8 Things To Know Before Visiting India (INDIA TRAVEL GUIDE)

8 Things To Know Before Visiting India (INDIA TRAVEL GUIDE)

We just got back from a 12-day trip in India. Our 
first time in India, we started off in Mumbai and we explored the busy city and then we traveled 
down to Goa to see what the beaches were like and then finally ended our trip in Kerala which is 
one of the most beautiful calm places that we've been to. And I think there's a lot of things that 
we learned as first-time travelers to India that we thought it would be great to share with you 
guys who are also planning a trip there for the first time. So we came up with eight tips that 
will enhance your experience and also prepare you for your India trip. I think a lot of times 
when we were getting ready for our trip to India, we hear mostly not so positive things about what 
to expect. But from our experience, there is a lot of positivity that came out of it. So, we wanted 
to make sure that we really give you our honest experience and also how we planned our trip in 
order to set ourselves up for success to enjoy India. We filmed five videos in India. We have 
an Indian playlist on our channel so you can go back and watch our adventures in India and maybe 
they can also help you plan your trip to India. We definitely included a lot of tips within those 
videos and you know where to stay, how to get around, but I think there are some more tips about 
just the general experience that we want to share. So today we'll dive into those eight tips starting 
with the first one which is embracing the energy of India. India has a lot of energy. Yeah. As soon 
as you arrive at the airport getting out of the airport to your place you will feel the energy. 
The energy of the traffic the people. I think the first impression I have was actually really good 
though because we arrived in the Mumbai airport and everything is very modern. It's all it's all 
laid out in in English, signage everywhere. The whole process was just very smooth. Even for 
us getting like an Uber outside at the airport like all of that was really smooth and really very 
welcoming. Yeah. So you can feel like people are interested. Why are you traveling to India? Where 
do you plan to go? Or we get approached by locals trying to have conversations with us everywhere. 
All the time even at immigration. Yes. Even at the the counter they they wanted to know where we're 
from and have a chat with us. Yeah. And they're very curious to know where we plan to travel to. 
And all of them always say like oh get out of the big cities because India is very diverse and there 
is so much to see. So from that I feel like when you plan your travels definitely look into getting 
out of the big cities more. I think we could have done even a better job of planning our itinerary 
if we knew that you know everyone is saying like get out of the city get out of city spend more 
time outside. Having said that, we only spent 4 days in Mumbai and I think that was perfect. 
Yeah. Not too short, not too long enough for us to experience everything. And number two tip is 
enjoy the food but be smart about the hygiene. We honestly had zero problems with our stomachs. Um, 
we started off, I think, with more well-reviewed, highly reviewed places that are in a more clean 
setting in Mumbai. And of course that also means it's a little bit more pricier. Not by much, but 
just a little bit more. And food has been amazing from the start from the start to to the end. Yeah. 
The food was so amazing. I feel like Indians just know how to season the food to perfection. It's 
always like bold flavors. It's always intense. And I think it's yeah, it's honestly one of 
the the best food countries that we have been to. As we kind of progressed through our trip, I 
think Goa was where we kind of let our guard down a bit. We started eating food from the street 
vendors, street vendors or seafood restaurants, but still we always check for reviews. Um, 
and it's just Google reviews. Honestly, it helped a lot in helping to choose places. Even 
local people use Google review as well. So I think it was a good way for us to filter out places. The 
thing is when you watch those Tik Tok videos about food in India, majority of India is not like that. 
No. And most local people don't eat from those street side vendors that you see on Tik Tok. They 
go to clean restaurant. They go to clean vendors on the street. And a lot of the vendors will even 
display the type of bottled water they use to cook the food with or to make chai with. The thing is 
local people also are eating from clean places, drinking, you know, bottled water. So like why 
would they be serving tourists something that they don't eat? Like that's why I feel like when we 
were going to places where we see a lot of local tourists, it could be just domestic tourists too, 
but Indians eating at the restaurants then we also felt like this is a good place. And we also don't 
eat at places where it's too quiet because then we know the turnover is slow and then in the heat the 
food just sits there and it's like not fresh. So we always go to places that kind of have a lot 
of turnover like a lot of customers in and out all the time. There are a lot of options in India 
and if you spend long enough time in India, you will probably want to try other food as well. And 
they have so many western restaurants that KFC, Starbucks, McDonald's everywhere. We've been using 
those really mainly for the toilets cuz we want to eat local food, not go to the western ones. 
But there are options as well when you are Yeah, their KFC is delicious though. They serve 
the freshest chicken out of the fryer. It's so delicious. I think KFC India is one of 
the best KFC I have tried. In conclusion, just have to be smart about where you want 
to eat. As you spend long enough in India, your stomach will adjust and then you can slowly 
try street vendors. We didn't drink anything that had ice in it in the in the beginning. Majority 
of the restaurant don't even serve ice. Yeah. They don't really give drinks with ice. They ask you, 
for example, we had a fresh juice. They asked if we wanted ice in it. So, I think if you're not 
sure, it's usually just going to come with no ice. Just drink it with no ice. But, I mean, 
you drank it with ice the other time and you were fine. Yeah. At the end of the trip, I didn't 
care anymore cuz everything was clean and I didn't have any problem with my stomach at all. I don't 
think that we really ended up having to worry as much as we thought we would be. Honestly, in 
Thailand, I use the same guidelines when we eat, it's don't eat ,you know, things that have been 
sitting outside for a long time. Don't eat ice if I'm not sure about the place. Take a look at the 
surroundings, the kitchen and you kind of can make a good judgment. Yeah. In terms of, you know, 
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your first purchase of a website or domain. Now, let's get back to tips for India. The third one is 
very important and a lot of you probably want to know what the toilet situation is like in India. 
And we are here to tell you that toilets are fine in India. They're clean and they're available 
everywhere. Yeah. And I think one thing that made me kind of like happy or relieved. Relieved. Yeah, 
that's a better word. Is you know how sometimes even when we were in Europe, we have to pay to 
go to the toilet? So we have to pay a euro. Like there was one time when we were in Croatia where 
I only had 85 cents. Yeah. I didn't have one full euro and she told me no. Yeah. you know like I 
was shocked because going to the washroom is like a basic need. Mhm. So then when we were in India, 
I think a lot of times, for example, we mentioned like the KFC, the Starbucks and the metro 
stations, you can have access to a clean washroom there. But also sometimes when we really needed 
to go, we asked a local hotel or a restaurant and they were like, "Yes, yes, use it. It's fine. 
Go, go, go." I just felt that they care. Like they were willing to share and I didn't feel like me 
going to the washroom I have to negotiate. Yeah. So I think that was a good feeling and I think 
because it's also a country where a lot of people eat with their hands. So that also means most of 
the washrooms would also have soap, have sink, have paper towels. So it was clean. Like every 
single opportunity we had, we would wash our hands just to, you know, basically so we don't get sick 
as easily. And yeah, that was often that we would find a perfectly great washroom to use. Honestly, 
we travel to a lot of places. Mhm. India has better toilets than China. I'm sorry. Some parts 
of Europe. Europe. Yes. Yeah. I think they take pride in keeping it clean. I would say they don't 
have many toilets. So like one restaurant might have one. or we had a beach shack area, they would 
have one or the metro station had two stalls. Like, you know, it's not a lot, but for what they 
have, they keep it clean. Yeah. So, the fourth thing we want to talk about is getting around. 
And getting around is surprisingly easy. Easy and affordable. We thought it would be tricky to find 
our way you know getting around but for example in Mumbai Uber was really convenient. You can 
order it for you know a car, a big car, tuk tuk or I mean a rickshaw. Many different things can be 
done on Uber. But they also have the metro. They also have the local train. So there's a lot of 
different ways to get around the city and it was quite easy. And we suggest you to try them all. 
Yeah. Especially the local train. It's so much fun. It may seems a bit overwhelming learning how 
to buy a ticket and get on the train, but as we said before, the local will help you. I feel like 
the moment we got to our destination, I had this surge of adrenaline. It's like we accomplished 
this task. Like our proud moment. Yeah. because it is very confusing but I think it's also part of 
your experience of of India like I don't think the local train should only be used for locals because 
it is such a nice way to see how people get around the city. I would suggest that if you are going 
to take the local train, go for the first class, but not the AC one because the AC one almost feels 
like a metro. Like it's all closed and everything, but the first class, you can feel the openness 
of the wind coming through and you can see the tracks. You can even stand by the door and just 
feel the wind blowing and it won't be as crowded as second class cuz second class can be a bit 
intimidating. So yeah, try the first class. Um, no AC. I think that was really, really fun. But 
also taking the metro was also a good experience. And we saw a lot of people in there who were also 
taking the metro for the first time because it only opened what, a month or two. The Aqua Line. 
Yeah, the Aqua Line just opened. We're talking about in Mumbai now. In Mumbai. Yeah. We're not 
sure about up north like big city like New Delhi if they have metro. I assume they do, right? 
Right. Yeah, we'll find out next time cuz we hope to go back to explore northern part of India 
on our next trip. In terms of getting around in Goa though, we rented a motorbike to get around. 
But there are options for taxis. There's no Uber there. I think there wasn't ride sharing. No, 
not in Goa. Goa is like Koh Samui where they have conflict between Uber and taxi drivers. Yeah. 
So getting around by motorbike was the easiest for us. Or you can get get a car. I think you can rent 
a car. And they are very affordable. I think we only paid $7 a day for the bike. Mhm. And I think 
car it shouldn't be more than 30 bucks. We rented a car in Kerala though and that was fun too. 
Honestly, we tried everything. We did the local train, the metro. Yeah. The motor bike. We rented 
our own car. We flew domestic flights. Yeah. As well between Mumbai to Goa, Goa to Kerala. Kerala. 
And we also took the water taxi in Kochi. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, just try them all and 
they are so convenient. And I think with domestic flights like getting around, we were chatting 
with some locals and it was interesting because for them they think the best the best domestic 
airline is Akasa and then Indigo and then Air India. They said Air India is the worst option. 
So that's what they said. But we never took Air India. But I'm just sharing that if you're looking 
at which airline to book with, that's what the locals told us. So we did try Akasa Air to go from 
Mumbai to Goa and then we took Indigo to go to Kerala. But keep in mind though a lot of domestic 
flights in India get delayed a lot. It happened to us on both flights. The first one got delayed 
for an hour. The second one got delayed for like three hours. Three to four hours. Yeah. Yeah. So 
that that does that does happen. And usually the airports are not that big. So like the domestic 
terminals so it is kind of limited during your your waiting time your waiting time like what you 
can do in there. Yeah just be prepared. Don't book your flights like too close like you should give 
yourself some time because it might it just might be delayed. Let's circle back to the driving. 
So if you want to rent a motorbike or a car, you do need to have international driver's 
license. I know that there are two kinds. One is Vienna, international driver's license and one 
is Geneva. Geneva. But you want to make sure that I think it's the Vienna one that has India on the 
list. So you need to have that and make sure that they stamp you for both motorbike and car on your 
international driver license. Cuz when we rented the bike in Goa, the guy did check my driver's 
license, but he was only skimming through it. Didn't take a photo or take a keep it. But 
in Kerala, they are very strict. They want to to have a photo of our license, photo of our 
passport. Yeah. And 5,000 rupees deposit. Yeah. Which we got back at the end. It is a bit tricky 
with the car rentals. We actually went with one that I thought the price was very fair. But uh 
I will link them in the description as well, but you just need to talk with them on WhatsApp 
because they're mostly used to domestic tourism more than international tourism. So, they will ask 
you things like, can you send me a deposit via, you know, bank transfer for this? and Can I send 
a deposit back to you 3 days after you give me the car back? But all of that doesn't work for 
us because we don't have Indian banks. Yeah. So you just have to negotiate for your own benefits. 
Yeah. And whatever works best for you cuz you're not there forever, you know. So for example, we 
couldn't give them the deposit. We just said, "You just got to trust us. We're going to use 
this car. We want this car. We're not going to cancel on you." So he's like, "Okay." And then he 
dropped the car. We checked everything. I gave him the 5,000 deposit. Um, and at the end just have 
to double confirm, triple confirm that when they come and pick up the car, they will bring the 
money back with them. And then they were Yeah, it was easy. It was honest. And I do recommend if 
you are comfortable driving yourself because you can explore so much more of India. You can stop 
anywhere, take a break for coconut by the street, watching the waterfall, playing with the monkeys, 
you know, like things like that are the benefits of you driving yourself. But it's not it's not 
easy. I would never I would never try because it's survival driving like it's not that they're going 
really fast, but it's like when you see a gap, you no hesitation, you got to go. You have to 
have guts driving in India. Yeah, I don't. So, so you did a great job. But every single time 
I fell asleep in the car and when I woke up, I got a panic attack cuz I thought the car 
hit us cuz they're always so close to us. So, I just keep waking up with panic attacks and 
I said, "Okay, I got to stop falling asleep in the car." The thing is, I thrive in that kind of 
environment. Driving in Vietnam, I have so much fun driving in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan. Driving in 
India, it's just so much fun. Driving in Thailand. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was telling Flora, I enjoy 
driving in India more than driving in Tuscany cuz in Italy you have to watch out for speed limit. 
You have different school zones, the zones where you cannot enter. You get a fine. And yeah, so 
in India it's free for fall. It's like no rules. Just don't hit anyone. Don't hit any cars and try 
not to get hit. Yeah. And number five is talk to locals. They make the trip special. Yeah. This 
is very true and it happened to us almost every day. I think initially when we were about to go to 
India, I was a bit more scared of being approached by people because we always hear you know not 
just not just India but I mean a lot of a lot of countries around the world now it happened to 
us in Europe where people just come and then they all being friendly but they always have an agenda 
after you know, it happened to us in Bosnia. Yeah. where the guy just came, oh, let me show you 
around. But at the end, he wanted money. I mean, there's scams everywhere. That's why I think 
I was a bit afraid. And of course, we watch, you know, some YouTube videos as well about like, 
oh, top 10 scams to be aware of. Yeah. To be aware of when you travel to India and stuff. So, I think 
the back of our minds, we were like, oh, if people be really friendly, we should just, you know, 
back away. But then when you get there, you get a very different feeling. Like a lot of people just 
genuinely want to talk to you. Yeah. They're just curious like where are you from? That's always the 
first question is they see us, we look different and they're like where are you from? They just 
really want to know and then where are you going to go travel to in India and how long are you 
here? They just want to ask questions and take photos with you as well. But there weren't many 
times when I felt like someone was trying to sell us anything. There was only one time where I feel 
like that guy really wanted to walk with us follow us everywhere and towards a market. But eventually 
we said no we don't want to go to the market. He's like okay well I'm going to go this way now. Like 
it was nice to meet you. So I was still cannot conclude whether or not he wanted something from 
us because we had a nice chat about you know the area that we were in in Mumbai and he told us 
about the street cats and you know all of that stuff. It just we're not used to being approached 
by strangers and have that kind of engaging conversation where they would walk with you for 
two kilometers. you know, majority of the time, if not all, the conversation we had with locals are 
very positive and we learned so much from them. Yeah. I think one conversation that really stuck 
with me was when our flight to Goa was delayed and you were editing in the food court at the airport 
and then these four boys sat down next to us and they were just curious like what you were doing 
and then the conversation started is like okay we're YouTubers in India and then the six of us 
just started talking about you know so what is life like in India for young people and they were 
saying to us they say Mumbai is a city of dreams but it's a city of illusions you know. And we 
all work so hard, but you know, for not a lot of people actually make it or realize their dream. 
And a lot of them are just proud of their work and talking about their work and the relationships. 
And you know, is religion cool nowadays or not? So it's like very interesting for you to be 
able to get an insight into the culture now. when you get to talk to local people and this kind 
of experience is what makes India so special and so memorable. Yeah, you cannot have this kind of 
conversation with strangers in a lot of places in the world. I think when we travel sometimes 
it feels a bit lonely because a lot of places like in Japan it's really hard to stop and start 
a conversation with people. In parts of Europe you don't walk up and talk to people. So India is 
almost a place where if you are able to just keep an open mind and not constantly be thinking that 
you're going to get scammed, you're going to be meeting some interesting people and actually be 
able to learn about the culture. I think another conversation we really enjoyed was at our homestay 
in Kerala. We learned about her experience with arranged marriage and how she tried matchmaking 
her kids. But it's like what arranged marriage was like back in the days like 30, 40 years ago versus 
what arranged marriages now are like and you know what it means for their kids to have a love 
marriage, which is not arranged. So, it's like all of these things were such interesting insight 
and what I really remember. You know, sometimes you forget about the views, what you saw, what you 
ate, but you remember the conversations. Yeah. For me, what makes the country memorable, it's not 
just the sites. Mhm. It's mainly the people, the people, the hospitality. Yeah. Yeah. So, number 
six, expect contrasts. They're a huge part of why India is India and why India is also a beautiful 
place to visit. I think one video that we did, for us there was a special purpose as to why we 
did this but I think for people who watch our channel might have had a misunderstanding 
about why we decided to go and film this, which is the Dharavi slums, the biggest slum in 
Asia, which is in Mumbai. We filmed this video because we wanted to see what life was like there. 
And we knew that it was not just seeing poverty because when we looked at a lot of tours that were 
doing the Dharavi slums, it was actually hosted by people who are from the slums, who grew up in the 
slums. So they have a deeper understanding as to what goes on there, what the community is like. 
It has a strong community spirit. It also has a huge money making potential in there. Like the 
industries in the slums bring in $1 billion US a year and 1 million people live there. 1 million 
Yeah. 1 million people live there. Like there's a lot of contrast just within the slums. So I think 
we wanted to learn about this area and how it's going to change as well because it is changing. 
There's a redevelopment plan. And when we were doing the tour, our guide who was born and raised 
there, he said initially they started the tours because the movie Slum Dog Millionaire actually 
gave the slums a very negative image. Because in the movie it shows how there's a lot of mafia in 
the slum. There's a lot of bad things going on kidnapping children and like there's probably 
drug problems and stuff. But then the tours initially started to educate local people like 
Indians what actually is happening in the slums. Local people and also visitors because locals also 
have kind of a discriminative like feeling towards the slums and also international tourists also 
would get that feeling from watching the movie as well. So I think the initial purpose was education 
for all to know what it is and yeah I think it was a good experience for us to see and to learn and 
then the same day we also checked out the metro and how like so much progress is happening in 
Mumbai and we took the metro to the financial district of Mumbai and you can see another big 
contrast with skyscrapers and promenade along the the ocean. We just want to see it all. We 
want to experience all the elements that make India so special because I think all of that is 
Mumbai. That's my honest feeling is all of this is Mumbai. So we wanted to be able to showcase 
I think that experience. We're not trying to make it negative. We were actually trying to show 
the positive the growth of of a city like Mumbai. And we had a lot of fun on that tour. We met so 
many friendly locals. Yeah. The gym guys wanted you to stay and work out with them. But I mean the 
contrast is quite big too not just in Mumbai like let's talk about Goa as well. So Goa, North Goa, 
South Goa is completely different feel as well. So there's contrast like basically everywhere we 
go like once we got to Kerala, Kerala itself is a huge contrast to the rest of the places we visited 
in India because it seemed like a very developed place it seemed clean very clean it's very clean 
I think it was like a 100% literacy rate there as well like every single person we talked to in 
Kerala spoke very very good English and once we got to the tea plantations and Munnar that was a 
huge contrast to the big cities like Mumbai. So number seven, you will stand out but not for 
the reason you expect. What does that mean? I think we stand out because we look different, 
but not because they feel like they want to take advantage of us tourists, but just out of general 
curiosity, like we mentioned before. Um, and that also comes with, you know, the opportunity to take 
photos. So, taking photos was interesting because we don't honestly get people asking to take photos 
with us. We didn't expect that people would want to take photos with us because we didn't think 
that being me from Southeast Asia and I'm East Asian. I'm from Hong Kong. Yeah. And we kind of 
look like, you know, northeastern Indian people. Yeah. Someone said we look like people from 
Nagaland, right? So, we didn't think that we would get that much attention. We thought, okay, 
maybe like foreigners with blonde hair, blue eyes, you know, they might get a lot of attention, but 
everywhere we go. But it was also an interesting experience because a lot of times it was from like 
families too, like mom and the kids and then also the auntie with the cousins, like big groups. 
and they're probably just traveling like family travel but then they want their child to speak 
to us cuz a lot of times they would ask the the child can you translate or you know can you say 
something to them and ask them where they're from and all that kind of stuff and also to take photos 
with the kids. So I think the parents were really interested to see how the child would interact 
with a foreigner. So when it happens like that, I feel like I don't want to say no. I feel it was 
quite a nice thing that we can do. Yeah. And most of the time they are very polite. They always 
start with where you from. A little conversation and then can I take a photo with you? They are 
so cute and polite and we are happily wanting to take a photo with them. But you obviously can 
say no too. There are times when we're like on busy kind of on the go. So at the Gateway 
of India we had to be like okay thank you bye and then we kind of walk away because we took 
about 100 photos but I think that also is a place where it happens a lot. But the rest of the trip 
like on the metro then there were a couple guys who wanted to take photos with you and then take 
photos with me. I think mostly it's the mom with the kids. Mhm. Mostly men want to take photo with 
me and young girls and women want to take photo with you. There are a few incidents where the men 
want to take photo with Flora. Well, both of us usually not just me. Yeah. But no, there was one 
time in uh at the tea plantation, they wanted to take photo with you and they asked you me first if 
it's okay for them to take photo with. They asked me first and then they asked you first and then 
I said okay and then they took one photo. Yeah. And then he was like can I take another photo fist 
bumping with Flora? And it's like okay we all can do it. So yeah they're very respectful. Like it 
was interesting though because it's like well I don't actually know I don't remember now if they 
ask for my consent or your consent. No no, asked both. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's because, you know, 
I have a little muscle and tattoos. So, I think it comes in handy actually when we're traveling 
that people feel a bit more intimidated. Like I think it's a good thing. Yeah, we felt safe. Like 
I felt safe. I cannot speak about solo traveling as a woman because we didn't spend any time apart. 
Maybe only like 5-10 minutes here and there. But when we travel as a couple and I also made sure 
that I'm, you know, I always wear kind of like long pants or t-shirt and you have that red scarf 
that you wear. I just don't want to I don't like too much attention anyways when I'm traveling. 
So, I wear kind of very unrevealing clothes. Unrevealing and like bland kind of travel clothes 
to make sure like people cannot, you know, grab my bag or grab my scarf or something like that. Like 
I just want to be low-key when we're traveling. And I think it just makes me feel more safe and I 
had no problems. Yeah. Yeah. And we got a lot of people asking if we feel uncomfortable when local 
people stare at us. Um, honestly, we get that a lot during our travels in in India, but mostly 
it's from them being curious. Yeah, but I just smile. All you need to do is smile back and they 
will crack a big smile. Yeah, you just smile, say hello, and then that's all. Like I think they're 
not sure too because if if they look stare at you and then you stare at them back, they probably 
would be like, "Oh, like look away." And they feel scared. But because like you smile back at them, 
they feel like, "Okay, I can smile too." Yeah. So the last tip we want to share I think is a very 
very important one which is India isn't cheap or that's the mindset I think you should have when 
you are traveling in order to really enjoy India for example I think one thing that surprised me 
was the accommodation prices in Mumbai and I think it is quite expensive for what you can get in 
the city but if you are in a big city like that, spend a bit more. I think we should have spent a 
bit more in Mumbai for the comfort. We spent what, $65, I don't know $70 something yeah but if we 
were to spend anywhere above $100 we could have stayed at a much nicer place I think it would 
be worth it and the thing is once you're out of the city like in Goa, our accommodation went down 
to like $45 for a really nice Airbnb and even in Munnar staying at the hotel hotel overlooking the 
the mountains that was like $70 something dollars a night. So if you plan your itinerary where 
you're going to hit a big city and then you do other things that are in other smaller cities 
definitely splurge a bit on the the big city budget for accommodation. You'll just have a way 
better experience. And then the rest of the other accommodations are not that expensive. And when 
it comes to food, once again, there's a lot of options. You can go really expensive or you can 
go really cheap. We usually stay in the middle, middle and upper. I feel like our food choices 
are more dependent on reviews than the price of food in that sense. Yeah. I wouldn't eat really 
really cheap but also it depends on the reviews like basically just go to well-reviewed places. 
So overall I think our first trip to India was a huge success. We really enjoyed it and I'm sure we 
will be back. We already received so many comments from from Indians who are watching saying that 
make sure we check out the northeast of India. Make sure we check out the Andaman Islands. Like 
there's lots of places that wasn't really on our radar before, but then once we looked into it, 
we're like, "Okay, this is definitely what we would enjoy." Um, so yeah, this will not be our 
last India series, and next time we will be so much more prepared. I think next time we need 
to buy some Thai souvenirs to give out to the friends that we meet because they're so curious 
about Thailand. It's a like a way to engage with like locals next time that we're there. Yeah. 
So if you have a plans to go to India or India is on your bucket list, don't hesitate. Just 
go and see India for yourself and draw your own conclusion. This is solely based on our own 
experience and it has been very positive. Thanks again for watching and as always have a wonderful 
day and see you in the next one. Bye. Bye-bye.

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Traveling to India for the first time can feel exciting, overwhelming, and a little unpredictable — and that’s exactly why we made this video. After spending two weeks moving through Mumbai, Goa, and Kerala, we put together 8 tips we genuinely wish we knew before our first trip. These are the small things that made our days easier, helped us adjust to the pace of life, and allowed us to enjoy India with an open mind. If you’re planning your first visit or just want to know what it’s really like to travel here, we hope these tips help you feel more prepared and a lot more excited.

We rented the car from AVS Selfdrive Car Rentals (https://maps.app.goo.gl/m5fWc7edt9rMprs1A) and communicated to them via Whatsapp. They can deliver and pick up the car for a small fee. If you don’t have a local bank account then you’ll have to explain to them that you have to pay everything in cash. When you return the car, make sure to ask them to check the car right away so you can get your cash deposit back. Their normal policy is to return the deposit via bank transfer after 3 days but that only works with local banks. It was overall a smooth experience and they were really clear about pricing and checked driver details. It felt safe and they were honest, that’s why we’re recommending them!

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Video Breakdown by Chapters:
00:00 1. Embrace the energy of India
03:39 2. Enjoy clean and delicious food
08:39 3. Toilet situation
10:57 4. Getting around is surprisingly easy
19:27 5. Talking to locals
24:31 6. Expect Contrasts
29:06 7. You will stand out
34:20 8. India isn’t cheap

Disclosures: Some links in the description are affiliate links. If you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

#floraandnote #india #indiatravel