My Journey to India

Travelling is something that I’ve always been very passionate about. After all, who wouldn’t want to spend their days flying across the globe checking out what other countries have to offer?

I know travelling alone can be a life changing experience as would Mr Vacation say it.

So, when I finally saved enough money for me to go travelling alone last Summer, I had to think long and carefully about where I wanted to go and how I wanted to spend my time there. I spent weeks arguing with myself. I had no idea when the next time I would be able to afford to travel again, so I had to choose carefully.

Varanasi

Varanasi

After weeks of indecisiveness, I decided to travel to India. I know, for most people India isn’t even in their top 5 considerations, but to me, India has always been an interesting place.

The Culture

This is the number one thing which shocked me about my travels to India. In comparison to Europe, where I live, India is completely different.

Now, if you live in Europe then you’ll know that if you approach someone in the street and ask them a question, you’ll either get ignored, swore at, or if you’re incredibly lucky, you’ll get answered. In India, everyone that you approach see’s you as a friendly face and will immediately converse.

One of the most memorable moments from my trip was this elderly woman who realized that I was a tourist, and found it hilarious that I was using sun cream.

Appreciation

Living in a first world country results in a lack of appreciation: this is the number one thing that I learned while I was in India.

At home, I can walk into my kitchen, take a cool bottle of water from my fridge, and be back in my Livingroom watching TV in a matter of seconds.

Ladakh

Ladakh

In India, getting water is a much harder task due to their water crisis. In fact, drinking water from a faucet in India is worse than drinking water from a puddle!

I was lucky and quickly found out a few ways to keep myself hydrated without filling my body with harmful chemicals:
- if possible, only drink high-quality brands of bottled water (such as Bisleri or Kinley)
- if you can’t get your hands on bottled water, look into buying a “Katadyn Pocket Water Filter”
- if you’ve given up on finding water, try drinking the milk from a fresh coconut!

The Heat…

Living in europe, I’ve come to expect the worst weather possible. While I was in India, I couldn’t believe how hot it was. It’s simply indescribable.

If there’s one thing that I’d wished I had done prior to my travel, it’s doing research on what to expect from India and what I should have taken with me.

Red Fort in New Delhi

Red Fort in New Delhi

All in all, there’s no doubting the appreciation that I’ve gained from my trip to India. The country itself is beautiful and having the chance to see how another culture lives is one of the many benefits of travelling alone, it is an amazing experience that really changes the way you see life. If I ever had the chance to return for a few weeks, I’d definitely take it without a second thought.

My advice to you: if you ever have the chance to travel to a country which is completely different to your own, go ahead and do it. You won’t regret it and it’ll be the best decision that you make. Just make sure that you do enough research and if you travel to India, take more than enough sun cream!

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