India - pt 1. Tips & Budget
If you’re anything like us, you crave that culture shock of seeing somewhere new. We are the ones that are bored by everyday life. We want to be out of our comfort zone, away from the things we know, living life to the extreme and seeing things we would never see at home. We are at home wherever we feel amazed.
Elephants at Agra Fort
A friend asked me how India was and I didn’t know how to respond. I told her it was mind blowingly beautiful, but really gross too. Now I’m not going to say this is all of India, the Golden Triangle: which is Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, is only a small snippet of the incredible country that everyone should at least visit once in their life. If you’re wanting to get just a little taste of India or if you don’t have much time, here are some survival tips and a little itinerary you might want to follow. I did a tour with Intrepid and I had some friends join me on the tour which was great. I felt more comfortable this way as I was nervous travelling to India alone, but after being alone for the last few days and meeting many others who did it by themselves, I realised that it’s a whole lot cheaper, a lot safer and much easier than you would think to do it without a tour!
Prayers at Jama Masjid
How to not get sick
Getting a bit of Delhi Belly in India is something you might not be able to avoid. But getting seriously sick is a risk you won’t want to take and waste your days when you should be out exploring. Here’s what to do and what not to do.
DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER. Don’t eat food that has been cooked in tap water and definitely don’t eat raw fruit, veggies that aren’t peeled or, any salads as they would be washed in tap water and can make you very ill. When getting a drink make sure it’s from a sealed bottle or a can and if you get ice, ask the restaurant if they’ve used filtered water.
Avoid ice creams or dairy products on the streets, even if they are still sealed, they have most likely been frozen and thawed multiple times which will give you food poisoning.
Get vitamin C and Probiotics to take daily. This will keep your immune system and stomach strong.
Look at how busy a restaurant is to determine how trusted it is. If it’s busy it’s most likely safe. To be safe just ask your accommodation for recommendations near you.
Hand sanitiser will be your best friend whilst in India, use it as often as possible!
Drink at least 2L of water a day. The weather in India will cause you to dehydrate if you don’t do so. If you feel tired or you have a headache, you’re most likely dehydrated. Drink a big bottle of water as quick as you can and you’ll feel better in no time.
Pack some dry food that you can snack on (nuts, crackers, anything you wouldn’t keep in the fridge) as throughout the day it might be difficult to find a place to eat, and the heat and humidity will make you very tired if your sugar is low.
Budget
If you’re a budget traveller such as ourselves, you’ve chosen the right place to visit! India is extremely cheap compared to the rest of the world, and you can easily budget 1000 Indian Rupees or INR a day (around 10 pounds or $20) on food and outings. A meal at a restaurant will cost on average INR300 and 1L bottles of water (which you should be carrying around with you always) should only cost INR20. Museum entries can cost anything up to INR500 but most of them are free and you can tip someone at the entrance. The Taj Mahal entrance is INR1000 and this includes a map and a bottle of water. A hostel in India (which are actually much better than I was expecting) can cost as little as INR200 and are the best way to meet other travellers such as yourself. Hotels will cost a lot more but are great too!
Train from Delhi to Jaipur: +-INR300
Bus from Jaipur to Karauli: +-INR200
Train from Karauli to Agra:+- INR2000
Bus/Train from Agra to New Delhi:+- INR500