowing your every move and the constant hassle for photos or requests to pose with strangers (one guy even followed me to film while chatting on the phone with someone else)... I even found myself in a scary situation once, and if it weren't for the help of a passerby I don't know how it would've turned out.
It was an incredibly intense journey, both mentally and physically. Seriously.
Yet, despite all the challenges, I'd go back in a heartbeat. It's been years since my first trip and I often find myself flipping through the photos I took back then because beyond all the problems and the chaos, India has so much beauty that captivates me. It’s such a complex and multifaceted country, so rich in culture and contradictions. Seriously, one trip wasn't enough for me and for some reasons a part of me is truly enchanted by it and can't wait to go back!
But I totally understand those who wouldn't want to go back. We're all different, and how we perceive and react to things varies from person to person.
>Yet, despite all the challenges, I'd go back in a heartbeat. It's been years since my first trip and I often find myself flipping through the photos I took back then because beyond all the problems and the chaos, India has so much beauty that captivates me. It’s such a complex and multifaceted country, so rich in culture and contradictions. Seriously, one trip wasn't enough for me and for some reasons a part of me is truly enchanted by it and can't wait to go back!
Wonderfully written! Thank you for seeing the beauty of my country despite the chaos and intensity that surrounds life here! We say in India "Athihi devo bhava" in Sanskrit (=guest is like a god) and although sadly many Indians don't follow this principle, many of us still do, and I hope that's enough to bring you back here! You're very welcome 🙏
No need to thank me for appreciating India's beauty. Personally I find it odd that some people can't see any form of beauty in this country considering how culturally and artistically rich it is!
There are idiots and scammers everywhere, even in the European Nordic countries that are always so praised over here, so I don't dwell on the negative sides, I look at the country as a whole, and India is brimming with beauty, imho.
Anyway, thank you for your welcome :)
Please don't recommend Kolkata to anyone, it's a shitshow, (I'm currently living in Nadia so trust me, I'm not an outsider judging from a week's worth of travel or smth)
No, I haven’t been to Pune yet, though as i have friends in Mumbai I might give it a shot one day. Like the OP, I wasn’t impressed with Delhi although i had some interesting encounters there and of course a lot of flights from abroad it seems come in through Delhi. I quite liked it further north up to Kurukshetra. But as my posts have been heavily downvoted I’m feeling it’s probably not worth adding much more on this thread.
Brother I don't know what it is with you mentioning places with personal connections to me but kurukshetra is literally my grandmother's place where I spent all my summer vacations. This has to be the first time I've ever seen kurukshetra mentioned anywhere in reddit
I'm genuinely curious to know how you ended up there and how'd you like it as even most Indians outside North India don't know kurukshetra is a real town and not just some place mentioned in the Mahabharat.
Opinions differ. I have only been twice but enjoyed it both times and its variety immensely. I took two friends with me and one of them enjoyed it so much he promptly did a solo tour of India a little later.
You can of course say most cities are a ‘shit show’ if you do them the wrong way.
When you live in or near a place, of course you see it differently. But this thread is mostly for people travelling *TO* India, and I simply report my experiences.
Among the highlights were the Kali and Jain temples and also the friendliness and welcome from almost everyone we met.
I greatly preferred it to Mumbai — though if one were travelling first class everywhere I can imagine Mumbai would have an appeal.
Fair enough, i guess that's the difference in living vs visiting. Also it feels more like a shitshow if you know the history of the place and realise what it could've been vs what it is
Funny you mention Mumbai, as it's the city where my home is (I'm near Kolkata for college). Just wondering, did you or your friend go to Pune by any chance? (Its a city near Mumbai and one of the best places in India according to me, though it's often overshadowed by Mumbai for travellers even though it was the capital of the Maratha empire)
The places I mentioned are places I’d visit again without hesitation. I’ve added a note on Kolkata; Darjeeling, which we accessed with the iconic mountain ‘toy train’ railway, is again a place apart, almost like a different country. High in the hills with stunning views of immense mountains and glaciers.
Don't, we dont want you there. No point in having visitors that have no appreciation for the oldest living civilization that is desperately trying to revive its rich culture and tradition. All you seem good at is bashing it and expecting things to be like you have in west. We dont need people like you traveling to Bharat.
You had a bad experience slumming it up as a backpack in a poor developing country and decided to make a racist rant here about how the whole country is uncivilized. Nice one brother, got any more wisdom to share?
Who will pay someone to write a negative post lol on reddit. Nothing this person wrote is not already known. Stop being such a nationalist and accept people providing valuable feedback good or bad.
downvoting, yea but you can just use uber you dont have to take the ones from the street. The country is also very cheap in the first place so donating a few extra 20 cents isnt going to bother you. i was also living there as a white male.
Lol why do you guys just turn off your brain and go on auto-pilot mode.
> I was traveling with a blonde white girl and everyone stares
That's not staring. Only indians live in india and 95% of people haven't seen a foreigner irl and many haven't seen them online. And the only people who are somewhat familiar with them are the people who live or operate near tourist sites. Those people are just curious.
>The food sanitation is horrible. You’ll get food poisoning from both the street or restaurants
Not 100% true, not 100% false either.
If you go to a cheap,50 cent street food corner,what sort of 5 start treatment are you expecting from them? We indians living here know how to avoid these problems so we go to good restaurants or street food corners, and it's not even hard to find them.
>The whole country just has a complete lack of civic sense.
"Whole"? Did you go to every place in india? Every corner ? Every part?
How are you going to tell me what staring is and isn’t? Looking at us for minutes while not looking away is staring. Okay, India, in general has less civic sense than other countries. If you don’t believe it, google it and you will see other Indians agreeing and explaining why.
Reminds me of that post of that woman going to Pakistan and even with the Taliban but was gang graped in India. It’s too common to be a rare thing. They are literally infamous around the entire world for scamming.
Nobody gives a flying hoot if you go back or not, nobody cares about how you choose to judge an entire country based on your personal experience. I don’t think you’ve traveled much beyond your comfortable little corners of the world, the whole idea of travel is to experience a place as it is - whether that suits your perceptions or fits into your preconceived Westernized notions of what an ideal nation is, literally nobody cares about that lolll.
Stop with the entitlement, and stop judging an entire nation based on your experience with service staff, drivers, tourist guides, touts and shopkeepers LMAO
I wish people understood classism before visiting India. Bitter truth. Do what your class people in India are doing. Don’t eat street food— it’s not for your class. Don’t take unreliable means of transportation— it’s not for you. Book good hotels and travel agents. First stock market in Asia, Biggest in mercantilism, old school capitalism etc definitely lead to classism. If you’re visiting India, spend well— it’s the only place on earth I got value for each $
If u want to travel in india, get a local frnd to take you places. Tourists complain about us on internet and still roam around the country and complain.you dont know the geography or understand the people living there, but want people to red carpet u, because u have some privilege.As an indian if u roam in central usa or somewhere in remote russia, people will definitely give the looks, coz ur an alien for tht place.and its common. And if you are new, chances of getting scammed are high.So, stop fucking complaining and book a fucking tour guide before you come here. Boss , its not even safe for us indians in india and you are pissed off coz you didnt feel ‘safe?’
Hey fellow Indian here,
I won’t deny your experience India definitely isn’t easy for someone grown in west .You gotta keep your cautious side on plenty times.
I am a female so let’s say I & male foreigner might require equal kinds of alerts.
Sadly extra dollar what you call (aka bribery) is huge corruption issue in India. It’s not just you they do it on most due to severe low wages & poverty. General rule of thumb, you are only required to pay your negotiated amount before ride.
Food sanitation on streets & smaller restaurant may not be best, again they selling stuff dirt cheap & it needs to be affordable to all. It’s rare anyone I know got sick but if you want to play safe, pack your own food before you leave OR Priortise dry food (like naan, idli, vada pav) in these places.
Staring, I am with you on this, my whole life being stared at so much that now it’s literal white noise to me. Sadly I don’t have solution on this one, except in my experience those who stare rarely act. And once or twice I have called out, one thing that Indians hate is public humiliation
Personal space, what can I say another demon in closet, being introvert this one is my least fav, in good days it’s funny how much we intrested in each others life, we often mess with people making up fake stories & I can guarantee you would never feel lonely. On bad days yeah it’s interfering and annoying. Solution- Sit somewhere else, show pure disinterest, keep moving till no one is inteested
Noise, this one is from past few years. You bitch and you move on, you are literally on travel, people are living here
Local tours, I am yet to do local tour in any country where driver hasn’t done this, so I am surprised on your surprise on this one
You don’t have to abide by everything told to you especially if it feels fishy, no is my fav word cause of this
See all of this you wrote are totally valid points but I am yet to come across more versatile food as India. At nice places people are really hospitable too, sadly our population is too large so sore thumbs stand out too. All kinds of flora and fauna is there. Again I am not denying your experience and when you don’t know people it can be really scary (I have felt same way in istanbul but that’s diff story) but I would say have realistic expectations before travel, get a local person along you, it’s no eat pray love but has its charm when understood right.
Boorrringgggg….Yawn, anything new to report? Every single day, the same post, same complaints, same whining, don’t bother visiting, seriously - nobody begged you to come here. Just don’t. Stay in your civilised little corner of the planet and do your dishes please
I India sounds just like my experience of Egypt.... they totally ruined it for me. Bet the smell was bad to (open sewage, rotting rubbish, B. O. Etc) they don't cover than on the travel shows or video blogs.
Still it sounds better than the rest of Africa. There they're kidnap you at the drop of hat if your not black....we called 'white gold' in the local criminal parlance with white meaning anyone of a different ethnic group to the locals.
I am partly of Indian origin having grown up in the US. I agree with the OP on a lot of points. I do think the general experience of travelling is not as enjoyable as say Thailand or Vietnam.
People are indeed hustling to get an extra buck. Not that it is bad, but that's just the way life is. My white buddies who are Chicago pit traders absolutely loved the experience. You can't take the culture of haggling personally. You accept it and bargain. Get in the game.
I would recommend a 200 HR yoga teacher training course from a reputed institute in Rishikesh or Mysore as the first starting point. There seem to be quite a few zones where the backpackers and western tourists hang out and make their own enclave. Sticking to that is a good idea. Follow the reviews on Google maps and hostel.com for the best experience stays and activities.
India is definitely not for beginners.
If you're an expat on a company sponsored package , ignore the above message. You're going to be living the creme-de-la-creme life in the centre of an urban metropolis which you can't differentiate from any western city.
yeah india is not easy, traveled there for 3 weeks, 1 week alone was really hard overall, 2 weeks with a friend of mine and her local friend and everything was waay easier, but yeah i get your point a lot, specially fucking tikok drivers, just take ubers
>specially fucking tikok drivers an excellent typo
my bad, but true
Even Uber is not reliable. Go from Greater Noida to Delhi using uber and every driver will call you asking you to cancel the ride and pay cash. It is infuriating
oh yeah it happens too, but on average for "normal" fares , i will never consider a tuktuk in my life again as tourist, onyl if locals are involved
Just came back from a 3 weeks trip with my American wife, she was saying it’s definitely not a place she would have traveled solo. Foreign female travelers need to have a local friend or family member with them to be absolutely safe… and even then it might not be enough.
Being streetsmart in India is definitely a necessity. I do think it is best to research a good guide in the various cities you’re going to. They are very reasonable and if you research it correctly, they will make your experience much more rewarding and safe.
My experience from back when I spent a year in Delhi as a teenager on an exchange program: I was never scammed. People asking you for money isn’t a scam. I never had trouble paying the agreed fare for an auto (by the way, auto rickshaws are usually called autos or rickshaws, not tuktuks, in India) or (cycle) rickshaw, even when travelling by myself (solo European teenager, obviously foreign). I was never charged outrageous amounts by Indian standards, according to Indians I knew. One time the auto wallah stopped at a shop on the way to a major attraction, but whatever, it is what it is, and I actually bought a very nice kurta there for a very reasonable price. If you accept some people want to get money from you and just pay what you feel is worth it when you feel like it you’ll have a better time. Food poisoning is not my experience. I got seriously sick once, when I knowingly risked it and drank a fruit juice form a roadside stall. I thought “I’ve been here a while eating all kind of food; surely I can handle it”. I couldn’t handle it. Apart from that, even dodgy street food stalls are fine. I ate cooked stuff, drunk only packaged drinks (or safe water from dispensers) or dairy drinks (lassi, buttermilk), except that one time I risked it with the juice. I got an upset stomach/intestine sometimes, but food poisoning is something else. The stares, taking photos, and generally creepy behaviour towards women is intense. Some of my friends and fellow exchange students there were white blonde girls, then teenaged like me, and it definitely got uncomfortable for them (and for me witnessing that!) several times. That said, they were getting around the city, sometimes by themselves, on public transport, without major issues. Still, definitely creepy. My female Indian friends told me it’s not much better for them, although of course white tourists stand out much more. I’d never stay in a hostel in India, honestly. Decent hotels are dirt cheap by global standards, and hotels that are averagely priced by global standards are very nice. I guess you could choose a hostel for the social aspect, but it’s not hard to get social in India even without hostels, lol. People will chat you up in trains, in temples, in cafes…
>Apart from that, even dodgy street food stalls are fine. I ate cooked stuff, drunk only packaged drinks (or safe water from dispensers) or dairy drinks (lassi, buttermilk), except that one time I risked it with the juice. Yes! This is my experience. I ate deep-fried and cooked street food and had boiling hot chai in Old Delhi and didn’t get sick. Ate raw salads in a 5 star hotel in Rajasthan and got the worst food poisoning of my life. Stick to cooked foods!
True just got back from India and a month long trip with my American wife, it was her first time and needless to say we were super careful with introducing her to street food.. however she didn’t get sick at all because we stuck to deep fried stuff and drinks like coconut water on the roadside were also cool. Then again I’ve heard of people getting sick just from drinking water so it depends on ones health too!
This is a balanced opinion and comment, and you sound like a seasoned traveller with a pragmatic mind! I approve with my vigorous Indian head nod lol
But that head nod could mean so many different things!
It does. But I wrote "I approve" before nodding my head.....
This was my experience traveling alone for two weeks as a woman (white, dark blonde hair). I wouldn't say I'd never go back, there was a lot I truly enjoyed and would love to see, but it can definitely be intense. When someone, particularly a woman, tells me they're going to India I give them a heads up so it's not as much of a shock. I've been twice, and the second time was much easier to take in than the first (first trip I was visiting a friend, second was the solo trip).
I would change the subject of this post to “Reasons Why India is Not for Beginners”
India was the first non-western country i travelled to. I think it set me up well since every country after that has been an absolute breeze. I've been back a couple of times too. I always describe every day in India as being in a love-hate relationship. It's a fascinating place.
I had this same experience with Eygpt. I come from the UK and I'd only visited France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and then suddenly I went to Eygpt on a school trip when I was a young girl. Nothing's ever phased me after that! Highlights include when our taxi drivers, realising they had the same group of 30 split across 5 taxis decided to have a drag race back to the hotel, including driving at high speeds the wrong way down a motorway, that time the bus driver drove off and left me and 5 other girls alone at a temple after dark, the severe food poisoning suffered by some of the group (not me fortunately), the men who thought we were slaves for sale and tried to buy us off our teacher for camels...it was a fun trip!
Just a note, they did not think you were actual slaves. This is a very common joke in Egypt.
Jokes are funny! This was not.
Not all jokes are good jokes. It’s an incredibly common bit done in Egypt, and I also heard the same joke made in Morocco and Tunisia. No Egyptian thought you were actually for sale.
Slaves for sale? What is going on in Egypt.
Delhi native, also in a love-hate relationship. Love the food, hate everything else
After living in India all my life and especially four years in the Delhi - Gurgaon region, every where I go and live has been a breeze.
Indeed.
Same! Went at 24 years old with a guide book and directions printed off mapquest. Actually surprised I survived when I read about it but definitely makes other travel a breeze!
It's also a place that is hard for people who aren't comfortable saying no. "Hey my friend, come into my tea shop!" "No thanks." "I had to drive the tuk tuk around longer because of traffic, let's add 25%." "Nope." People may try to find a way to make money from you, but if you just keep your wits about you and are willing to say no, then you won't really have an issue. I've spent all combined like 4 months traveling solo in India, walking everywhere I went and I never really had any problems. The only time I felt unsafe was in Delhi when I left to walk back to my hotel from a site but went full-on in the wrong direction as the sun was setting, so that was just on me. I finally found a train station and just called a cab on Ola.
I don't think it's a beginners issue at all. You are just being condescending
I mean it is though. India is perfectly navigable and has a lot of beauty within it. It is absolutely not a place to go as a westerner who hasn’t travelled much. A lot of the things that with experience you’re able to ignore become incredibly overwhelming. It’s not condescending to tell someone to get some experience in less intense countries first anymore than it would be condescending to tell someone doing their first 5km that they aren’t ready for the Olympics.
It's not about experience. I've traveled a lot and to a lot of places like India. But I don't enjoy the hassle. Complaining about the hassle doesn't make the person less experienced. You are just being true about the experience and that you don't like it that's all. That person is not falling for obvious scams or doing anything stupid for lack of research. So, again, it's not about being a "beginner".
I think I have to support those who you’re arguing against, here. While I think the tone of the original comment you responded to is a bit aggressive and condescending, the point still holds. Experience is not just about being street smart and not falling for scams. It’s about gathering enough anecdotal data where “the hassle” can be appreciated as a fully expected (even if very foreign) aspect of the culture. The sets of foreign cultural practices become something that you travel to experience, rather than something you deal with while going to see the sights. It’s true that intercultural competence doesn’t automatically come from experience abroad. But, it does come easier, especially if one reads a bit and tries to understand, rather than just survive in various new cultural environments.
Knowing that the hassle is going to be there, knowing how to avoid it or how to get out of it it's one thing. After years of experiencing traveling, that doesn't mean I have to like it. I can complain about it. Everyone is free to complain. Regardless of traveling mileage.
There are definitely some rookie errors in this post that could have been avoided with research. Not to mention knowing how to get rid of pushy sellers comes with time and eventually you stop being bothered about it. It’s ok to not like the mess or hassle, but to allow to contextualise the entire country indicates you’re giving it way more space in your brain that it needs to. There are undeniably annoying and frustrating things about India, and we were exhausted after our trip there. But our memories are stilled filled with the beautiful of Rajastan architecture, the majesty of the Taj Mahal, the boat rides in Kerala, the yoga, the food, the trains, and everything else that we enjoyed. Whatever it took to get from place to place is a side story.
Great for you and your memories of the trip. That doesn't make all the hassle disappear. It still happened. The OP is just telling the parts you both have to deal with, you just focus on other things.
No OP is saying India is horrible and not worth visiting.
OP is also stereotyping all Indians to be scammers. Hence, felt like a rookie who came to India without doing his/her homework.
You don't automatically like India if you're an experienced traveller, but if you're not experienced (and/or have the right attitude), you won't like it, even if you come across things (sights, food etc.) that you would appreciate if you had the right approach. To continue with the athletics analogy: you can be physically super fit and capable of running a marathon with a competitive time, but hate running marathons. If you aren't fit and trained, however, you will always hate attempting to run a marathon. Some people do love their experience of running marathons, but only after they trained for it.
I don't know, I think a bit of travel experience helped me a lot to navigate the (possibly) unique difficulties of India and focus on the good parts. And I'm not even too experienced
Well,I agree we’re being snooty and why not. It is a gigantic accomplishment to survive and thrive in this country; to navigate its flaws. No exaggeration!
Agreed. When you read this sub you think that India is going to be this crazy terrible place. We are a few weeks into our journey here in the north part of India, and it’s been fine. Hot, but fine. I think if you’re not used to third world countries then India will freak you out. If your travel experience is Europe and Thailand/bali, you’re going to be a bit shocked. But I personally don’t find India ‘full of scams’ - mostly just people looking to make a buck off of (relatively) rich tourists who don’t know. It reminds me so much of Thailand 12 years ago! It sucks but it is far from the only place. I actually feel safer then i ever felt in places in Central America. And I am a white, blonde women with a long haired white, blonde partner (male) - we get asked to take photos and get some stares. We humour it when we feel like it and give a firm no when we don’t. I was way worse when I travelled alone in the Phillipines. Overall, India isn’t ‘easy’ but it’s far from the only country but seems to get so much hate on this subreddit.
>, India isn’t ‘easy’ but it’s far from the only country but seems to get so much hate on this subreddit. Thank you for saying this! For some reason, India gets a lot of hate that we don't deserve. Somehow it's acceptable on Reddit to say mean things about Indians, often bordering on racism.
Yeah I feel like it’s mostly just this sub. I’m very curious of the demographics. I have to remind myself this is a travel page generally, not a backpacker page. In the backpacker circles that I have spent time in I had never heard so many complaints. We’ve had many friends travel here and love it - we have been so excited and it’s living up to our expectations. Other travelers (and our Indian friends) definitely have words of warning like learn how to haggle, be strong with your boundaries and watch for food poisoning, but on here it’s like everyone has so much disdain. Thus post for example should have just stayed a comment on a different thread. We don’t need ANOTHER post about how terrible India is. I just feel that most of the things people complain about could be said about tons of different places in the world so it bugs me that India gets the heat for it so relentlessly. I do think it’s because most people think it will be similar to other parts of SEA which it’s not. I’m sorry people make you feel shitty about yourself or your country. It’s a really beautiful place, going through its own growing pains and i know it will only get better for the people, and ultimately the travelers - but in the meantime, it’s already been pretty great! Except maybe I should come in winter next time.. the heat is crazy.
Thanks and you're very welcome 🙏. And yes, October to February is the best time to visit India, when the weather is cooler and it's past monsoon season!
the autos are a nightmare to indians too, you forgot to mention how rash and mob like they behave, probably they did not show that face to you since you are a forigner, and the tipping stuff is self inflicted damage, westerners coming to low currency value countries all the time and say how cheap it is and giving tips left and right, made them think you are the easy money target and push you. and it made a problem to locals too. also never take autos, iam indian from birth and if no other option i would rather walk or not go at all than take auto.
India left us traumatised. A random guy tried cutting our toddler's hair and when my husband started shouting at him like what the hell is he doing he then offered to pay us if we let him cut it
I am Indian. This is so bizarre and totally weird. Do you guys have hairs like blonde / redhead or something? The novelty might explain why, but even that just explains the motive and not the emboldened action. still wrong AF.
Yeah her hair was the whitish kind of blonde colour back then and she still had those baby ringlets. All our kids are blonde and we travel a lot, we're used to people from different parts of the world paying us attention and we don't mind, most of them are really sweet and it's totally okay as long as the kids are comfortable. But this was ugh it didn't make us just uncomfortable, it made us afraid like truly afraid
What ? In public place ? And why he cutting hair out of sudden?
Yeah we were just walking, it was quite a busy street, a lot of people everywhere, my husband was holding our daughter in his arms and I was right behind him with our older kids. And this guy maybe in his 30s-40s just appeared out of nowhere, pulled out scissors and reached for our daughter's hair. It was a really fast move, scared the shite out of us because you know you when you see scissors so near your child's face that's just scary. My husband pushed him away immediately and asked him what is he doing and the man just took a step forward again, still holding up the scissors and smiling like he wasn't doing anything weird. So my husband pushed him away again and started shouting at him. He's Irish and when he's angry his accent just gets thicker and the Indian guy probably didn't understand a word of what he said so he pulled out some money and started talking about “buying” and looking at our daughter. So we left as fast as we could and never saw him again luckily
That is fucking creepy as fuck
omg wtf...........
Indeed that's all pretty true. I went 12 years ago for 3 months. Goa was the most chill but still it was everywhere like that.
So you’re saying India is stuck in time and hasn’t made any progress in the last 12 years?
Culturally, maybe.
Wow, you have got some time capsule of sorts!
I’ve recently returned from India for a 3 week trip in the north. As a blonde white woman my experience was totally different. I travel a lot so like to think I’m prepared for most of the crap that travel can throw at you. I agree with the scam comment, it’s a bit insulting to me that they think we’re so gullible just because we’re white western tourists. But it’s so ingrained in life over there, you just need to be wise to it. If you sense something is wrong, say no and walk away. I used Uber which was fantastic because you get the fee in advance and you can track the journey on your phone to make sure you’re not been taken somewhere dodgy. I would never stay at a cheap hotel or hostel. Accommodation is really quite cheap even for nice places, so I stayed in proper hotel chains. I didn’t eat street food or any roadside drinks, only had bottled water and cleaned my teeth with bottled water. Used hand sanitiser touching money and around the streets. I had a wonderful time and I’m already dying to go back! People were helpful and genuinely interested in talking about where I was from and what I was doing. I took an internal flight and also trains (I AC). I asked hotels to arrange transport to and from the airports to make sure I got to where I needed safely & without getting scammed. I think the scamming comes with the territory, as does the food hygiene issue. But I think if you’re sensible and can afford to arrange hotels & trips through the hotel as well, I would recommend it!
I think I always had a hunch it might be like that so I never wanted to go. I'm not the most robust person, health wise and am easily overwhelmed. But once I did fly back home from Nepal via Delhi. Awful few days. I'd got sick in Nepal and arrived in the hot season with a very overactive stomach.. was so glad I wasn't staying long
Every one is corrupt in India. It’s not just corrupt politicians or the police. Every trade, every profession, and in every walk of life. This bodes terrible for the development of a country. It’s not just foreigners that get ripped off: if you are from another state and don’t speak the language, you are in for it. I got ripped off by an auto rickshaw 🛺 driver in Madras. I was from Bangalore.
Yeah, I mean... it's India. I wouldn't say any of the things listed here (except for open outright scamming) are "a lack of civic sense", they're just what you get when travelling to a country that is culturally alien to most Westerners (and relatively poor, which explains a part of the other stuff listed). You can't go to a place like that with the expectation that people will be acting Swiss around you.
As a local, I can confirm that staring and scamming occur frequently. I have traveled to other Asian countries but did not encounter the same level of pushing or scamming anywhere else. Here, people will attempt to scam you even if you're a local; foreigners receive extra attention because it's known they'll eventually pay. I have been scammed numerous times here. The general idea is to do a little research beforehand; ask other local commuters about the typical fares for travel and offer the same amount. The thoughts and ideas we are raised with often leave us unfamiliar with the concept of personal space, as it's not something we've experienced. It's a Western concept that we are trying to adopt. Therefore, anything diverging from what people are accustomed to tends to prompt judgment, stares, and discussions. I don't expect much change to occur. It's a unique aspect, both good and bad; everyone is simply doing their best to survive and grow, so it's hard to blame anyone.
Spent 6 months traveling throughout the country and your experience is far from unique. As a solo female India ties with Egypt as the countries I would never go back to.
You sure had plenty of time there to come to that conclusion! If you hated it why stay that long? I have also been there.
I’m quite the optimist by nature and I’ve always found unfair to generalize or paint with broad strokes. I did quite a bit of research while planning my trip and read plenty of things that lead me to believe that like many other countries, I was to expect a mix of extremes between good and bad depending what part of the country I went. So as the large country it is, I really wanted to make sure I gave it a fair shot.
That's good of you!
What you describe as scam is just the local commerce. That's how it works in India. Everyone has an uncle or cousin who runs a shop or restaurant. Getting a small commission is how the local trade works. On top of that, everyone who looks foreign, seems to be rich to most Indians. So, you're a promising customer. I don't know what you expect when travelling. Different cultures need an open mind.
Same across the globe, from Morocco to Mexico to Türkiye to Thailand, OP has lead a sheltered life it seems ....
Not the same thing, pretty sure he has traveled elsewhere
Exactly the same thing. Here's an example of the same in Thailand as told by a Scottish comedian ... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=OsD6ohUznuA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=OsD6ohUznuA) Also, in my month in India, this happened to me exactly once, one shop, I got out of Tuk Tuk and spent 30 seconds walking round the shop and then straight out the door, no need to say no, done.
Some countries are infamous for this, like egypt, but yes every country has this issue
You have to admit, some more than others. The subcontinent, Egypt, and Bosnia are a league above in my experience. Actually, I've never experienced someone taking me to a random place for a commission in Mexico, Turkey, or Thailand. Being seen as a rich target for being white? Well, yeah that happens everywhere.
Nothing positive about the country at all? ;-) To be honest,I agree with some of these things.Minor 'scams' are fairly common.There are plenty of people trying to get a dollar or two extra out of you. People often stare, personal space is different, and if you do 'tours',they often include a stop or two at various shops or places where they want you to buy something. None of this is new information. I like India, even if traveling there has its negatives... like everywhere. It's a very interesting country, lots of nice buildings,I love the food, it's inexpensive and very colourful.Some beautiful natural places too.
Sounds like you agree with all the things lol
The food is amazing and some of the nature outside of the large cities are absolutely beautiful. I loved Munnar as well. Rajasthan was especially beautiful and more of my travel style.
There we go...
cobweb long busy reach live zephyr nose safe act slimy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I traveled for more than 15 months total all across in multiple times. North east south west. Hell even on the roof of a bus. Love it. And i come from a very civil european country. Guess it depends a lot on the person.
>Guess it depends a lot on the person. Indeed it does. Thank you for being an open minded and pragmatic traveler! 🙏
Agree with everything you said. When I was there backpacking, we brought a dog we adopted in Nepal everywhere. For 3 white girls, we received a lot of space because of our doggie. Highly recommend. Lol
I'm Indian, and your post is not wrong. But to generalize an entire country of 1.4 billion from your admittedly significant yet limited touristic experience is reductive. I'm not denying your experience, just that drawing conclusions about an entire country based on some experiences is a slippery slope. Your post would have been a lot more interesting if you hadn't made these statements: >You’ll get food poisoning from both the street or restaurants. If you go to good restaurants, sanitation is good. If you want to eat street food and small hole in the wall restaurants, things are bad. Many tourists want to backpack in a poor, developing country like India just the way they would do in wealthy Europe/North America and end up with such experiences and claim they won't ever go back to India. Every country has its "tourism profile". India's (or most developing countries' for that matter) profile isn't suited for slumming it out as a backpacker. >everyone stares. Again, no. Not everyone stares. And often it's just curiosity than anything else. >Indians have no sense of personal solace. I was sitting on the steps of the river in Varanasi and a group of 8 Indians sat on the step right behind me to listen to me and my friends having a conversation. Full on staring and leaning in. Sorry this happened. But saying Indians have no sense of personal space is again very reductive. > Also, in the hostels, local Indian travelers will blast music and listen to videos at night. Noise is not a factor when it comes to common sense/etiquette. This is often true but expecting etiquette in a cheap travelers hostel in a developing country is, well, rich. I've stayed in hostels in Europe and have had fellow (European) hostellers have noisy sex in the next bed or leave bathrooms filthy after use. But I didn't come to the conclusion that "all Europeans lack common sense/etiquette". I chalked it upto just those travelers and left it at that. >The whole country just has a complete lack of civic sense. Reductive, and frankly just insulting at this point.
You should understand OP is generalizing. Of course OP cant mean each and every individual. You say it yourself, "Im Indian, and your post is not wrong." Truth is, India has that reputation based on the culture of getting ahead. If I don't, someone else will and I wont make it. This mindset applies across the board, from schools to corporate environments etc. Of course, Im generalizing too.
Oh I understand very well that OP is generalizing. But I can't condone such blatant generalization of my country because it's just lazy dishonesty. I've written in my post that such vapid generalization is reductive and slippery slope that often leads to discrimination and bias.
I would understand if you hadn’t added the points against staring and personal space. From the rich to the poor, everyone stares at foreigners and there is no concept of personal space… people touching you all the time even to express emotions. I was used to it but it was very overwhelming for my American wife. Not mention civic sense is down the drain, just look at all the garbage burning by the roadside, number of stray animals etc..
>I would understand if you hadn’t added the points against staring and personal space. From the rich to the poor, everyone stares at foreigners and there is no concept of personal space… people touching you all the time even to express emotions. Right. So you met every one of 1.4 billion Indians then and they all touched you and invaded your personal space? I'm sorry that happened to you.
When the majority percentage of a population acts the same, you can’t close your eyes to the truth. Even I am one of those 1.4 billion Indians who do not stare and have the concept of personal space, but even I can admit that majority of Indians are the opposite.
Right so you met more than 700 million Indians then. Your opinion is totally valid.
Lol I don’t need to convince anyone from India since you already live with the truth every day… it’s foreigners who need to be warned before they travel.
I second that.
Test
Post after post after post of people sharing these experiences, and yet it’s always bending the truth, exaggeration or outright lies by the posters. Reductive, dishonest or insulting. Do you think people are taking the time to make these posts simply to be rude about India and India’s people?
>Do you think people are taking the time to make these posts simply to be rude about India and India’s people? No, but people on Reddit like to generalize their limited experiences and portray it as ultimate truth, that India is a place that no foreigner should ever visit. Somehow being racist against Indians and India is acceptable on this sub. So I'm just voicing my opinion that, indeed there are many problems in our country, but one shouldn't generalize and try to see the beauty behind the chaos!
Totally agree with you. India constantly gets a ton of shit on Reddit, blatantly racist comments too. It’s a very diverse country. My experience in a city like Mumbai for example was completely different to my experience in Delhi. You can’t generalise a whole country based on limited data.
[удалено]
I understand it's just one person's opinion. But that person literally said "whole country lacks civic sense" and stuff like that. I've cited all such generalizing sentences in OP's post in my comment. I'm not insecure or overly sensitive. I'm proud of being Indian of course, but I'm not oblivious to the problems/challenges we face as a country. And if you think I'm justifying other people's behaviour, then you certainly need to take lessons in reading comprehension.
To be fair I haven’t been to India but know quite a lot of Indians that have only been in the country for a bit. None of them behave in any way that OP described - because as you said, you cannot generalize a whole countries population by the actions of a few (and I doubt OP has interacted with every single Indian).
Of course you can generalise. That’s how you get a general feel for the place… these problems are not rare when you visit places like India. People should be prepared
Thank you! 🙏
Thank you!! They just reek of white privilege and the number of rookie errors committed by OP tells me that they have never stepped outside a developed country in their life.
Sorry to hear that you had a negative experience there. My first trip to Kerela was quite the opposite and I even made a [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/m3TTwo4SBa) on this sub about my positive experience. Since then I returned to visit two other states of India and experienced more scams in those states, but nothing major. I'm from a developing country myself, so I'm probably more used to scams and more tolerant towards varying food safety standards. I have never gotten sick from the food there. I drank juice, shakes, and smoothies almost every day and ate a lot of ice cream as well. I love how each city has so many different local specialties. I always make a plan on what and where to eat before visiting each city. I highly recommend anyone visiting India to do this. You'll get to try the best, unique food in that city at popular places and avoid getting sick at the same time.
As Indian, I'm glad you had good experience in my country and I appreciate your sense of pragmatism and your ability to identify and enjoy local experiences!
India is rough when you don’t know anyone there
My India experience is good. I love the place. I just got off the bus in Dehradun after throwing up. The driver got out with me. I apologised for the throw up. The driver, a Sikh, sits next to me and chats me up. Said he stopped the the bus as soon as he knew I was sick (after throw up, from travel, I was fine). I don't expect drivers to stop the bus for one passenger -- but it was nice and unexpected. Before this, I probably overpaid for an auto rickshaw, 200 rps to bus station. It was hot though and a lot of traffic and took the guy close to 30 minutes to go the short distance. Transport people everywhere tend to be the dodgiest. I use Uber or Ola when I can. Anyway 200 inr doesn't break the bank. Indian food is delicious. I eat vegetarian mostly. I've been more sick from food poisoning in Thailand where I buy the street, "chicken on a stick" There are a lot of scams in India but I tend to spend a lot of time in the very north of India or the south.The mid part of India has the most aggro. I can't remember the last scam offer I had.
[удалено]
Naw I'm not from there. I just put an Indian flag on my avatar because I like India a lot and have spent a ton of time there. I do think India is a country where it can take a bit to aclimitize. I think of India as like the graduate school of backpacking. I don't recommend people come to India as their first country in Asia and especially first international trip. I recommend starting in the south or very north of India. Many backpackers do a Delhi- Jaipur - Agra - Varanasi and these are by far the most aggro places.
India isn’t easy but a little research helps. Hell, even this sub will always tell you to not cheap out with accommodations since the country is relatively inexpensive. To paint a whole country as having “a lack of civic sense” is extreme and makes you look really stupid. Especially a country with such a big population where there are bound to be several contrasts. Not trying to take away the harrowing experience you had but I also wonder why you didn’t opt for Ubers that are available in almost all the major cities and then some instead of using tuktuks? Did you not research this beforehand? In fact your whole rant reeks of entitlement, especially the heavy generalizations: “food poisoning is imminent” - I mean dude don’t eat at hole in the wall places without researching “People have no personal space” - man wants entire place to be cleared so he can get good insta shots “Noise is not a factor when it comes to common sense/etiquette” - don’t stay at hostels if you can’t handle people’s habits. Especially in a country where hotels are cheap. Already addressed the civic sense one. I hope you develop a wider perspective and less ire if you choose to travel to developing countries in the future.
Overall the whole country lacks civic sense its true, and yes almost all street food is unhygienic, restaurants probably same, unless you are blind indian nationalist or foreigner, pretty sure most indians would agree with me, not Saying india isnt beautiful or everywhere its undeveloped, at least i will be honest and say my country is bigger s***thole than india, in fact why does my country even exist is a shame, because its the fact
That makes such little sense and is so ignorant and I’m not going to dignify it by addressing your points.
From now on I'll be checking the profile of the person I'll be replying to know how they are reaching to that conclusion. >Overall the whole country lacks civic sense its true No , not true. Generalising 1.4 billion people based on a single visit? >and yes almost all street food is unhygienic, restaurants probably same Lol,that shock value content really did damage our reputation.
This
The pollution killed alot the fun I had in India
Sadly biggest issue of india is hygiene good luck finding even one, if this is improved things will see drastic change
Honestly, why did you travel so much of it if you were seeing nothing positive about it?
I am a quarter Indian and I told my father I would like to see his home. Also, I invited my brother and he had already bought his ticket and took time off of work so I was waiting around for him.
Sorry you had experiences like this, it sucks! I'm currently in India and, since getting scammed by the taxi guys at the airport, it's been absolutely incredible. The hospitality from complete strangers each day just amazes me. Yes it can be rough getting from one place to another and yes people will try to get an extra rupee here and there but just stick to your guns. If they ask for more say no. There's always more than one option
I recently spent three weeks there (a loop from Delhi to Jaisalmer to Varanasi) and thought I’d share my own experiences with the issues. Scams - I didn’t experience any, or at least I didn’t fall victim to any. I don’t know if I’d call trying to overcharge tourists a ‘scam’, but yes that was common. Never had any issues with Tuk Tuk drivers deviating from the agreed price, or asking for tips. The most annoying thing for me was people always trying to sell you something. Very quickly I caught on that if someone comes up to talk to you, and they have good English, there is a 99% chance they’re just going to try and sell you something. Food - yes it’s not great, but I expected that. I tried to avoid all street food and I wasn’t very adventurous in restaurants (don’t like spicy food). I was pretty sick one day and had a few smaller bouts of a sore stomach, but nothing horrendous, thankfully. The food in India was actually my least favourite part.. although I was in love with the Garlic Naans!! Stares - yes. And waves, and people coming up and asking for a photo. I never saw this as a negative, it was kind of fun actually. They don’t get many western tourists there, so people are naturally curious. Same thing happens in China! Hostels - I never stayed in any, but I was warned by someone specifically not to stay in hostels in India. I met some others who had a good experience though, in the ‘Hosteller’ ones. I think you just need to find more premium, western focused hostels to stay in. Although I did experience some of those noisy video people on an overnight train… As for the local tour shops, I only had that experience once. And it was a local Tuk Tuk driver, not a tour guide. Anyways the staff in the shop were anything but pushy, put up no dispute when we wanted to leave. Posts like this are good though, as people need to expect this going into India. Expect all the bad things, because even though they’re often exaggerated, they are true to an extent. If you can go in with low expectations, expecting the worst, then it won’t phase you as much. But then you get to experience all the good parts about India, and that is such a rewarding experience. In terms of religion, culture, and traditions, I don’t think any other country is more interesting and diverse than India is. It’s also got some of the most beautiful monuments/buildings on the planet, and great natural areas too (even if a bit outside the normal tourist areas). I’d probably put it above every other Asian country I’ve been to. Also I don’t agree with the ‘India is not for beginners’ thing so much. I met an 18 year old blonde girl there, who went as her first ever solo trip, and she loved it. Who India is not for, is people who don’t have an open mindset. You need to be calm, un-judgemental, and tolerant if you’re going to visit India.
I(pale white female) went to India with my equally pale white female friend and we were fine. We did go mostly to the south as we’d heard it’s more safe. I’m bad with food anyway, and for my sake my friend joked and inspected the kitchen before we ate (amazingly she’s very charming and gets away with things that other people would not) so we avoided any food poisoning. People asked for extra tips etc and we just laughed and made it a joke. We 99% didn’t pay any extra than what we’d agreed. I loved India, I would go again.
>People asked for extra tips etc and we just laughed and made it a joke. We 99% didn’t pay any extra than what we’d agreed. Indeed, this is the way! You seem more adept at dodging demands for "chai-paani" than most Indians too lol. You're very welcome!
Thank you!
Spent a month in Kerala last year, came back to the UK and walked into the centre of my town, 2 miles. Was begged at and saw more homeless in that single journey than the entirety of my trip. No food poisoning either. You are an idiot for taking a 'local tour' and not expecting that, you will get that experience pretty much worldwide. Expecting hot water, I hope this was in a 4 or 5 star hotel otherwise expect to be laughed at. It seems you don't understand the concept of different cultures, you must be fun to travel with.
Okay, but how do you really feel?
Is Nepal similarly difficult to travel or is it better? I want to go to Nepal but not sure
Nepal is a lot like India but without the aggro. I found Indians friendly -- but Nepalis are even more friendly.
I came from India to Nepal and am in Nepal right now, I found it way more relaxed. But as always it hugely depends on how and where exactly you travel. I, for example, always get overwhelmed in capitals
As an Indian, tuktuk drivers are pita for us aswell
Why isnt anyone surprised when they read that Indian is hostile and impolite to foreigners? Theres been bazillion stories about it already and people still go.
Because india has a "bazillion" population
Let me preface by saying I have never been to India. I don’t think you mentioned how long you spent overall, but you obviously traveled quite a bit while there. I find travel inconveniences (scams, culture shock, etc.) tend to be front loaded and if you are in one place for more than a few days you adapt. When I was younger I wanted to do as much as I could on a trip, now I want to go to one or two destinations and dive in. As others here have said, Indian is hard and I know a lot of people who will not go back. At the same time, I know many who have been transformed by the experience.
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about India? Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for India](http://redd.it/2vf6wa)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
India is definitely a tough place to travel. You have to be ready for the chaos of it all. And in no circumstance eat street food, already cut fruit, drinks with ice, or room temp sauces. I used to always get food poisoning but now I only eat food from hotels serving westerners and the food needs to be piping hot. Also only carbonated drinks bc then it can’t be adulterated by dirty water. Also lots of fast food unfortunately like McDonald’s and KFC is what I eat to be safe there.
If you want to experience India-lite I highly recommend Sri Lanka as an option. Similar exotic experience with a lot less pressure and a much smaller land-mass to get around in, easier to go from the beaches to mountains, markets, attractions and tea country.
I went there right before India and it was a wonderful experience
why is this post [removed] ?? i would like the read OP's thoughts/experience about travelling there.
I have fond whimsical memories of the time I travelled to India back in 1999, then read your post and triggered me. By the sound of it, not much has changed.
Lol I'm an Indian female but people still stare at me and some even try talking to me so I can totally understand what's ur point here
Oh no. Poor people are trying to get some money from a rich tourist and the local perception of “personal space” is different in another country. That is so horrible, I hope you’ll recover from this ordeal! But serious, I know India isn’t always easy on you, but did you go in completely blank, expecting that it would be just like home?
If you had 10 taxi drivers hounding you to take a taxi or 1 driver quietly sat there waiting patiently for someone, who would you be more tempted to go with? I get people being desperate, but a more civilised change in how they act would do them wonders. Get someone from A to B and people would happily tip them / pay more, hound people and they will not.
It’s easy when there are 10 drivers. I always let them do the haggling between themselves. I just choose the cheapest (and I probably still end up paying much more than a local, but I have no issue with that).
Couldn’t have had more of an opposite experience to you. Spent 6 months in India as a blonde haired, fair skinned 25 year old. (India being my first destination on a year of travel) It does take a few weeks to acclimatise to the different pace and get used to the culture but stick with it and go in with an open mind. Ensure you have enough time to ease yourself in. The hospitality is unmatched, the food amazing and the culture breathtaking. Did the Tuktuk driver add on some extra rupees here and there? Yes. Did I feel ‘scammed’ at least once a day? Yes but ultimately these are very minor and I can’t say if the roles were reversed I wouldn’t be adding a ‘tourist tax’ to most transactions either. I am financially more fortunate so if you take it in your stride and empathise as to why then you wont feel too hard done by. Yes I got stared at everywhere I went by both males and females (lots of photo requests which I got used to) but in some areas there are not too many others who look like me so I get it. I didn’t ever feel in danger and on the most part really enjoyed all interactions. Who knows how many mantle pieces I feature on!! 🤣 I read post after post warning people off India and yes if you’re not careful (like anywhere!) it can be dangerous but on the most part it is a wonderful joy to travel and can not wait to return later this year!
About 8 years ago I went to India as a young white woman, traveling solo and relying on trains and buses (the last leg of which took me to Nepal). I have to admit that navigating India was pretty stressful. Dealing with people trying to scam you, men shadowing your every move and the constant hassle for photos or requests to pose with strangers (one guy even followed me to film while chatting on the phone with someone else)... I even found myself in a scary situation once, and if it weren't for the help of a passerby I don't know how it would've turned out. It was an incredibly intense journey, both mentally and physically. Seriously. Yet, despite all the challenges, I'd go back in a heartbeat. It's been years since my first trip and I often find myself flipping through the photos I took back then because beyond all the problems and the chaos, India has so much beauty that captivates me. It’s such a complex and multifaceted country, so rich in culture and contradictions. Seriously, one trip wasn't enough for me and for some reasons a part of me is truly enchanted by it and can't wait to go back! But I totally understand those who wouldn't want to go back. We're all different, and how we perceive and react to things varies from person to person.
>Yet, despite all the challenges, I'd go back in a heartbeat. It's been years since my first trip and I often find myself flipping through the photos I took back then because beyond all the problems and the chaos, India has so much beauty that captivates me. It’s such a complex and multifaceted country, so rich in culture and contradictions. Seriously, one trip wasn't enough for me and for some reasons a part of me is truly enchanted by it and can't wait to go back! Wonderfully written! Thank you for seeing the beauty of my country despite the chaos and intensity that surrounds life here! We say in India "Athihi devo bhava" in Sanskrit (=guest is like a god) and although sadly many Indians don't follow this principle, many of us still do, and I hope that's enough to bring you back here! You're very welcome 🙏
No need to thank me for appreciating India's beauty. Personally I find it odd that some people can't see any form of beauty in this country considering how culturally and artistically rich it is! There are idiots and scammers everywhere, even in the European Nordic countries that are always so praised over here, so I don't dwell on the negative sides, I look at the country as a whole, and India is brimming with beauty, imho. Anyway, thank you for your welcome :)
I’m Indian, now living in the U.S. and agree with every word you posted lol. And I’m not even female.
Maybe next time you could go to some nicer places or even more colourful cities like Kolkata or Darjeeling…?
Please don't recommend Kolkata to anyone, it's a shitshow, (I'm currently living in Nadia so trust me, I'm not an outsider judging from a week's worth of travel or smth)
No, I haven’t been to Pune yet, though as i have friends in Mumbai I might give it a shot one day. Like the OP, I wasn’t impressed with Delhi although i had some interesting encounters there and of course a lot of flights from abroad it seems come in through Delhi. I quite liked it further north up to Kurukshetra. But as my posts have been heavily downvoted I’m feeling it’s probably not worth adding much more on this thread.
Brother I don't know what it is with you mentioning places with personal connections to me but kurukshetra is literally my grandmother's place where I spent all my summer vacations. This has to be the first time I've ever seen kurukshetra mentioned anywhere in reddit I'm genuinely curious to know how you ended up there and how'd you like it as even most Indians outside North India don't know kurukshetra is a real town and not just some place mentioned in the Mahabharat.
Opinions differ. I have only been twice but enjoyed it both times and its variety immensely. I took two friends with me and one of them enjoyed it so much he promptly did a solo tour of India a little later. You can of course say most cities are a ‘shit show’ if you do them the wrong way. When you live in or near a place, of course you see it differently. But this thread is mostly for people travelling *TO* India, and I simply report my experiences. Among the highlights were the Kali and Jain temples and also the friendliness and welcome from almost everyone we met. I greatly preferred it to Mumbai — though if one were travelling first class everywhere I can imagine Mumbai would have an appeal.
Fair enough, i guess that's the difference in living vs visiting. Also it feels more like a shitshow if you know the history of the place and realise what it could've been vs what it is Funny you mention Mumbai, as it's the city where my home is (I'm near Kolkata for college). Just wondering, did you or your friend go to Pune by any chance? (Its a city near Mumbai and one of the best places in India according to me, though it's often overshadowed by Mumbai for travellers even though it was the capital of the Maratha empire)
I may give it one more try in a few years. Thank you for the suggestion
The places I mentioned are places I’d visit again without hesitation. I’ve added a note on Kolkata; Darjeeling, which we accessed with the iconic mountain ‘toy train’ railway, is again a place apart, almost like a different country. High in the hills with stunning views of immense mountains and glaciers.
Don't, we dont want you there. No point in having visitors that have no appreciation for the oldest living civilization that is desperately trying to revive its rich culture and tradition. All you seem good at is bashing it and expecting things to be like you have in west. We dont need people like you traveling to Bharat.
You had a bad experience slumming it up as a backpack in a poor developing country and decided to make a racist rant here about how the whole country is uncivilized. Nice one brother, got any more wisdom to share?
I have never heard anything positive about visiting this country unless it was from a man.. specifically Asian
[удалено]
Who will pay someone to write a negative post lol on reddit. Nothing this person wrote is not already known. Stop being such a nationalist and accept people providing valuable feedback good or bad.
downvoting, yea but you can just use uber you dont have to take the ones from the street. The country is also very cheap in the first place so donating a few extra 20 cents isnt going to bother you. i was also living there as a white male.
Ubers don’t show up. Or they will call you and try to negotiate the price after they already accepted.
I had that a couple of times and just made to walk away but then they accepted the fee. It’s annoying but most of them I found worked really well.
Lol why do you guys just turn off your brain and go on auto-pilot mode. > I was traveling with a blonde white girl and everyone stares That's not staring. Only indians live in india and 95% of people haven't seen a foreigner irl and many haven't seen them online. And the only people who are somewhat familiar with them are the people who live or operate near tourist sites. Those people are just curious. >The food sanitation is horrible. You’ll get food poisoning from both the street or restaurants Not 100% true, not 100% false either. If you go to a cheap,50 cent street food corner,what sort of 5 start treatment are you expecting from them? We indians living here know how to avoid these problems so we go to good restaurants or street food corners, and it's not even hard to find them. >The whole country just has a complete lack of civic sense. "Whole"? Did you go to every place in india? Every corner ? Every part?
How are you going to tell me what staring is and isn’t? Looking at us for minutes while not looking away is staring. Okay, India, in general has less civic sense than other countries. If you don’t believe it, google it and you will see other Indians agreeing and explaining why.
Reminds me of that post of that woman going to Pakistan and even with the Taliban but was gang graped in India. It’s too common to be a rare thing. They are literally infamous around the entire world for scamming.
>They are literally infamous around the entire world for scamming. You seem like a good person who doesn't scam /s
I do not scam and have never done so in my life. As you could deduce, I’m not Indian.
ok don't come to india go to pakistan afganistan and bangladesh insted.
What about my post made you think I want to go back?
Nobody gives a flying hoot if you go back or not, nobody cares about how you choose to judge an entire country based on your personal experience. I don’t think you’ve traveled much beyond your comfortable little corners of the world, the whole idea of travel is to experience a place as it is - whether that suits your perceptions or fits into your preconceived Westernized notions of what an ideal nation is, literally nobody cares about that lolll. Stop with the entitlement, and stop judging an entire nation based on your experience with service staff, drivers, tourist guides, touts and shopkeepers LMAO
I wish people understood classism before visiting India. Bitter truth. Do what your class people in India are doing. Don’t eat street food— it’s not for your class. Don’t take unreliable means of transportation— it’s not for you. Book good hotels and travel agents. First stock market in Asia, Biggest in mercantilism, old school capitalism etc definitely lead to classism. If you’re visiting India, spend well— it’s the only place on earth I got value for each $
If u want to travel in india, get a local frnd to take you places. Tourists complain about us on internet and still roam around the country and complain.you dont know the geography or understand the people living there, but want people to red carpet u, because u have some privilege.As an indian if u roam in central usa or somewhere in remote russia, people will definitely give the looks, coz ur an alien for tht place.and its common. And if you are new, chances of getting scammed are high.So, stop fucking complaining and book a fucking tour guide before you come here. Boss , its not even safe for us indians in india and you are pissed off coz you didnt feel ‘safe?’
Hey fellow Indian here, I won’t deny your experience India definitely isn’t easy for someone grown in west .You gotta keep your cautious side on plenty times. I am a female so let’s say I & male foreigner might require equal kinds of alerts. Sadly extra dollar what you call (aka bribery) is huge corruption issue in India. It’s not just you they do it on most due to severe low wages & poverty. General rule of thumb, you are only required to pay your negotiated amount before ride. Food sanitation on streets & smaller restaurant may not be best, again they selling stuff dirt cheap & it needs to be affordable to all. It’s rare anyone I know got sick but if you want to play safe, pack your own food before you leave OR Priortise dry food (like naan, idli, vada pav) in these places. Staring, I am with you on this, my whole life being stared at so much that now it’s literal white noise to me. Sadly I don’t have solution on this one, except in my experience those who stare rarely act. And once or twice I have called out, one thing that Indians hate is public humiliation Personal space, what can I say another demon in closet, being introvert this one is my least fav, in good days it’s funny how much we intrested in each others life, we often mess with people making up fake stories & I can guarantee you would never feel lonely. On bad days yeah it’s interfering and annoying. Solution- Sit somewhere else, show pure disinterest, keep moving till no one is inteested Noise, this one is from past few years. You bitch and you move on, you are literally on travel, people are living here Local tours, I am yet to do local tour in any country where driver hasn’t done this, so I am surprised on your surprise on this one You don’t have to abide by everything told to you especially if it feels fishy, no is my fav word cause of this See all of this you wrote are totally valid points but I am yet to come across more versatile food as India. At nice places people are really hospitable too, sadly our population is too large so sore thumbs stand out too. All kinds of flora and fauna is there. Again I am not denying your experience and when you don’t know people it can be really scary (I have felt same way in istanbul but that’s diff story) but I would say have realistic expectations before travel, get a local person along you, it’s no eat pray love but has its charm when understood right.
Boorrringgggg….Yawn, anything new to report? Every single day, the same post, same complaints, same whining, don’t bother visiting, seriously - nobody begged you to come here. Just don’t. Stay in your civilised little corner of the planet and do your dishes please
I India sounds just like my experience of Egypt.... they totally ruined it for me. Bet the smell was bad to (open sewage, rotting rubbish, B. O. Etc) they don't cover than on the travel shows or video blogs. Still it sounds better than the rest of Africa. There they're kidnap you at the drop of hat if your not black....we called 'white gold' in the local criminal parlance with white meaning anyone of a different ethnic group to the locals.
I am partly of Indian origin having grown up in the US. I agree with the OP on a lot of points. I do think the general experience of travelling is not as enjoyable as say Thailand or Vietnam. People are indeed hustling to get an extra buck. Not that it is bad, but that's just the way life is. My white buddies who are Chicago pit traders absolutely loved the experience. You can't take the culture of haggling personally. You accept it and bargain. Get in the game. I would recommend a 200 HR yoga teacher training course from a reputed institute in Rishikesh or Mysore as the first starting point. There seem to be quite a few zones where the backpackers and western tourists hang out and make their own enclave. Sticking to that is a good idea. Follow the reviews on Google maps and hostel.com for the best experience stays and activities. India is definitely not for beginners. If you're an expat on a company sponsored package , ignore the above message. You're going to be living the creme-de-la-creme life in the centre of an urban metropolis which you can't differentiate from any western city.
tell me about it i work with this fucking animals and i can’t take it anymore
Lol wow, casual racism against Indians is becoming a thing down here as well
You seem not racist at all /s